A milestone at Kitsap as Bremerton country club celebrates its 100th year
From humble beginnings in 1924, Kitsap Golf and Country Club started a...
Wildhorse Resort and Casino
Many golfers talk about the “game within the game,” the mental challenges that make each round so enjoyable. But at the Wildhorse Resort and Casino in Pendleton, they also talk about the games after the game. Because at Wildhorse, you can play 18 holes of golf followed by a round of casino games.
Situated in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, Wildhorse’s 7,112-yard course is a blend of Scottish Links and traditional American golf. The 18th hole is perhaps one of the top finishing holes in the Northwest, with a lake running along the right side and white sand bunkers guarding the approach.
The resort also now owns the Course at Birch Creek, which used to be called Pendleton Country Club.
Three Rivers Resort – Ocean Dunes
The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians own and operate a casino and hotel in Florence and a casino in Coos Bay as well. The resort has a little something for everyone, including the Ocean Dunes Golf Links. This is a true links experience on the Oregon Coast with views of nearby sand dunes and a challenging layout. The Three Rivers Resort in Florence is the home for a 90-room hotel and casino with plenty of entertainment, The Three Rivers Casino in Coos Bay is always popular for people traveling up and down the Oregon Coast.
Crooked River Ranch
Crooked River Ranch is the largest homeowner’s association in Oregon with a population of over 5,000, sits just north of Bend. The course might not seem long (5,700 yards) but it will keep your attention and you need to keep it straight.
The par-4 fifth hole is a perfect example. It is a hole that says just 260 yards on the scorecard, but the Crooked River sits to the left and out of bounds marks the right.
Crooked River is a popular stop for people with RV’s because of the full service amenities, which include tennis, swimming and hiking.
Pacific Northwest professional Chuck Milne shot a 59 in a tournament there in the summer of 2004.
Bandon Dunes Resort
When Bandon Dunes opened for play in 1999, the course with the scenic views of the Pacific Ocean in Bandon, Ore. was quickly voted among the best in the country.
When Pacific Dunes opened in 2001 next to Bandon Dunes, the new course received even higher praise and loftier awards. A third course, Bandon Trails, opened in 2005 and a fourth course called Old Macdonald opened in 2010. Another course called the Sheep Ranch opened last year. And another 13-hole short course was added to the mix of golf options. Welcome to Bandon Dunes, home of four of the top golf courses in the country, in fact, a fifth course called Bandon Preserve, a 13-hole par-3 course, opened in 2012.
All courses top the lists of every golf publication’s best course list. There might not be much to see in and around the Bandon area, but there is the golf and it’s enough. And golf in its purest form, with no golf carts allowed, a prevailing wind blowing off the Pacific Ocean and native fescue grasses growing along the fairways.
And if all that isn’t enough, the Punchbowl Putting Course a 100,000 square-foot putting course opened in 2014.
Salishan Resort
Salishan Golf Links offers an 18-hole, 6,470-yard, par-71 layout on the Oregon Coast in Gleneden Beach. With its great ocean-side location, Salishan is a place that people keep coming back to for weekend getaways – with or without the golf clubs. The course underwent a major re-model by Jacobsen Hardy Golf Course Design and a new spa was added so guests could relax and revitalize their mind, body.
Brasada Ranch
Oregon saw a new golf resort open in the central part of the state in Brasada Ranch in Redmond. All 18 holes of the Peter Jacobsen-Jim Hardy course were open for play in 2007. The resort is a family paradise with lodging, restaurants, bike trails, tennis courts, swimming pools and more. Housing lots are selling quickly, too.
Mount Hood Oregon Resort
The Mount Hood Oregon Resort is just a drive and wedge away from Mount Hood. In fact, during the spring and summer months, golfing and skiing are both possibilities in the same day. But for just golf, the Mount Hood Oregon Resort has it all. With new renovations to the lodge, accommodations and golf course, the Mount Hood Oregon Resort is a first-class operation. The facility offers three distantly different sets of nines called, Thistle, Foxglove and Pine Cone. Besides golf, guest can play tennis, croquet and lawn bowling, sand volleyball, badminton, basketball, hiking or bicycling. The resort is located at the base of Mount Hood where there are plenty of outdoor activities to take part in. Plus, there are several places to hike, fish and other outdoor activities that can be on the menu for a trip to the Mount Hood Oregon resort. A new web site has also been set up at www.mthood-resort.com.
Black Butte Ranch Resort
One of Central Oregon’s best hideaways is Black Butte Ranch, located northwest of Bend. Located on nearly 2,000 acres, Black Butte is the perfect place for golfers and their families.
Sitting on 1800 acres, Black Butte comes complete with 18 miles of bicycle trails, swimming pools, tennis courts, horseback riding . . . and, of course, golf.
With two golf courses, Black Butte offers something for everyone. The Glaze Meadow Course is carved out of the trees while the Big Meadow course is routed through a meadow and provides great views of nearby mountains.
The resort came up with an eight-year plan for some scheduled changes. One of the first major projects at Black Butte was the addition of 74 bunkers at the Big Meadow course. Glaze Meadow shut down the course for a year while architect John Fought updated the course in 2007 and it now stretched over 7,000 yards. One other major changes is the addition of a recreation center at Glaze with a new pool, tennis courts and spa.
Sunriver Resort
Sunriver is able to offer its guests a veritable hat trick of golf – three golf courses and all are unique and challenging. In addition to the lodging, which includes anything from condo-type rooms to vacation rental houses, Sunriver is a golfer’s paradise with the public Woodlands and Meadows courses and the private Crosswater course. The Crosswater course, however, is open to resort guests. A nine-hole course called Caldera Springs is located near Crosswater in a gated community that also has vacation rentals available. Families from up and down the West Coast have targeted Sunriver as a popular destination stop, with its pools, tennis course, bike trails, horseback riding, river rafting and more. There is plenty to like at Sunriver with its variety of activities and it is also a popular place in the winter for lodging during the ski season.
Tetherow Golf Club
Tetherow is quickly establishing itself as a getaway destination. First, there was the award-winning David McLay Kidd-designed golf course and then, a hotel and vacation rentals were added. Tetherow’s heated outdoor pool is accompanied by hot tubs, cabanas, fire pits, a cafe and plenty of space for relaxing and unwinding. And add the fact the course also offers Golf Boards, a new and innovative way to get around the golf course that act like surfboards.
Eagle Crest Resort
Golf is the central focus at Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond, located just north of Bend in Central Oregon. The resort opened in the 1980s with its resort course and hotel. Since then, there have been some serious upgrades. The hotel is first class, an athletic center has been added and two golf courses have also been put into the mix. The Resort Course is a solid public course while the newer Ridge course is a bit more challenging at nearly 7,000 yards. Eagle Crest has also added a par-63 Challenge Course as well as an 18-hole putting course. Several stay and play specials are on their website: eagle-crest.com.
Running Y Ranch Resort
The Running Y Ranch in Klamath Falls is one of the major contenders on the resort scene and has all the ingredients to keep people coming back–climate, scenery, activities, terrific accommodations and amenities for guests, and of course the Arnold Palmer-designed championship golf course. The course, the only Palmer designed course in Oregon, has hosted some of the biggest NW events since opening.