Intimidating Bucolic Beauty

The drive: About 50 miles from downtown L.A.

Address: 11 Strawberry Farms Road, Irvine (949) 551-1811.

Rates: $95-$135.

Overview: Less then a minute from the bustling 405 Freeway, you’re inside the gate and totally removed from any hint of civilization, not quite sure where you’ve landed but glad you’re there. The setting is rural and even a little surreal, what with an authentic 1929 Nebraska windmill atop the clubhouse and the big red barn as a banquet room behind it.

As for the course, a par 71 that plays 6,276 yards from the blue tees, it rises and dips splendidly as it meanders over and through canyons and wetlands. Former Angel third baseman Doug DeCinces developed this property, but Jim Lipe is the architect of a layout that is not long but features plenty of intimidating tee shots -- mostly on the par fours -- and lots of trouble in the form of water and woodlands.

Most of the par fives are reachable in two after a well-struck drive, but bailout areas are few and far between, so trying for the greens is a risk-reward proposition.

The par threes are a large part of what makes this course fun, as all are either elevated or require carrying the ball over a canyon onto fairly large, rolling greens protected by bunkers and dense shrubbery. The greens are fairly quick and putts generally roll true, but, perhaps because of the hilly nature of the course, reading them properly takes getting used to.

Overall, the course is challenging, well-manicured and pleasing to the eye. Is it worth the price? Depends on what you shoot.

Free tip: Make use of the GPS distance-measuring units on the golf carts. Subtle slopes on some of the fairways make it difficult to gauge distances with the naked eye. Also, if you’re playing a morning round, arrive early. This course is so close to the freeway that you might find yourself stepping out of the car and onto the tee box harried from the rush-hour commute.

Nice touches: An attentive staff, a grass driving range and fresh strawberries galore on the breakfast menu at the Farmhouse Grille.

Snapshot to remember: Stepping onto the tee at No. 10 and getting your first glimpse of the sprawling 35-acre reservoir, a resting place for ducks, a hunting ground for herons and egrets and a splashing-down place for all too many golf balls. Across the lake, flanking the 18th fairway, is a long and towering wall of rock awash in spring water spilling out of the mountain and, ultimately, feeding a creek that splits the fairway as it runs into the reservoir. Eventually, you’ll get a different perspective as you try to carry this creek on your second shot.

-- Pete Thomas