Callippe Preserve Golf Course

Spend time on the putting green ... both of them.

Callippe Preserve Golf Course in Pleasanton may land high on your list of favorite destinations, if you get your putter warmed up and your approach shots zoned in.

The course, which opened in the fall of 2005, is long on fun, if not distance. Black-tee yardage is just 6,748, with the white-tee distance an inviting 6,024.

But don't judge too hastily. The white-tee slope is a stout 129. And while there are plenty of hills, most of the slope rating comes from the greens, which have more moguls, twists, turns and tiers than you'll see in the streets of San Francisco.

Not coincidentally, the course has two putting greens. The three-tiered green closest to the pro shop will give you some indication of what's to come out on the course (OK, the on-course greens aren't that bad), while the one next to the driving range will help you with flatter putts.

In general, stay below the hole, and for more specific help, invest in the course's yardage guide.

Then just rare back and have some fun. Callippe Preserve provides plenty of chances to let the big dog eat. There are some environmental hazards, and a seasonal creek bisects several holes. But there are very few trees - at least not yet - and the rough is not too punishing.

Your biggest challenge comes in reading the greens, and in negotitating the course's 58 bunkers.

There is only one trap on the first hole, but the huge bunker guarding the left edge of the fairway provides your first bit of strategizing.

Big hitters can fly the bunker for a shorter approach shot on the downhill par-4. But even short hitters should be able to start the day with par or better. The green is one of only two on the course not guarded by bunkers, so you can run longer approaches down to the hole.

The second hole provides an even greater mental challenge, with five of the eight bunkers near where most players would normally land their drives, and the other three guarding the pin. Club down on the short par-4, or take a chance on flying the fairway sand.

No. 3 is a monster, a long, uphill par-5 with bunkers waiting to eat up errant drives and second shots.

The first par-3 is No. 4, along with the first true two-tiered green, which is guarded on the right by a huge bunker.

The big-bunker theme continues throughout the front side, which finishes with a long, uphill par-5 with more bunkers, a creek and the shallowest green on the course.

Hopefully, you scored well on the front side, because the back nine is noticeably tougher. It starts with a long but downhill par-4 to a huge, undulating green guarded in front by a creek and on the left by two bunkers.

Short but challenging par-4s follow at Nos. 11 and 12, and then a short, downhill par-3 guarded by two bunkers.

The best hole on the course may be No. 15, a short par-5 with bunkers left and right off the tee, a creek to cross on the second shot and a lake left of the green.

Hold on at 15, a par-3 guarded by trees at 16, and the longest par-4 on the course at 17.

Finish your day with another long par-5 that crosses a creek twice and ends up at the largest green on the course.

Positives at Callippe Preserve are almost too numerous to mention. This is a beautiful facility that is only going to get better with age. Conditions are wonderful, and the course has a great variety of uphill and downhill holes, as well as short and long and left and right.

As with any new course, some of your approach shots may run right through the greens until the course matures. But there are escape routes on many holes, and you can easily putt out of the apron most of the time.

Make sure your sand wedge is clicking. You may avoid many of the bunkers, but eventually you'll probably be in one ... or more. The sand is excellent, though.

The price - $55 for non-residents during the week, $73 on weekends (with a cart) - is solid, even inexpensive by East Bay standards. Walkers save $13, although this course is a test to walk.

Callippe Preserve also already has permanent on-course restrooms, and a solid restaurant and pro shop.

It even has two putting greens ... but you knew that.

Directions - Take Interstate 80 west to I-680 south. In Pleasanton, take the Sunol Road exit and turn left. Turn right on Sycamore Road, and then right on the first cross street, which also is Sycamore. Follow the signs.