Poppy Hills Golf Course

There may not be a better reason to become a member of the Northern California Golf Association.

NCGA members earn many benefits, but perhaps none can compare with the deal they receive at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach.

The 1986 Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design has gained national recognition for its beautiful wooded setting, with immaculate conditions, huge trees, enormous, undulating greens and 78 bunkers.

Poppy Hills is worth every penny of the $195 fee the general public must pay seven days a week. It's an absolute steal for the $53 weekday rate NCGA members pay.

This course is that good, in case you didn't know. It is one of the sites for the the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the PGA Tour's annual Central California stop. And although nearby courses Spyglass Hill and (especially) Pebble Beach grab more attention, Poppy Hills recently was ranked the No. 12 public course in America by the Zagat Survey, one spot ahead of TPC Sawgrass.

The reasons are plentiful. Jones Jr., one of the top golf architects in the world, took an amazing piece of property in the Del Monte forest and cut out a track that is an absolute pleasure.

Doglegs are the mainstay here, along with rolling hills, sand, a little water and plenty of tree trouble off track.

But the fairways are wide enough to accommodate those who aren't too wild, and a good score here will brighten your day as much as sunshine on the Monterey Peninsula.

The test begins right away, with a long par-4 that doglegs right. The downhill approach to a green guarded on the right by three bunkers is one of the main reasons the No. 1 hole also is the No. 1 handicap hole.

No. 2 is a par-3 across a hazard, where two greens provide a wide variety of lengths.

A common Jones Jr. theme comes into play at No. 3, where another dogleg features a huge fairway at the corner.

Other front-nine highlights include the fifth hole, where water guards the right side of a huge green with a ridge down the middle ... another mainstay at Poppy Hills.

The front side ends with another beauty, a par-5 with the approach across a ravine to a long green guarded by three bunkers.

The back nine begins with arguably the best hole on the course, a short dogleg-left par-5 where big hitters can go for the green in two but must carry the biggest water hazard on the track.

The back side is much more narrow than the front, but even more fun, with three par-5s and three par-3s.

All the par-3s feature trouble, either in big bunkers or lateral hazards. All the par-5s are reachable for big hitters.

Your day ends with the last par-5, which starts in the woods but opens up at the green. Six bunkers guard the approach, with three surrounding the clover-shaped putting surface.

Poppy Hills has it all, even though you may wonder why you can't see the ocean in a place called Pebble Beach.

Hey, take a trip around the 17-mile drive if you have to afterward, but make sure you have a tri-tip sandwich before you leave the grounds. The tri-tip is some of the best golf course food you'll find anywhere.

There isn't really a negative side to the experience, apart from the drive to the coast - 155 miles from Vacaville - and the price, if you aren't an NCGA member. But even guests of NCGA members can play for $80 during the week, $95 on weekends.

Carts cost another $17, but this course can be walked.

Poppy Hills isn't for the faint of heart, as the 71.0 course rating and 134 slope from the white tees can attest.

But this much beauty is hard to find on a course anywhere. So gas up, take a full day off work ... and try to stay in the fairway.

And bring your NCGA card.

Directions - Take Interstate 80 west. Take I-680 south through San Jose. Take Highway 101 south. Take Highway 156 west to Highway 1 south. Take the Pebble Beach 17 Mile Drive exit and go into the Del Monte Forest. Follow the signs to the course.