Saddle Creek Resort

The best way to enjoy the fairways is to stay in them.

The golf axiom never held more truth than at Saddle Creek Resort in Copperopolis. The beautiful course in the foothills features some of the best fairways you'll ever hit off, bordered by thick rough that will grab your irons and send your scores soaring.

If you can stay in the short stuff, you'll be in for one of the most enjoyable rounds of your life. And even if you can't, you still should have fun at one of the top public tracks in Northern California.

The 1996 design was given four-and-a-half stars by GolfWeek - Pebble Beach is the only public-access course in California that has received five - and it is all that.

Saddle Creek features a wonderful mix of twists and turns through hills, with plenty of trees, 99 bunkers and water in play on 10 holes.

But the biggest hazard may be the rough, which is even more noticeable since the fairways are so pristine.

The result is a world-class course that plays a whole lot tougher than it looks on the scorecard. The white-tee yardage is a mere 6,044, with a sedate-looking 69.7 rating and a 122 slope.

Those numbers apply only to those who stay in the fairway.

That isn't a difficult task on No. 1. The short par-4 has a fairway bunker left and a hazard right, but the wide fairway and huge green should help you start the day with a smile.

Just notice the severe slope on the green, which is the norm, along with lightning-fast putts.

Smiles may be hard to come by on No. 2, the No. 1-handicap hole. The long par-4 doglegs right around a lake, and eight bunkers add to the toughness.

No. 3 is a par-5 that features another dogleg right, along with more bunkers, more trees and more rough. All four par-5s are relatively short, but the punishing rough makes going for the green in two on any of them a risky proposition.

Birdie chances await on the par-3s. Both on the front side are downhill and surrounded by bunkers, but the greens are big enough to provide solid targets.

Close out the front nine with the best par-4 on the course, a short, downhill hole with an approach over water to a slippery green surrounded by five bunkers.

The back side starts with three birdie chances, including the picturesque 11th hole, a short par-3 over water.

But the shots you pick up may be given right back on No. 13, a long, narrow, uphill par-5, and No. 14, a long par-3 with all kinds of trouble all around a huge, sloping green.

You can get strokes back at the finish, if you can stay on the straight and narrow.

The 18th hole is another short par-5, but a hazard runs down the entire right side and 10 bunkers protect the fairway and green.

Drown your sorrows at a beautiful 19th hole before a long drive home, or play another 18 and stay in one of the resort's bungalos.

Saddle Creek is a course that could climb right to the top of your list of favorite destinations. The facilities are excellent, the mix of holes is great, and the course is challenging without being overbearing.

The greens are large and undulating, but they roll true ... and fast.

There is not a bad hole on the entire layout, and several you'll remember for a while.

Saddle Creek isn't for hackers, but five sets of tees will allow you to choose a length that will ease your pain.

Bring an extra sleeve of balls, or even two, because there are several long carries off the tee, and knee-high grass awaits if you stray beyond the normal rough.

As with most courses, you get what you pay for. But the $75 weekday rate does include warm-up time on an all-grass driving range. The weekday rate also applies on Fridays.

Saddle Creek also is almost 100 miles from Vacaville. But much of that trip is on Highway 4, a quiet change from Bay Area traffic.

Of course, if you get off the beaten path ... well, you know the rest of the story.

Directions: Take Highway 12 east to Interstate 5 south. Take Highway 4 east to Copperopolis. Turn right on Little John Road. Turn right on Saddle Creek Road.