A Golfing Vineyard - Temecula, CA

Neck-deep inside the warm, soothing pulses of one of the two spas that bookend the pool at Pechanga RV Resort, I felt the big-city stresses melt away, then wondered why it had taken me so long to visit this fantastic resort in Temecula, California.

Located off I-15, between Los Angeles and San Diego, Pechanga Resort & Casino is a first-rate operation throughout, among the most finely run establishments I have ever had to pleasure to experience. I can see it completely eliminating the need for Los Angelinos or San Diegans to go to Las Vegas.

In the casino, the largest gaming floor in California-188,000 square feet-lay before me like an endless array of possibilities. No Vegas casino has more than the 3,700 slot machines that entice Pechanga's patrons. More than 130 table games tempt those who prefer their gambling to involve human interaction. Nine restaurants deliver a stunning variety of cuisine, and, unlike in Vegas, I didn't feel that I needed to win big before I could afford to buy a meal. I wandered around, admiring the layout and the décor, until it was time to take my seat at a poker table to play in a Hold'em tournament. Alas, I had better luck at the buffet.

For golfers who appreciate true quality, Pechanga Resort&Casino could not be better situated, since it overlooks one of the finest courses in the state, The Journey at Pechanga (journeyatpechanga.com). This challenging course features one of the best practice facilities anywhere, delivers enormous elevation changes, serves up fantastic scenery and design elements and displays greens so uniformly well-maintained and true that on a couple occasions I suspected the grass of having been painted green.

The key to playing Journey is to secure an early tee time, because afternoon winds can drastically change the complexion of a round. The opening hole is an impressive par 5 that introduces players to the preponderance of enormous oaks that seem to force strategic decisions about alignment on nearly every hole. And the fifth hole, which demands a tee shot over water and a risk-reward decision regarding how much of the creek to flirt with, ranks among my favorite holes on any course. Golfers should be advised that, when the wind blows, the course plays significantly tougher than the yardage and the slope might signify: I played with a 10 handicapper who claimed at the end of the round that he lost four balls; he was a nice guy but his counting skills were lacking, since I saw him lose eight.

A mere five-minute drive from Pechanga sits another quality course that is far more affordable, though not nearly so immaculate the day I played it. Redhawk, also in Temecula, a town known for its fine wines and wineries, features the single most beautiful hole I played that week: Number eight, named Ray's Creek, is redolent of Augusta National, with a profusion of yellow flowers adorning the tee box, a carry across water and a stone bridge to the right of the green-all helping to create a gorgeous and great hole. Two of the other par threes on Redhawk are also excellent, though I'm certain that the green on the fourth hole should be redesigned.

And while on the subject of redesign: The only hole I did not like at CrossCreek, also in Temecula, was the 18th, which is a shame, since I loved this course so much that I returned to play it the next day. Holes seven through 11 showcase CrossCreek's charms and challenges so well that golfers who complain about canted fairways and extreme elevation changes should throw away their clubs or recalibrate their worldviews. That CrossCreek costs in the neighborhood of $50, including cart, renders this course fantastic.

Although I did not visit a single winery, my visit to Temecula proved to be intoxicating.