Attempt to slay "the beast:" The La Bete course at Gray Rocks resort in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec

MONT-TREMBLANT, Quebec, Canada -- At the Gray Rocks resort, the La Bete golf course plays the foil to La Belle, the region's original 6,330-yard course.

While La Belle (French for "the beauty") plays short and forgiving, La Bete ("the beast") strikes fear into players with a 6,825-yard modern Graham Cooke design stocked with mountainous challenges.

La Bete opened in 2001 to give Gray Rocks a 1-2 punch in this premier vacation destination in the Laurentian Mountains roughly 75 miles northwest of Montreal. Water, including the appropriately named Devil's River, comes into play on half the holes.

The two toughest par 4s on La Bete's front nine tend to do the most damage. The 430-yard second hole drops precariously off an elevated tee to a tiered fairway. It's best to layup on the top tier, leaving a long shot over wetland into the green, although the flat lie will make it more manageable. A ravine at the 425-yard ninth raises similar concerns on the approach shot to its elevated green.

The scenery from the tees at the par-5 11th hole and par-3 15th hole are the reasons golfers make the journey. Even if they can't slay the beast, at least they can enjoy the view.