Winchester Country Club- Meadow Vista

They call the 15th hole ``Hero's Welcome,'' but if you're like me, you're not looking for anything heroic -- just dry.

It's a 223-yard monster of a par-3 with 215 of those vicious little yards a forced carry over a beautiful azure mountain lake. Mis-club and you won't find the lake so beautiful.

The tendency is to club up and pull your tee shot left, which is exactly what I did. I chipped down, missed my putt and walked away pretty darn pleased with my four.

Winchester Country Club is a beautiful, naturally configured course cut into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range near Sacramento.

Although No. 15 is the signature hole, it's not the only draw. The par-5 18th isn't particularly tough at 511 yards. Long hitters might toy with trying to reach it in two shots. But to me there's something striking about the sight of ancient, glacially deposited boulders lying mute in the middle of perfectly manicured fairways. It's a nice reminder that the land was here long before the golf course. The big boulders are exactly what you aim to split with a well-placed tee shot.

The 10th hole is the toughest on the course, which is no mystery considering it's 503 yards from the tips. The key is to absolutely smoke a perfectly placed, drawing drive down the right side and let it scurry its way down.(Gee, I wonder why it's so tough). If you do that, you can get plenty of roll and have a shortish iron into a small green at the bottom of the hill. But if you mis-hit a drive, you can either find the rocks on the left or leave yourself a massive downhill approach shot that's screaming for trouble. Par is a great score here. For everyone else, play it as a par 5 and be thrilled if you ``birdie'' it.

The beauty of this course is you won't find a lot of bells and whistles. No majestic fountains, tricked-up features or shipped-in ``natural'' objects. The course simply carves its way through a pine forest and then back down into a low mountain valley. You'll reach as high as 2,500 feet of altitude, so don't be so proud of that 275-yard drive. The beauty is provided by the setting: the bronzed, sun-clad hills of the Sierras. Give Robert Trent Jones,Senior and Junior, credit for realizing they had a beautiful piece of land and letting it stay that way.

If you have a chance to play Winchester, which is a private club, get in the car and get there as quickly as possible. But when you're standing on the 15th tee, remember: Don't try to be a hero.

By Mark Saxon
Reviewer, sfbaygolf.com

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