MILE SQUARE / Players Course

A weekly look at golf courses open to the public in Southern California.

* Address: 10401 Warner Ave., Fountain Valley

* Telephone: (714) 545-7106

* Green fees: $35 Monday-Thursday, $45 Friday, $55 weekends. Cart fee is $12.

* Tee times: Five days in advance for weekends, seven days for weekdays.

* Web site: https://www.milesquaregolf.com

The facility: The newly opened Players Course is the second 18 at Mile Square Park, an Orange County-owned facility near the 405 Freeway. It joins the Classic Course, which has been one of the most popular Orange County courses since opening in 1962. The back nine of the Players Course has been open since November, but the front nine wasn’t ready until late February. The new course is mostly wide open with staked trees that need time to grow. The final four holes wander through an area formerly occupied by four holes on the Classic Course and have a much more mature feel.

The good: Golfers weary of paying top dollar finally get a break at Mile Square. While $55 isn’t exactly chump change, it’s a welcome markdown from the triple-digit green fees at seemingly every new course in Southern California. You won’t have somebody loading your clubs on a cart before you play and there won’t be an attendant cleaning them afterward, but you will play a challenging, well-manicured course and still be able to afford your $2 Nassau afterward. Another plus: Walking is an option.

The bad: It’s too soon to tell, but the biggest drawback figures to be pace of play. Lower green fees tend to draw bigger crowds and there are some difficult holes and tricky greens on the Players Course that could cause backups and lengthen rounds.

The score: If you want to be pampered, join a country club. If you want a golf course that will test every aspect of your game but won’t max out your credit card, then Mile Square is the place for you.