When temperatures in the Phoenix area are a few degrees short of those in hell, playing golf among the cool pines is like being in heaven... or at least that's the way it seems when you tee it up on Flagstaff's... Continental Country Club golf course.

With the best stretch of holes (No's. 10-15) ... it's hard to beat when it comes to family golf. And, hey, what are vacations for if not to be with the family?

The people are friendly, and if you need a tee time, even at the last minute, the folks at Continental Country Club will bend over backwards to get you on.

Continental Country Club, while short at 6,014, is fun and frills. It's [relatively easy] to walk, although the up-and-down fairways can be challenging.

The front nine roams all over, with the best holes being the par 5s -- No. 3, a 440-yarder that dogs slightly to the right while playing uphill, and No. 5, a sharp dogleg right that plays downhill to a small green. The 190-yard No. 8, a par 3 with water on the right, also is a good hole, although it was a brute the day we played it as 30-to-40mph winds made the shot from an elevated tee brutal.

The back side is superb, especially the first six holes that open with three straight par 4s that not only are picturesque but a good test of golf. Also in that stretch are two par 3s -- the 140-yard 13th and 150-yard 15th -- which are storybook shots straight downhill (don't overclub!). The 470-yard No. 14, a par 5 that dogs right to an uphill green, rounds out the group.

The bottom line is.... if you're lucky enough to get up north, give Continental Country Club a shot.