Pride of place at

DEER CREEK GOLF AND COUNTRY ESTATES

Ajax -- The best clues about what lies ahead for the first-time visitor to Golf and Country Estates, the Ajax golf empire that includes three courses, 63-holes and one of greater Toronto's best practice facilities, may be on the winding drive into the golf course.

The road is called Buggey Lane, and lining it are some exceptional homes. It's not just that they're on the big side and sit on generous lots. It's also that -- from the curb at least -- they look like they were built with an eye to particularly high quality. The roofs feature old-style cedar shingles and many of the homes are built of stone. You just don't see that very often.

But the best clue might be the last home on the right, just before the parking lot, most easily identifiable by the tee-box sitting virtually on the front lawn. It is the tee for the par-three ninth hole of the Ruby Nine, the third of the three nines that make up the 27-hole layout know as North, the flagship of the fleet.

The home by the tee belongs to Jerry Coughlan, the man behind the golf complex. One of the leading property developers in the eastern reaches of greater Toronto, he's clearly taken to heart.

In addition to living on the edge of the tee box he has a parking spot with his name on it beside the classic clubhouse, which features many of the high-quality touches that are also featured on the homes near the golf course. There's a pride of place here.

With the owner living next door, it's no wonder the pro-shop staff is friendly and the starters and marshals efficient, knowledgeable and pleasant to chat with.

When the owner is a regular on the course, there's an extra incentive to make sure the ball washers all have towels and fresh water; the signs giving the hole characteristics are in obvious places and the tees, fairways and greens are wonderfully kept.

Most golf courses make an effort to beautify their surroundings, adding flowerbeds here or there. At it's taken to a different level, and it reflects the real-estate development, or vice versa.

When you pull up to the third tee at Ruby (carts aren't mandatory at , but they're included in the green fee), you could be forgiven for thinking you've arrived at a botanical garden, with the hanging flowers shrouding the stairs up to the tee.

It's wholly in keeping with the layout at Deer Creek North, which is also pleasing to the eye -- softly rolling, nicely wooded, with water, water everywhere.

The only blight -- and it's unavoidable -- are the hydro towers that are omnipresent through most of the three nine-hole configurations. But even then, steps are taken to minimize their aesthetic impact.

Their bases are often disguised by shrubbery when possible, and in some spots you might not notice them at all were it not for their humming, which becomes a bit soothing after a while.

Not so soothing is the golf itself. Depending on the combination of your play, an outing at Deer Creek North is either challenging (Ruby-Onyx, 6,438-yards, par 71); very challenging (Diamond-Ruby; 6,518-yards, par 71) or very, very challenging (Onyx-Diamond; 6,692-yards, par 72)

Again, for insight, refer to the tee box on Couglan's lawn. At 194 yards (from the blue tees), nearly all water, it yields par only to the very deserving.

It's actually the last of a killer stretch of three holes on Ruby; each carrying over water. The grand poo-bah is the 455-yard par-four seventh, which would have to be on the shortlist of the most difficult holes in greater Toronto.

Played from the blues (it's still 435 yards from the whites), it requires a laser-like tee shot down a chute. The perfect line is over a fairway bunker on the left, and if you manage to carry that you're rewarded with a large kick off the down slope and perfect position in the right-centre of the fairway.

This is important, because getting to the green in regulation requires a carry over a pond to a shallow green with anything from a 3-wood to a 6-iron for all but the longest hitters. Even the wise option -- laying up right of the pond -- demands a precise pitch over the edge of the water. A bogey here is a reasonable result.

Where: North on Brock Road from Hwy 401; east on Taunton Road; north on Salem Road.

Statistics: Deer Creek's north course is made up of three nines, Diamond is 3,386, par 36; Ruby is 3,132 35; Onyx is 3,306 par 36. The only combination that has been slope rated is the Diamond-Ruby duo, rated at 130 from the back. The other possible combinations are comparably challenging.

Director of golf: Rob Roxborough

Fees: $55 Monday to Thursday; $60 Friday; $65 weekends and holidays; $45 after 5 p.m. All fees include carts.

Facilities: There is a full practice facility at the golf academy, a short drive from the course and which you pass on the way to the clubhouse. Savvy Deer Creekers stop and warm up before checking in. There is also a well-maintained putting green near the clubhouse. There is a fully equipped pro shop, club rentals, showers and lockers, and a restaurant.

The word: Pretty, well-groomed and very tough.

Contact: 905-427-7737