Explore Golf in and around Bellingham

Loomis Trail Golf Club

Loomis Trail was ranked as the No.1 public course in Washington by Golf Digest (2005) and was the only Washington state course ranked in the nation’s Top 100. Loomis Trail combines the magic of scenic beauty and dry conditions suitable for year-round play.

The course recently was purchased by the Lummi Nation Indian Tribe and they have made sure the course has stayed true to its opening with great conditions and a layout which is one of the most challenging in the Northwest from the first tee to the 18th green.

Loomis Trail also is partnered with the Silver Reef Casino Resort and has packages catered to the golfing crowd. A Stay and Play Package, Birdie Package and Eagle Package all offers golf, hotel stay and more.

The Eagle Package comes with plenty of perks on and off the golf course.

North Bellingham Golf Course

North Bellingham Golf Course opened in 1995 and is a Scottish style links golf course. The openness leaves one exposed to the elements and one’s game at the mercy of the wind at times.

The greens are firm and fast, making a balky putter something to leave at home. The well-manicured greens roll true and put a premium on good putting.

The layout offers 12 ponds, making 14 of the holes play with a water hazard and 58 white-sand bunkers. In fact, a two-year bunker project with new sand in all the bunkers throughout the course was completed in 2014. North Bellingham also has plenty of holes which grab your attention early and keep it the rest of the round.

Shuksan Golf Club

With the Shuksan Golf Club in Bellingham, the theme is nature. There are wetlands throughout the golf course and the first bit of water trouble comes into play on the very first hole.

Elevated tees and greens are prominent throughout the layout as the course varies over 100 feet in elevation. Ten Mile Creek meanders throughout the layout and cuts across many of the fairways to keep golfers on guard.

Shuksan Golf Club added length to the course recently and it now stretches beyond 7,000 yards from the back tees. And as a result the ratings from the white tees went from 121 to 131. Newly re-designed bunkers, water features and more have added to the course. Golf Digest has always rated this outstanding with course four stars since opening in 1991 and the course keeps that rating year after year.

A new 250-seat outdoor terrace has opened for golf events, wedding receptions and more. The new Clubhouse Grille is also a hit with golfers.

Semiahmoo Resort

The 18-hole destination resort, located in Blaine, offers an award-winning golf course that is one of the top ranked courses and extremely challenging with plenty of water hazards to add to the fun.

Tree-lined Semiahmoo, ranked the No. 3 public course by Golf Digest (2005), offers five holes with water and a course that can stretch to 7,005 yards from the tips.

Some great golf and a restful stay at the resort are sure to be a winning combination. The private course is open tor resort guests.

Semiahmoo features a tough one-two punch with hazard-filled hole Nos. 11 and 12. Water lines the right side of the fairway at the 371-yard par-4 11th hole and flanks the green, making both the tee shot and approach tough on even the most skilled golfers. No. 12 is a 173-yard par-3 requires a tee shot over water. There is bailout room left to avoid water, but miss it right and you and your shot are in big trouble. Semiahmoo Resort is also home to the Jeff Coston Golf Academy.

Sudden Valley Golf Club

Sudden Valley Golf Club is known for its two distinctly different nines. The front nine, which winds past the southern shores of Lake Whatcom, is relatively flat and open. The back nine, which feels carved from a forest, wanders through the trees and offers some narrow fairways and variation in elevation. The Bellingham course, designed by Ted Robinson and ranked a four-star offering by Golf Digest, has improved drainage on all 18

Avalon Golf Club

The kingdom of Avalon, home of All-Day golf – Avalon Golf Links of Burlington is the only 27-hole facility in the area and well worth the 50-minute drive from the Seattle area. Three separate nines make up the 27 holes and are simply named the South, West and North Courses.

The name Avalon means an island represented as an earthly paradise in the western seas to which King Arthur and other heroes were carried at death, is a golfing paradise just off Interstate 5.

The Robert Muir Graves-designed course is a bargain all the way. Avalon offers an all-day promotion seven days a week, 365 days a year (rates vary depending on the day of the week).

Lake Padden Golf Course

If you are looking for some of the best in public friendly golf, then look no further than Lake Padden, located just south of Bellingham. An award-winning 18- hole championship course woven through an old growth forest. This setting offers a golfing experience unlike any other with serenity, peace, and unrefined beauty. Lake Padden also offers a driving range, PGA instruction, full service pro shop and restaurant.

Swinomish Golf Links

The Swinomish Tribe got into the golf business by purchasing Similk Beach Golf Course and turning it into their own Swinomish Golf Links. The course is part of the Swinomish Casino and Lodge, a place with water views, RV parking, restaurants, gambling and more.  The golf course is also a good test and the tribe has put money back into the course to give a new look and some solid conditioning.