Creekside, opened 18 years ago, has grown into a viable option for city and regional golfers. Its large greens remain a more than adequate test for players of all calibers, and the course can be stretched from 6,000 yards to more than 6,600 yards. Creekside from the tips is enough golf for anyone.

Two golfers walked down Dryden Park's 12th fairway one weekday morning last month, the story goes, when they heard a crack from the limbs of a nearby tree.

Wisely, they hurried away to safety, because that stone pine fell to the ground about two seconds later. The episode wasn't unusual, however, given the odd weather over the past month.

Both Dryden and Modesto Municipal were damaged during the mid-October storm, the worst October system to lash the valley in 47 years, and last week's dust storm.