L.A. tee da: local L.A. golf courses offer everything from Swiss cable cars to an African oasis.

Considering there are hundreds of thousands of golfers in the greater Los Angeles area, there will never be enough courses to keep everyone happy -- or playing rounds in four hours. The following sampling of public and semi-private courses is by no means exhaustive, if you've been golfing for a number of years, you've probably played at some of these courses. But if you're just getting into the wonderful world of golf, or have taken a break from the game, you might want to check these courses out. A few courses listed below lie a bit north of Los Angeles County, an enticement to drive a little and get away from the city to relax and enjoy the environs of a beautiful setting and a game than can push all your buttons -- from the dreaded 10-foot duffed chip shot to the pure beauty and joy of a dead solid perfect drive off the tee. It's the former that drives you nuts, but the latter that keeps you coming back for more.

Industry Hills Golf Club -- These two public courses, owned and operated by the City of Industry, were built on top of a garbage dump, proving that sometimes you can turn a lump of coal into a diamond. The two courses here, The Eisenhower ("Ike") and The Zaharias ("Babe") are hilly and difficult to say the least. The Ike has one of the highest slope ratings in the state of California and plays more than 7,000 yards from the black tees while the Babe is narrower and trickier, with a greater emphasis placed on accuracy. Highlights include the funicular, a cable car from Switzerland that you drive your cart right up on and it transports you to the courses, similar to the old Angels Flight in downtown Los Angeles. There are five tee areas for each hole, so you're not always hitting off a pock-marked tee. The greens are fast, large, and undulating, meaning the always-maddening three-putt is lying in wait to thrash your score. Holes 4, 5 and 6 on the Eisenhower are "beautifully landscaped, with the palm trees reflecting off the water like an African oasis," says spokesman Hans Von Nolde.

The courses have also attracted a wide variety of wildlife, from foxes and coyotes to hawks, rabbits, snakes and ducks (no one is quite sure where the ducks came from). With 130 bunkers and eight lakes, these layouts are not for the faint of heart and offer only what true golfers really want in a course: a challenge. Fees: Monday-Thursday $42; Friday-Sunday $57. Both include carts, a must on this course. Twilight rates during daylight savings time, Monday-Thursday after 2:00 $25. For further information, call [phone].

Malibu Country Club -- Nestled into a small, hilly valley in the Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu Country Club has what Pro Shop Manager Nori Koda calls "unique weather." While the terrain is desert-like, the course lies only six miles from the beach, so you get a combination of climates. Two other unique aspects for a course in the Los Angeles area are: 1) the amount of noise heard while playing, as in there is none. No traffic, no bustle from the city, it's like you've been transported into the middle of a golfing haven; and 2) clean, fresh air. Wildlife runs rampant with rabbits, an occasional coyote, deer in the afternoon and Koda says there once was a mountain lion sighted. The greens are fast, fairways narrow and if you hit out of bounds it might be a good idea to let your errant ball lie, as snakes have been known to lurk on the boundaries.

A couple of memorable holes are the elevated tee, par-3, 180-yard 7th, in which you have to hit over water that fronts the green. Anything short of 160-yards and you're in the drink. Another scenic hole is the 18th with a steep double drop where you hit downhill and try to reach a level area below. Hit it short, left or right and you're in immediate trouble, too long and you've got a tough lie. Nobody said golf was supposed to be easy. Fees: Weekdays $48 (ladies and seniors over 60 discount of $10); weekends $68, both include cart. For further information, call [phone].

Palos Verdes Golf Club -- This semi-private golf club is open to the public Monday after 10:00, Tuesdays and Thursdays after 2:00 and Wednesdays and Fridays after 3:00, closed to public on weekends. Narrow fairways, mature trees and barrancas mark this hilly course which plays longer than its 6,116 yards, offering the occasional ocean view. Hole #12 is an elevated tee hitting over a barranca, blind to the green, which is surrounded by bunkers and backed by huge, stately eucalyptus trees. The course can be like a chameleon -- when the weather is calm, playing there can be incredibly peaceful and pleasant. If the wind kicks up, it can play like a ferocious lion. Fees: $85 includes mandatory cart. For further information, call [phone].

Los Verdes County Golf Country Club -- A public course with scenic, expansive ocean views set on the point of the Palos Verdes peninsula, where most all putts break toward the ocean, offering the Ben Crenshaw of your foursome a definite challenge. One spectacular vista occurs on the 15th hole, wherein after a blind tee shot you get to the top of a hill and look down to see a slanted green set against the vast ocean for a backdrop with a lone cypress tree between the flagstick and Pacific. Fees: Various weekday, weekend and twilight fees. For further information, call [phone].

Ojai Valley Inn and Country Club -- This beautiful, traditional course, tucked between the Topa Topa and Sulfur Mountain ranges, has a lot of character, is filled with valleys and barrancas, and presents a challenge for players of all skill levels. It has been home to the GTE West Senior Classic Golf Tournament the last five years and is part of a resort hotel with many golfing packages available. The course was built in 1923 and is very well-maintained and well-balanced, with old majestic oak trees and playing longer than its 6,252 yards. Hole #11 is memorable because teeing off from an elevated tee you have to carry one barranca and clear an oak tree directly in front of you. Then after hurdling that obstacle, you have to clear another large barranca to get to the green.

Guests of the hotel can make reservations up to 90 days in advance, club members one week in advance, and the public can make reservations three days in advance. Fees: $100 includes cart. For further information, call [phone].

Elkins Ranch Golf Course -- A challenging course with multiple doglegs, five lakes that come into play on eight holes and large, undulating greens. This course is built into the side of a hill in the scenic Santa Clarita Valley in the quiet town of Fillmore, located 20 miles east of the 101 off Highway 126. This 6,400-yard course makes you use most of the clubs in your bag, with a wide variety of shots testing your mettle at every turn. Hole #17 is an elevated tee with a magnificent view of the valley, rated by the Daily News as one of the top 18 holes in the area. Fees: $20 weekdays, $25 weekends, carts $22, cash only. Reservations allowed 10 days in advance. For further information, call [phone].

Camarillo Springs Golf Course -- This full championship course of 6,375-yards has a challenging layout where water comes into play on 12 holes. After the first three holes, you go up over a saddle into a secluded area for holes 4 through 8 that makes you feel like you're playing on a course in Palm Springs, with a completely different look and feel.

Another unique feature of this course is the Pro-Shot golf carts, which contain small screens inside the carts giving you information (via four transistors located throughout the course) about your yardage from the green, hidden bunkers, water hazards lurking beyond view, etc. As you drive your cart from the tee, the information changes on the screen the closer you get to the ball, assisting in your decision-making process on the correct club selection, whether you might want to lay up a shot, or whatever the case may be. It's like golfing with a built-in computer wizard. This system has been in place at Camarillo Springs for the past year; it helps speed up play by supplying pertinent information, and is very popular with the golfers. Fees: Various weekday, weekend, twilight and super twilight rates along with senior discounts over 55. For further information, call [phone].

Brookside Golf Course -- A public venue with two 18-hole courses located in Pasadena with the Arroyo Seco running through the courses. Built in 1928, Course 1 is almost 7,000 yards from the blue tees, long and open with mature trees lining the fairways and water coming into play on seven holes. The rough is high and the greens are fast and hold well for a public course. Course 2, recently lengthened to 6,600 yards, has narrower fairways and well-bunkered, smaller greens. Don't expect to play there on Saturday afternoons in the Fall as it doubles as a parking lot for the Rose Bowl for UCLA home football games. Fees: Various weekday, weekend and twilight rates available. For further information, call [phone].

Griffith Park Golf Course -- Another public setting with two courses located on the east side of Griffith Park, also built in the 1920s. The courses are named after presidents Wilson and Harding and have old-fashioned layouts, simple, but challenging, where the golfer has to position the ball and always be thinking. You can see deer and coyote from time to time, so keep your eyes peeled. The Wilson course is nearly 7,000 yards, rolling and scenic and is unique in that in addition to the eucalyptus and pine trees, has a grove of redwoods within its confines. The Harding course is 6,600 yards, hillier and tighter. The L.A. Open was played there back in the 1930s. Fees: Weekdays $15, weekends $19.50, twilight rates available after 4:00. To make reservations you must have a L.A. City Golf Recreation card. For further information, call [phone].

Rancho Park Golf Course -- This public course is a shotmakers special, with small greens, tight over rolling terrain, and no water. Former home to the Los Angeles Open, this 6,585-yard setting ranks in the fifth for most rounds played per year on a public course in the United States, and has adopted a new policy of never closing, rain or shine for the diehard fanatic. The 18th hole is famous for being the hole where Arnold Palmer scored a 12 during the Open, commemorated by a plaque, a sign of encouragement to hackers everywhere. He shanked two left out of bounds and two right out of bounds to take himself out of contention. Even the great ones have a tough time with this game. Fees: Weekdays $15, weekends $19.50, twilight and senior discounts available. To make reservations, you must have an L.A. City Golf Recreation card. For further information, call [phone].

B.F. Violett is a free-lance writer and experienced golfer.