Squeezing that last little bit of summer golf out of fall

With fall comes the changing of climate and for Northwesterners, it means shorter daylight and more rainy days. While most of us seek out the dryer courses to play during this time of year, there are a few who want to extend the dry season just a little bit more.

While the mountain range can prove to be a barrier to travel in the winter months, it is a blessing in fall as it keeps the wetter weather west of the mountains for the most part. For golfers wishing to squeeze a few more warm rounds of golf in there are several opportunities out there.

In Eastern Washington there are some great courses just a few hours out of town like Sage Hills in Warden where RVer’s can find a welcome place to camp and play golf while relaxing in their RVs, or Leavenworth Golf Course where a golf trip can be combined with the town’s celebrations of Oktoberfest, or Apple Tree in Yakima and Gamble Sands in Brewster that will test your end-of-season handicap with some of the best golf in the state.

There is also the Northwest’s golf Mecca in the high desert of Oregon where places like Aspen Lakes, Crooked River Ranch and Black Butte Ranch can fulfill all of your golfing desires.

Aspen Lakes’ tree-lined bent grass fairways and red sand bunkers create an experience unique to Aspen Lakes. Lakes and ponds come into play on over half the holes and towering over it all are the snow-capped Three Sisters Mountains with elevations exceeding 10,000 feet. If you choose not to drive, the Redmond airport is just 20 minutes away.

Just seven miles from Sisters, Oregon on Highway 20, and less than 3 hours from Portland, is Black Butte Ranch with 36 holes of unforgettable golf.

If you are looking to get in a drive down the Oregon coast, that is spectacular this time of year, you will want to include a stop at Sand Pines Golf Links in Florence. This unique course is sculpted amidst the wind swept sand dunes along the Oregon Coast bringing into play towering pines, sand dunes and pristine lakes, and Oregon and Washington residents get a break on the green fees too.

Whether you are looking to play locally or fancy a road trip to extend the summer, golf in the Northwest during October can be a rewarding experience.