April/May 2014 67 LEFT TO RIGHT: COURTESY OF CHARDONNAY GOLF CLUB; NAPA RIVER INN; COURTESY OF NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN THE VITALS • STATS Chardonnay Golf Club, 2555 Jameson Canyon Road, Napa Valley. Par 72, 6,948 yards from tips, rating/slope 73.6/137. Green fees: weekdays $43-$69; Friday-holidays $51- $79; weekends $72-$89. Call the pro shop or visit www.chardonnaygolfclub.com for special discounts. 707/257-1900. • SIP Following your round of golf at Chardonnay, follow Highway 29 north to the Laird Family Estates winery and enjoy the fruits of Mr. Laird’s famed vineyards at 5055 Solano Road, Napa. The winery specializes in boutique varietals, along with its signature chardonnay. Wine tasting is open daily with tours of the winery by appointment: www.lairdfamilyestate.com. • SUP Dine for lunch or dinner at Angele in the Historic Napa Mill at 500 Main St. in downtown Napa. Cuisine is French Country and seating indoors or on the terrace overlooks the Napa River. Extensive wine list and cocktails. Reservations: 707/525-8115; www.angelerestaurant.com. Celadon, also located in the Napa Mill, presents “global comfort food” either in the dining room or in the courtyard. The menu and impressive wine list draws from the Mediterranean, Asia and Americas. 707/254-9690. • STAY Treat yourself to a night or more of luxury at the Napa River Inn, member of the Historic Hotels of America. The atmosphere is graceful and nostalgic, taking full advantage of its 19th century mill location. Breakfast is included. The hotel complex encompasses two fine restaurants (Angele and Celadon), Sweetie Pies Bakery, the Napa General Store, Silos Night Club, Vintage Sweet Shoppe and The Spa, a full-service establishment that includes pet services. The hotel is pet friendly. For reservations and golf packages: 877/251-8500; www.napariverinn.com. • SEE Stroll the Napa River Walk and note the beautiful mosaic fountain. Walk around downtown Napa, which features more than a dozen wine tasting bars and restaurants. Take the Napa Valley Wine Train or opt for a sightseeing car trip along Highway 12 to Sonoma and visit the town square, featuring historic buildings, shopping, wine tasting and the Solano Mission. n NAPA RIVER INN NAPA VALLEY CHARDONNAY GOLF CLUB Which came first, the golf course or the grapes? In this case, it was the golf. The vineyards, which produce merlot and chardonnay grapes, were artfully planted throughout the fallow spaces once the golf course was laid out. This 72-par course opened for play in 1986 at 6,927 yards. A rerouting took place about five years ago but did not change the distance or par. Today, inviting fairways, inventive greens and about 100 acres of vineyards mingle beautifully over an undulating landscape creating a distinct sense of place in this world-renowned wine region. Ken Laird of the Laird Family Estates winery in Napa is an original investor and founding member of the golf course. The course is exceptionally scenic and eminently fair, with five sets of tees providing robust groundwork for golf for every level of player. It is evenly divided among six par fours, six par fives and six par threes. The par threes are especially remarkable for their creativity. No. 8 is listed as one of Golf Digest’s most fun holes. At 150 yards from the moderately elevated middle tees, the green—in the shape of a crescent—is 100 yards across and about five yards deep, with three bunkers guarding it. Fun? Actually, it is a benevolent sight, since it follows the No. 1 handicap hole on the course, a long and treacherous par 5. Be sure to ask in the pro shop before your round about the local rule regarding putting the No. 8 green. We guarantee you’re going to like it. NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN
South Bay Accent - Apr/May 2014
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