This jewel has a steep price tag

BRYCE ALDERTON

To say that Shady Canyon Golf Club exemplifies attention to detail at

its finest would be a gross understatement.

The course that opened in January 2002 is the “P” in plush, the

“C” in cleanliness, the “S” in service.

No towel is left strewn off its stack. The range balls are

arranged in a pyramid on the driving range and a smiling face greets

you the moment you park your car upon entering the parking lot of the

Irvine club and after you have cleaned off the soft spikes and are

ready to drive away from what resembles a walk back in time.

The valley Shady Canyon, where residents of this gated community

pay $185,000 in initiation fees -- if you own property -- and $795 in

monthly dues, sits in brings you back to a slower pace of life, an

escape from the bustle of Orange County, to a serenity authors like

Mark Twain and Ralph Waldo Emerson would love.

This is a golfer’s paradise and if I, after playing the par-71 Tom

Fazio-designed layout, didn’t play another round of golf again, I

would be content.

From the first tee until the 18th green, no houses or roads border

the course, set into a wildlife sanctuary where hawks soar above and

100-year-old oaks and sycamores reach outward with their branches, as

if they were trying to hug the air.

This is what Orange County must have looked like before

development wiped out virtually any semblance of free space.

How about “Paying for Peace,” as a title for a book written about

Shady Canyon.

Newport Beach residents, which make up 20% of Shady Canyon’s

membership, a higher percentage than any other city, are forking over

that kind of cash.

Hey, if you have the money and like to play golf with a staff that

treats you like royalty, Shady Canyon is the place for you.

But throwing down $220,000 for initiation fees if you don’t own

property inside this gated community? In some areas of Orange County

you could buy a house for that much.

I guess I have a hard time fathoming spending that much on

entertainment, even if it is on a game I love.

In addition to the golf are the amenities Shady Canyon’s staff

provides, which include locker rooms where no sink is unclean and

every towel is folded and arranged in a tight stack.

The scent of aftershave emits when you open the door. Every

toiletry from mouthwash to shaving cream is at each sink with a hair

dryer plugged in and ready for action.

Imagine, ladies, what the women’s locker room is like.

There are no signs on the tee boxes noting how far the hole

measures. The scorecard provides that information.

This course blends into its surroundings better than any I have

played -- and that includes Pebble Beach.

Don’t get me wrong. Pebble Beach is indeed a golfing mecca at its

finest that seeps of tradition and sends goose bumps down the spine.

But Shady Canyon makes you feel like you have truly escaped reality

-- even if it is for a mere four hours.

You can still see villas and million-dollar mansions along

Pebble’s fairways. This is not the case at Shady.

This is the exclusive of the exclusive. The posh of the posh.

Baseball slugger Mark McGwire will move into a custom-built home atop

a bluff that overlooks the valley and probably has a few places where

one can see the Pacific Ocean.

Shady is not for the faint of fortune.

If money is no option, go for it. Twelve percent of Shady Canyon’s

membership migrated from Big Canyon Country Club, the most of any

club, while 11% came from Newport Beach Country Club. And there are

those golfers who have memberships at both clubs.

David Voorhees and Jerry Anderson, general managers at Big Canyon

and NBCC, respectively, don’t feel intimidated by this “new kid on

the block.”

They said golfers in Orange County have one more choice to make

when it comes to golf.

A lot can also be said of the social ties members at Mesa Verde

Country Club, Santa Ana Country Club, Newport and Big Canyon have

made over the years, Anderson said. Members who could afford Shady

have stayed because they value the camaraderie with their buddies, he

added.

So many facets, so many items to prioritize.

If I had the money, Shady would be a nice place to be.

The choice is up to you.