The fairways are pristine, rewarding down-the-middle players.
Most of the greens have traditional back-to-front slopes, without too many knolls or split levels. The greens are fast, but they roll true.
Trouble is all around, but you can stay away from it if you play smart.
Norman even helped golfers out by adding his trademarks, aiming bunkers, on several holes. The bunkers don't come into play unless you hit the ball as long as Tiger, and they provide great targets, especially if you haven't played the course before.
The vineyards don't provide good targets, but do provide good scenery. They border 11 of the 18 holes, and can come into play on a couple more if you are really wild. Unfortunately, they are out of bounds (two-stroke penalty).
The vineyards shouldn't come into play on the first hole, where Norman gives you a taste of the elevation changes to come. The biggest hazards on this hole are the speed bumps coming off the tee boxes, which are 100 feet above the fairway.
The first fairway is tight, and drives in the rough will cost you on this hole and throughout the track.
But if you stay away from trees and rough, the first four holes are there for the taking. Nos. 2 and 4 are short par-4s, and the third hole is a short par-3.
Make your birdies while you can, because Norman's challenge warms up along with you. The front nine ends with the three toughest holes on the side, including the 547-yard (from the blues) par-5 eighth hole that is the longest on the course. A creek crosses the fairway, the first of six holes in which water comes into play.
The routing takes you away from the clubhouse after nine, but a full-service snack bar (and restroom) is available at "the turn."
Next up is Norman's ode to San Francisco's Lombard Street, an eight-switchback climb up 250 feet of elevation to the 10th tee.
The first half of the back nine winds through the hills, including a downhill, dogleg left over vineyards on No. 13.
The finishing holes are flat, but all feature water.
No. 18 is a beauty, a long par-4 with a lake guarding the right-side approach. It also features a split fairway with a creek running down the middle - the left side is safer but longer, the right more hazardous but noticeably shorter.
If you take lumps at the finish, relax on the patio at the 19th hole and watch others stumble in.
The weekday rate is $75 ... it's not cheap, but it is competitive and does include range balls, a divot tool and a yardage book.
The book is a must for the first-time player at Wente, and can save you plenty of strokes. It highlights almost all the important hazards, and features maps of the nine different pin placements that are rotated daily.
There is only one glaring negative aspect, and that in itself is saying a lot. The Course is cart-path-only, so get ready to do some walking.
But sprinkler-head yardage is abundant, and the book will help you choose your club(s) before you leave the cart. And remember, the cart-path-only rule is one reason why the fairways on this 5-year-old course are still so nice.
In short, this is a must play. It already has landed on California Golf's top 50 in the state list, and may be the best public track within 75 miles of Vacaville.
You can even make reservations up to 30 days in advance.
Way to go, Greg.
Directions - Take Interstate 80 west to I-680 south. Take I-580 east to Livermore, and take the Portola Avenue exit. Turn right on North L Street, which becomes Arroyo Road. Head through the Wente Vineyards main gate, and turn left into the golf course parking lot.