ROBINSON RANCH, Valley Course, Canyon Country

A weekly look at golf courses open to the public in Southern California.

* Address: 27734 Sand Canyon Rd., Canyon Country

* Telephone: (661) 252-7666, ext. 5

* Green fees: Monday-Thursday, $85; Friday and Sunday, $115; Saturday, $125 (all fees include cart).

* Tee times: Eight days in advance; from 9-60 days, an extra $15.

The facility: Ted Robinson has designed courses around the world, but this is the first with his name on it and he’s a part owner. He and his son, Ted Jr., have carved two spectacular courses out of the foothills of the Angeles National Forest. There are severe elevation changes but not many drastic lies because the fairways are tiered. Robinson Ranch will never be lush because of its high desert locale, but the course is impeccably groomed and the greens are like a billiard table.

The good: The Mountain Course is challenging, but the Robinsons knew from the start that the Valley was the gem. The Valley is flatter, but a bit narrower. If you get through the first 12 holes unscathed, “Death Row” awaits. The 13th hole is a 596-yard par five with a tee shot through a chute of trees about 15 yards wide and 50 yards long. The 14th is a 248-yard par three, with a 200-yard carry over a dry creek bed. Then come three par fours over 400 yards and the 522-yard finishing hole. Duffy Waldorf, who plays the PGA Tour and lives nearby, has compared the greens favorably to Augusta National.

The bad: Clubhouse services are skimpy in a prefabricated building, but a permanent facility overlooking the 18th hole of the Valley Course is scheduled to open in May. Unless it’s too pricey for your blood, there’s not much else to complain about.

The score: The views and the solitude are almost as good as the golf. Tim Hogarth of Northridge, 1999 California Amateur champion, called Robinson Ranch the best of several courses that opened in the area last year.