Shadow Lakes Golf Club

Don't pat yourself on the back until you take a good look at the green.

Shadow Lakes Golf Club in Brentwood has beautiful scenery, plenty of elevation changes, lots of bunkers and water hazards ... and greens with square footage and undulation to rival even Rancho Solano.

Getting on the green is great, but hitting approach shots on the right tier is essential for a good score at the Gary Roger Baird design, which is not quite two years old.

Good scores are possible at the par-71 layout, which is just less than 6,000 yards from the white tees and only 6,710 from the blacks.

But golfers must pay attention, and take advantage of the yardage book that comes with each green fee. The book gives the depth of each green - only two pars 3s and the finishing hole have depths less than 29 yards - and shows the slope tendencies, a key since almost every green has at least a knoll.

The book also offers intricate yardages to all important points on each hole, including the course's 78 bunkers.

Stay out of the traps and the course is there for the taking, especially at the outset. No. 1 is an intersting uphill starting hole that features a huge fairway bunker and an even bigger green with a false front, but it is only 339 yards even from the blacks.

Make your birdies on the first four holes, because the course toughens up after the start. Water comes into play on eight holes, starting at the picturesque par-4 fifth.

Three of the four par-5s are uphill, and three are more than 500 yards long, even from the whites. The long, uphill treks begin at sixth hole, which is a whopping 553 yards from the gold (blue) tees.

Don't expect a break on the back side, even though it's only par-35 with three par-3s. The par-3s are long, and all three on the back nine feature shots over water.

The 190-yard (gold) 11th hole starts a three-hole stretch that is the teeth of the course and often is into the teeth of the wind.

Another long, uphill par-5 at 15 leads to the signature par-4 16th hole, where big hitters will have to hit middle to short irons off the tee. The second shot is over water to a peninsula green.

Another par-3 over water at 17 brings you to the finish, a long par-5 where golfers who are having bad days can let out their frustrations, and long hitters can let out plenty of shaft.

The finish will be even more beautiful once the permanent clubhouse is completed, scheduled for late October.

The temporary facilities are about as nice as trailers can be, even though most of the seating at the 19th hole is outside. The beverage cart runs, even in the early morning.

Some drawbacks are common to relatively new courses. The greens are still fairly firm and very fast, although they roll true.

There also are dozens of houses being built around the course, so get ready to hear construction sounds during your swing on some holes.

Some of the tee boxes have taken a beating at a course that is growing in popularity, but the tees areas are big enough and rotated often enough to minimize the problems.

But the advantages far outweigh the minor inconveniences. Some of those advantages are common to Troon Golf courses, the only other nearby example of which is Whitney Oaks in Rocklin.

One of the biggest plusses is that the green fee includes range balls, and you actually get to hit off real grass!

The $70 weekday rate may be a little steep for some players, but includes a cart, the range, yardage book and a bag tag. Some coupons also are available online at www.shadowlakesgolf.com

Directions - Take Interstate 80 west to I-680 south. Take Highway 4 east to Antioch. Take the Lone Tree Way exit south and turn right on Deer Valley Road. Take a left on Balfour Road, and turn left on West Country Club Drive. The temporary pro shop and parking lot are immediately on the right.