MICHAEL GRANGE
Sports Reporter
Saturday, May 29, 1999

Aurora, Ont. -- You're about to play golf, so you do an inventory of what you'll need to play your best 18 holes. Your bag and shoes are in the trunk of the car.

The clubs are cleaned and you've got a new set of soft spikes in.

You've got more than enough balls (although hey, let's hope you won't need more than a couple) and they've been marked.

You've got gas, directions and time. You're set.

Unless you're heading out to play your best 18 holes at St. Andrew's Valley in Aurora. Then the most important piece of equipment you'll need is a calm, level head.

St. Andrew's isn't a test of golf, it's an exam. It's annually rated among the very top courses in the province by the Ontario Golf Association, and with good reason.

If you like to bang it ahead off the tee, slap it up near the green any old how and generally figure things out as you go along, St. Andrew's will eat you like salad. There are hazards in play and decisions to make on seemingly every shot.

The payoff is this: If you're prepared to give some consideration to each swing, and aren't embarrassed to hit irons off tees when required, you may be rewarded with a full meal deal.

All parts of your game will be called upon, but with full support -- the tee boxes and fairways are all in excellent condition, the sand in the many strategically placed bunkers is consistent and playable, and the pro-guide costs only $1 and offers plenty of help for first-timers.

Designed by Rene Muylaert, St. Andrew's opened in 1991 and has a well-deserved reputation as a mind-breaker. Played from the tips, it measures 7,304 yards and carries a stroke rating of 76 and slope of 143.

St. Andrew's saving grace for mortals is that it has five different tee decks to play from. The white tees play to a manageable 6,253 yards, yet still carry a slope rating of 133.

The first hole is a fair indication of what lies ahead. A relatively narrow, relatively short 365-yard (from the blue tees) par-four, you need 180 yards to carry a creek running across the fairway. The best approach to the long, narrow green is from the left side, but guess what? To get there you have to flirt with a massive tree, a fairway bunker and lots of heavily mounded rough. Going to the other side requires a longer carry over the creek and brings out of bounds into play, and makes for a trickier second shot.

Not an overwhelming hole by any means, but it does require you to pick your poison early.

The course's toughest stretch is probably the last two holes on the front nine and the first hole -- a long par-five -- which gets things under way on the back.

The eighth is typically the most difficult hole on the course, a 441-yard par-four that plays uphill, no less. But it's the ninth that most people remember at St. Andrew's, mostly because it's so quirky.

It's a sharp dogleg shaped like a tall boot, with the tee box at the toe facing the heel and the green at the top. It's virtually impossible to cut the corner, so most golfers are forced to play this par-five with a long iron to start.

As a result, even a perfect drive leaves you with 270 yards or so left, meaning that the smart play here is another long iron, or whatever club you need to get within scoring range. The effect is a short (509-yard) par-five that has to be played in three shots, all of them irons. This bugs some people, but perhaps that's the point.

For those who think it's their divine right to be able to bang their way home on par-fives, they won't have to wait long. The par-five 10th weighs in at a hefty 575 yards, with water in play most of the way along the right-hand side.

In addition to making wise choices, the key to getting around at St. Andrew's is scoring well on the par-threes, as all five rank among the six easiest holes on the course.

For those who like to walk around drinking in the sights and smells of a well-manicured track, St. Andrew's may fall a little short in the aesthetics department -- it's not homely by any means, but nearby homes and traffic are reminders of the hubbub of life outside the green.

But passing the St. Andrew's golf exam requires deep concentration, so if you find your thoughts drawn to the scenery outside the fairways, here's a hint -- pay attention, or you'll have to repeat the course.

Then again, plenty of golfers might consider taking this test over and over again a treat.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Where: 368 St. Johns Sideroad East, Aurora, Ont. East of Highway 404 between Bloomington Road and Davis Drive.
Statistics: 7,304 yards from the back tees, with a rating of 76.0 and a slope of 143; a (slightly) friendlier 6,619 yards from the blues, with a rating of 72.7 and a slope of 134.
Director of golf: David Harris.
Fees: $75 before 3 p.m.; $65 after 3 p.m.; $29 after 5:30. Carts cost $15 a rider.
Facilities: Full practice centre, with range, putting, pitching and sand areas. Fully equipped pro shop and restaurant, club rentals, showers and lockers, full banquet and meeting facilities.
The word: Feeling confident about your game? Take it to St. Andrew's and get it on.
Contact: 905-727-7888.