Course Source: San Juan Oaks, Wailea

IN THE PUBLIC EYE: San Juan Oaks Golf Club in San Juan Bautista, Calif., not far from the fabled courses on the Monterey Peninsula.

THE LAYOUT: Fred Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, designed this course that opened in 1996, along with architect Gene Bates. The immaculate fairways and large bentgrass greens are set in a rustic environment with many streams, waterfalls and stone bridges providing a dramatic golf experience.

The par-72 layout is a real test from the back tees, measuring 7,133 yards with a rating of 75.6, but is very playable for golfers of any skill level because there are five sets of tees.

This was the first Fred Couples Signature Course in California and his trophy for winning the 1992 Los Angeles Open is on display in the 19,000-square-foot hacienda-style clubhouse.

GENERAL MANAGER: Scott Fuller.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: San Juan Oaks, which hopes to add another 18 holes and a hotel on the property, is another of those courses that is almost like two different layouts.

The front nine plays through a rolling meadow, and the longer, and more difficult back side winds through the foothills among large oak trees, with water coming into play on six holes on the course.

Among the best holes on the front, which plays through what once was rancher Everett Nutting's pasture, is the par-5, 578-yard second. Your drive must clear a large lake, and the green is protected from long hitters by a creek where Nutting's cattle watered.

Couples hits a power fade, so it should come as no surprise that nine of the holes on the course are doglegs to the right. Among the best is No. 3, a 359-yard par 4, which is called "Fade Away." If your fade turns into a slice, your tee shot is in the weeds.

The 397-yard, par-4 14th is one of the more unusual holes on the course, with two fairways divided by a seasonal creek. The left side is narrower and requires the more difficult tee shot, but leaves a relatively short and open shot to the green. The right fairway is wide open but plays uphill, is longer and leaves a more difficult approach, with a large oak fronting the right side of the green.

The signature hole, No. 17, is a downhill par 4 that would fit right in at a major championship. It measures 487 yards from the back tee and the drive must be threaded into a fairway surrounded by mature oak trees, with a creek coming into play in several places.

Couples gave a driving demonstration on the hole soon after the course opened, and his longest shot still was 140 yards from the green. The tee sits 150 feet above the green.

Completing the strong finish is the dogleg right par-4, 461-yard 18th hole. Best route to the green is a big drive over native grass to the left-center of the fairway, leaving an approach that must carry a ravine to a huge stadium-style green that has trouble on both sides of a narrow entrance.

OTHERS COURSES IN THE AREA: In neighboring Hollister is Ridgemark Golf and Country Club Resort, with two fine courses, the Diablo and the Gabilan.

Of course, not far away are some of the best courses California has to offer -- Pebble Beach, Pasatiempo, Spyglass Hill, Spanish Bay, Old Del Monte, Poppy Hills, Bayonet and Black Horse and Half Moon Bay Golf Links.

WHERE TO STAY: Even though it's only a short drive to the Monterey Peninsula, you might want to stay in the Hollister-San Juan Bautista area and explore 200-year-old Mission San Juan Bautista and the fascinating old California town, where Alfred Hitchcock filmed parts of "Vertigo" in 1958.

Right in San Juan Bautista are the Pasada de San Juan and the San Juan Inn. Among the best places to stay in Hollister are the Best Western San Benito Inn, Casa de Fruta Peacock Inn, Cinderella Motel, the Hollister Inn and the Wiebe Motel.

ON THE WEB: www.sanjuanoaks.com.

THE LAST RESORT: Wailea Golf Resort, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii.

THE LAYOUT: With three distinctly different championship courses, Wailea offers the golfer a varietal playground.

The Gold Course (par 72, 7,078 yards), was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened in 1993; the Emerald Course (par 72, 6,825) also was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened in 1994; the Old Blue Course (par 72, 6,758 yards), was designed by Arthur Jack Snyder and opened in 1972.

Located on the lower slopes of 10,023-foot Mt. Haleakala, a dormant volcano known as "The House of the Sun," Wailea offers panoramic vistas of the Pacific Ocean and the neighbor islands of Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe.

The courses wander through stark lava rock outcroppings, indigenous Hawaiian grasses, kiawe (mesquite) trees and remnants of papohaku, prehistoric lava rock walls built by early Hawaiians and preserved for their historic value.

It is important to choose the correct club because of the elevation changes on some holes.

HEAD PROFESSIONAL: Rusty Hathaway.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Test your game on the Gold Course, where the Champions Skins Game was from 2001 through 2007.

Most intriguing hole on the Gold is the par-4 sixth, which is only 297 yards from the back tee, but the green is guarded by a massive bunker complex that contains almost as much sand as nearby Wailea Beach.

Signature hole is No. 8, a 218-yard downhill par 3 which offers breathtaking views of Molokini, an ancient volcano crater that is partly submerged in the ocean, and the island of Lanai across the water.

The Blue Course, which features a number of fountains and lakes, once hosted the LPGA's Kemper Open. Best hole on the course might be the 562-yard, par-5 fourth, which plays uphill from the tee and then downhill to the green.

The second hole on the Blue is a 207-yard par 3, on which the shot from an elevated tee is all carry across a lake to a green that also is guarded by several bunkers.

The Emerald Course is annually listed as one of Golf for Women magazine's most women-friendly courses. The Emerald contains a reminder of golf in the United Kingdom with a large double green that is shared by the 10th and 17th holes. The green borders a 2.7 million gallon brackish water lake and is one of the most picturesque spots on the course.

The finishing hole on the Emerald is a 553-yard par 5, with wide landing areas for the first two shots, which should leave a short iron to the green. Be sure to say below the hole for the best chance to finish with a birdie.

OTHER COURSES IN THE AREA: Makena Golf Club is only a few minutes drive from Wailea. Silversword Golf Course in Kihei, Sandalwood Golf Course in Waipaku, Pukalani Golf Course in Pukalani, Maui Country Club in Sprecklesville, the Dunes at Mani Lani in Kahului are not far away on the South end of Maui.

In West Maui are the Kapaula Resort, with the famed Plantation Course in addition to the Bay and Village courses, and the Kaanapali Resort, which features the North and South courses.

WHERE TO STAY: The Grand Wailea Resort is a favorite of Michael Jordan and other celebrities. Also in the Wailea Resort area are the Four Seasons Resort, the Wailea Marriott, the Fairmont Kea Lani Maui Resort and Renaissance Wailea Beach. Nearby is the Maui Prince Hotel, where the Makena Golf Club is on the property.

ON THE WEB: www.waileagolf.com.