Stevinson Ranch Golf Course

Don't get blown away.

Stevinson Ranch Golf Course bills itself as the "Jewel of the Valley," and as beautiful as the course can be, it can be a flat-out monster when the wind is whipping.

And while golfers can't control the wind, they can be smart and check weather conditions. And they can tee off early, before the wind gets going on most days.

You may not shoot too low at Stevinson Ranch anyway, but you deserve the best chance on one of the toughest courses in the San Joaquin Valley.

Take the long drive at least once to the 1995 track, which received a 4 1/2-star rating from Golf Digest magazine.

The links-style layout features large, undulating greens, as well as extended collars on most greens. The distinctive feature allows golfers who don't trust their chipping to putt from well off the actual greens, or bump and run shots from even farther away.

Putting is the key, whether you are on the actual surface or not. The greens are lightning fast, so take a few minutes before the round on the spacious practice facilities.

You also get unlimited range balls (you hit off grass) with green fees, so take advantage.

Make sure you're plenty warm before you hit the first tee.

The challenge begins right away, and it can be a big one. There are three sets of tees before you ever get to the whites, from the scary black set (7,206 yards) to gold (7,060) to blue (6,646).

Play the whites (6,093) if the wind is blowing.

Stevinson doesn't mess around with pleasantries - the first hole is the longest on the course, from 612 yards (black) to 474 (red). It doglegs right with a huge bunker most of the way down the right side.

It also features a narrow fairway, and you don't want to get off track on this course. The rough is nasty, and the savannah grasslands just beyond the rough are even more vicious.

The savannahs and wetlands areas helped Stevinson Ranch earn Signature Status by Audubon International. You'll see plenty of bird species, and maybe even a coyote or two, but try to stay focused on your game.

Play short and safe on the shorter holes, and there are short holes - variety of one of this course's strong points.

Simple beauty is another, although the beauty of No. 4 is mitigated by the fact that you may be shaking in your (nonmetal) spikes on the tee box. The shallow-but-wide green of the short par-3 is cut close to a water hazard, and four bunkers eat up shots that go long.

The fifth hole is just plain nasty, particularly in the wind. Just remember, sacrifice distance to stay in the short grass.

But there are respites, including the par-5 sixth hole. Even shorter hitters can reach this in two, although a shorter second shot can avoid trouble and leave a bump-and-run up the middle of a long green.

Grip it and rip it on No. 8, one of two par-4s on the course that long hitters can reach off the tee. Even shorter hitters can make birdie here, which is a welcome treat.

The front nine ends like it begins, with another long dogleg right around a hazard, this time water.

The back nine is easier, with a short par-5 (No. 11), a tiny par-3 (No. 12) and a fun, short par-4 (No. 14) that offer birdies if you stay in the short stuff.

There are tests, too, with long carries over grasslands (No. 13), water (Nos. 16 and 17) and both (No. 18).

This course can be had, particularly on calm days. Matt Hansen, a Canadian Tour rookie from Atwater via University of the Pacific, set the course record with an amazing 59 (from the blacks) two weeks ago.

The plusses are plentiful, including great variety and great conditions. There is plenty of sprinkler-head yardage, and the $5 course guide is first-rate. Save some frustration and buy it.

The negatives are more grin-and-bear-it in nature. The greens are consistent but very fast, and still don't hold approaches very well. The compensation is the extended collar around the greens, but that doesn't help you on long approaches to shallow greens on Nos. 4 and 13.

Still, this is a high-quality track, and the $65 weekday rate is not bad for a course of this caliber.

Stevinson even has cottages so you can stay and play, if the 135-mile trip is too long to do twice in one day.

Directions - Take Highway 113 south to Highway 12 east. Take Interstate 5 south. Take Highway 140 east to 33 north to 140 east. Take Van Clief Road north. The course is on the right.