GOLFING GETAWAYS : PLAYING THE LINKS, MASSAGING OUT THE KINKS AT SOCAL'S TONY RESORTS.

Byline: Lynette Rice Daily News Staff Writer

California golfers are certainly a spoiled bunch. If they aren't enjoying the tony links at ocean-front courses, then they're partaking of perfect greens from San Diego to Santa Barbara, Ventura County to the desert floor.

Any why shouldn't they? There is little reason for the estimated 2.8 million golfers here to go elsewhere: California is home to 898 public and private courses, second only in the nation, with the most greens, according to 1995 statistics from the National Golf Foundation. Florida is tops with 1,119 courses.

As if that's not enough, 88 courses throughout California offer additional reasons to keep your irons swinging - resort accommodations. Only at these luxury destinations can you end a day of 36 holes with a relaxing massage or gourmet dinner less than 1,000 feet from your final putt.

Call it links and a loofah.

Plenty of the resorts are right in our own back yard, far enough to leave the neighborhood but close enough to require less than a tank of gas. Play your cards right and you may be able to take advantage of unlimited golf packages, offered year-round when the temperatures rise and the sunbirds flock home:

Temecula Creek Inn, 44501 Rainbow Canyon Road, Temecula: Nestled beneath Interstate 15, just outside the Temecula Valley wine country, this modest Riverside County hideaway with 27 holes of golf was rated by Golfweek Magazine as one of the ``Best Courses in America.''

Guests get their choice of three nine-hole courses - the Oaks, Creek and Stone House - that offer challenging hills and water hazards for the brave and forgiving, flat fairways for the meek. It's not uncommon for golfers to complete all three in one day.

You can't escape the roar of I-15 - it seems so out of place when putting out amid a breathtaking collection of oaks - but the course still provides some heady views of the local mountains. One hole even takes you back a few centuries - an authentic miners' mess hall from the late 1800s can be found above No. 8 on the Stone House course.

The resort's only restaurant - the Temet Grill - is just a golf ball's throw from the pro shop and driving range. Among the usual offerings, the breakfast menu boasts a fattening, but extremely tasty, huevos rancheros and green chili burrito, while the dinner lineup touts such delicacies as tomato basil creme soup, followed by filet mignon, roasted salmon and swordfish, and osso buco on fettucine.

Adult beverages? Temecula wines, of course.

The simple rooms have a southwestern, rustic appeal - most overlook the golf courses. The honor bar features a $9.50 bottle of a Temecula chardonnay while there's a plentiful supply of teas for the early riser. There's even an in-room grinder and a small supply of coffee beans for a fresh cup o' joe.

If the resort's small swimming pool and hot water spa don't excite you, consider the tennis, volleyball and croquet courts or the in-room massage and facials.

Those feeling stir-crazy are encouraged to seek excitement elsewhere - namely, at the valley's 11 vineyards. And although ocean breezes make their way through the valley, it can get hot touring Temecula in the summer. Smog, however, is seldom a problem.

Ojai Valley Inn, Country Club Road, Ojai: Knowing the gods - the immortals being the members of the PGA Senior Tour, who converge upon the mountain community each year - romp there is reason enough to make a tee time at the historic Ojai Valley Inn. (If only the greens came with promises that you'll break 70, just like the great ones.)

Menacing peaks and valleys and you've-got-to-be-kidding water hazards make up this par-70 course that's magnificently framed by the Topa Topa Mountain range and originally designed by the creator of the Riviera and Bel Air courses. (It's repeatedly ranked as one of the top 25 courses by Golf Illustrated).

If you're lucky, a harried starter will have you begin the round on the back nine so you'll experience the pain early; the front nine is a much more forgiving way to end this grueling day of golf.

In short, expect to sweat.

But don't expect to stay mum about the experience. This is what great golf courses are all about: having a round so memorably painful, you're still spinning tales about it months later around the water cooler. Within weeks, idle chatter about how you had to lay up on 11 so you could avoid a small creek turns into flashbacks about how you blindly drove from a cliff, just missing this massive ravine with a bridge.

Yet mysteriously, you managed to bogey the hole.

The round is best finished with a meal of California cuisine at the Oak Grill and Terrace or the Neff Lounge, just around the corner from the pro shop and putting green and framed by colorful fauna. Not far beyond are the pool and a lovely birdcage filled with parrots, cockatiels and lovebirds that serenade the guests.

Top dollar will get you a luxurious room overlooking the Ojai Valley - a serene view that surely relaxes if the spa tub in the bathroom does not. Rooms are spacious and decorated with ceramics by local artisans, and include mini-bars, in-room movies, coffee and tea, and hair dryers. Some have fireplaces.

If golf isn't your thing, consider a day of tennis, hiking, horseback riding, jogging and mountain biking - other sports that can be enjoyed at the fully contained resort. And promises of more pampering are just around the corner: The Ojai Valley Inn will open up its luxury spa next year, a 28,000-square-foot facility that will offer full-service spa treatments for its guests within a quiet, wooded section of the property.

And of course, there's the magic that lies beyond the resort within the historic California mission-style town of Ojai - artists' studios and shopping, and fishing and boating on nearby Lake Casitas. It's not just great golf and a historic resort that have beckoned stars to the area for decades.

Hyatt Grand Champions, 44-600 Indian Wells Lane; Stouffer Renaissance Esmeralda Resort, 44-400 Indian Wells Lane, Indian Wells: There's no denying the true granddaddy of resort playgrounds is the Coachella Valley, home to not only a magnificent selection of courses, but many members of the PGA tour. A stay at one course will surely lure you back to the high desert to find another.

Might as well sample the best first.

Located 20 minutes from Palm Springs in Indian Wells, the 34-acre Grand Champions resort has actually earned more of a name for itself as a tennis hub because of its dozen courts with grass, clay and hard surfaces. Home to the ESPN televised Evert and Newsweek Champions Cup every year, the tennis facility provides the third largest tennis stadium in the country - 10,500 seats.

Yet no less attention is paid to its 36 holes of golf, designed by Ted Robinson, former host to the Senior PGA Tour and Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Expect tee elevations of up to 60 feet, multitiered greens and nine lakes that bring water hazards to play on 16 of the holes - not to mention the occasional Indian burial ground that dots the east and west courses.

The tony, full-service salon features body wraps, pedicures, manicures and facials (gotta love the heated hand mitts that come free with the soothing scrub). Four pools and two Jacuzzis are within strolling distance, as are golf and tennis boutiques.

Another world lies within the fitness center, which features Stairmasters, Lifecycles, treadmills and free weights.

Then, there are the guest rooms - 336 in all. Nearly 300 offer sunken sitting rooms with sofas, work desks and phones, while the marble bathrooms have separate showers and tubs. All rooms are equipped with coffeemakers, refrigerators, hair dryers and irons, and have private terraces that offer garden, pool or golf course views.

The neighboring Stouffer Esmeralda, at the foot of the Santa Rosa Mountains, is much larger in terms of accommodations - 560 rooms and suites that also have their share of marble vanities and balconies. A complimentary shoeshine comes with the digs, as does a morning newspaper, in-house laundry and dry-cleaning facilities.

Two 72-par golf courses surround the Mediterranean-style resort, also designed by Robinson, and a regular hot spot for PGA and LPGA tournaments. Seven hard tennis courts stand nearby, not far from the beach volleyball and basketball courts, health spa and fitness center.

Did someone say spa? Yes, there are facials and make-overs to be had in the center, along with outdoor massages and guided walking tours of Indian Wells for the complete rejuvenation experience. And this resort is definitely the place to get into the swim - the resort has three swimming pools, one of which provides an actual sand beach.

On Location A two-night weekend stay at the Ojai Valley Inn costs $762 per person, which includes accommodations and two rounds of golf with cart. Weekdays, it's $303 per night for the room, golf and cart. The golf academy offers two days of instruction, along with golf, cart, school materials, and a welcome reception. That costs $595 per person, excluding accommodations.

Deals can be found Sundays through Thursdays after 3 p.m., when the Ojai Valley Inn charges only $59 for 18 holes plus a cart.

The inn is 90 minutes northwest of Los Angeles. Reservations: [phone].

At the Hyatt Grand Champions June 1 through Aug. 31, a couple can enjoy one weekend night's stay in a parlor suite and unlimited golf, plus cart, for $155 a night. That drops to $135 a night weekdays. Reservations: [phone].

Temecula Creek Inn offers a midweek golf getaway that includes three days/two nights accommodations, unlimited golf with a cart and bucket of range balls for $129 per person per night through June 16.Information: [phone].

The Stouffer Esmeralda's lowest rates in golf packages can be found from June 9 to Aug. 29. For $124 per night Mondays through Thursdays, one golfer can enjoy a room, round of golf with cart, admission to health club, club breakfast and a gift certificate to the resort shop. For two players, that same package is available for $129 per night for two weekdays, $189 weekends. Reservations: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos, Box

Photo: (1--Color) Golfers at Stouffer Renaissance E smeralda Resort in Indian Wells get a view of gorgeous mountains while they play 18 holes.

(2--Color) Temecula Creek Inn has been rated one of America's best courses.

(3) Golfers pause overlooking a lake on the Hyatt Grand Champions course in Indian Wells, near Palm Springs.

Lynette Rice/Daily News

Box: On Location