16 public golf courses you should play in Oregon
Bruce Ely/The Oregonian
16 public golf courses you should play in Oregon
Spring is here, the weather is warming and you’re feeling that itch to dust off your golf clubs. Where should you play? The state of Oregon has plenty of choices. Here are 16 public courses (in alphabetical order) that we think are worth your trouble, some closer to home than others, but all with something unique to offer.
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Aspen Lakes Golf Course
Aspen Lakes
Where: 16900 Aspen Lakes Drive, Sisters
Website: Aspenlakes.com
In short: A gorgeous Central Oregon layout that offers something rarely seen in a top-rated course: family ownership.
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Video by Bend Bulletin
Watch: Aspen Lakes
Aspen Lakes is owned and operated by the Cyrus family, which has deep roots in the area. It opened with nine holes in 1996, with a second nine added in 1999. The red sand in the course’s bunkers is made from crushed red cinders from the family’s property, something that came about when the family discovered that sand on other courses was trucked in from other states.
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Photo by Wood Sabold, courtesy Bandon Dunes
Bandon Dunes
Where: 57744 Round Lake Road, Bandon
Website: Bandondunesgolf.com
In short: The original course at the iconic seaside resort remains one of the greats in Oregon.
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Video by Bandon Dunes
Watch: Bandon Dunes
Opened in 1999, Bandon Dunes was designed by David McLay Kidd, who brought his Scottish background to the Oregon dunes and crafted a masterpiece that started a golf phenomenon. The resort’s original 18 remains one of the best-regarded public courses in the country.
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Photo by Wood Sabold, courtesy Bandon Dunes
Bandon Trails (Bandon Dunes)
Where: 57744 Round Lake Road, Bandon
Website: Bandondunesgolf.com
In short: The resort’s third course offers a different experience from the original two, with tree-lined inland holes and elevation change.
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Video by Bandon Dunes
Watch: Bandon Trails
Far from a third seaside links-like layout, Bandon Trails, which opened in 2005, offers golfers a different experience from Bandon and Pacific Dunes. Designers Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw utilized inland topography to create a unique layout that is a worthy part of Bandon Dunes lore.
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Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian
Chehalem Glenn
Where: 4501 East Fernwood Road, Newberg
Website: chehalemglenn.com
In short: A scenic municipal course set in the rolling terrain of Oregon wine country, it offers a solid golfing bang for the buck.
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Video by Chehalem Glenn
Watch: Chehalem Glenn
Chehalem Glenn is owned and operated by the Chehalem Parks and Recreation District. It opened in 2005 with nine holes and became an 18-hole layout in 2008. The course offers a good challenge for scratch golfers, and also has six sets of tees that should help others. Plenty of discounted greens fees are available for off-peak and weekday tee times.
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Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian
Crosswater (Sunriver)
Where: 17600 Center Drive, Sunriver
Website: Sunriver-resort.com
In short: A challenging, scenic championship layout that stretches over 600 acres of wetlands and woods through which the Deschutes and Little Deschutes Rivers wind.
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Video by Sunriver Resorts
Watch: Crosswater
Crosswater, designed by Bob Cupp, has been the site of several national tournaments, including the Jeld-Wen Tradition and NCAA Championship, and is the centerpiece of the massive Sunriver Resort. In addition to Crosswater, resort guests can play the championship-caliber Meadows course, the shorter-but-challenging Woodlands course, and the nine-hole Caldera Links.
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Ghost Creek (Pumpkin Ridge)
Where: 12920 NW Old Pumpkin Ridge Road, North Plains
Website: Pumpkinridge.com
In short: A first-rate layout that has hosted an LPGA Tour event and other high-level tournaments, Ghost Creek serves as Pumpkin Ridge’s public 18 alongside the private Witch Hollow.
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Video by Pumpkin Ridge
Watch: Ghost Creek
Ghost Creek, designed by Bob Cupp, was named “best new public course” in the U.S. by Golf Digest when it opened in 1992. The layout utilizes the property’s landscape, with trees, water and natural wetlands melding into a challenging test. Pumpkin Ridge was purchased in 2015 by Escalante Golf of Fort Worth, Texas, and the new owners pledged to maintain its history and tradition.
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Photo by Laurence Lambrecht, courtesy Black Butte Ranch
Glaze Meadow (Black Butte Ranch)
Where: 13899 Bishops Cap, Black Butte Ranch
Website: Blackbutteranch.com/golf
In short: Glaze Meadow emerged from a $3.75 million renovation in 2012 with a layout worthy of its pristine mountain setting.
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Video by Black Butte Ranch
Watch: Glaze Meadow
Architect John Fought, who led the renovation, fitted Glaze Meadow with five tee boxes, elevated greens and grass-faced bunkers. The result was a more refined experience in a picturesque setting among quaking Aspens and Ponderosa pines. The resort also features the original Big Meadow course, which remains a worthy layout.
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Doug Beghtel/The Oregonian
Great Blue (Heron Lakes)
Where: 3500 North Victory Boulevard, Portland
Website: Heronlakesgolf.com
In short: In this era of upscale courses with upscale green fees, this city-owned championship layout remains a bargain while providing a stern golfing test.
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Video by Heron Lakes
Watch: Great Blue
Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the Great Blue is the jewel of Portland’s munis, with a links-like feel on a flat, scenic landscape that is unblighted by houses and is easy to walk. The Heron Lakes facility includes a second Trent Jones layout worth playing, the Greenback, as well as an all-grass driving range.
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Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian
Langdon Farms
Where: 24377 Northeast Airport Road, Aurora
Website: Langdonfarms.com
In short: One of the Portland area’s early upscale public courses remains a unique layout, combining links-style mounding, a farmland feel and some of the truest greens anywhere.
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Video by Langdon Farms Golf Club
Watch: Langdon Farms
Easy to access – it’s visible from Interstate 5 – Langdon Farms has become a favorite for corporate events and tournaments, but the golf experience remains strong and unique. The course includes church pew-style bunkers, a barn you drive your cart though and a massive double green that serves the ninth and 18th holes. During warm months, the greens roll as fast as any in the state.
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John M. Vincent/For The Oregonian
Nicklaus Signature Course (Pronghorn)
Where: 65600 Pronghorn Club Driver, Bend
Website: Pronghornresort.com
In short: The state’s lone course designed by Jack Nicklaus provides a stout test in a beautiful desert setting.
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Video by theaposition.com
Watch: Nicklaus course
Opened as a private course, the Nicklaus design has been made available to the public, which can enjoy a layout that incorporates lava rock ridges and outcroppings. With a 151 slope rating from the back tees, the course offers one of the state’s toughest challenges for bogey golfers. The course is adjacent to the Tom Fazio Championship Course, which remains private.
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Photo by Wood Sabold, courtesy Bandon Dunes
Old Macdonald (Bandon Dunes)
Where: 57744 Round Lake Road, Bandon
Website: Bandondunesgolf.com
In short: Bandon Dunes’ fourth course serves as a tribute to the father of American golf architecture and offers yet another unique golfing experience at the iconic resort.
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Video by Bandon Dunes
Watch: Old Macdonald
Designers Tom Doak and Jim Urbina used concepts favored by C.B. Macdonald, who is called “the father of American golf architecture,” to craft this distinct layout, which has massive greens, deep bunkers and multiple angles to play holes.
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Photo by Wood Sabold, courtesy Bandon Dunes
Pacific Dunes (Bandon Dunes)
Where: 57744 Round Lake Road, Bandon
Website: Bandondunesgolf.com
In short: The crown jewel of golf in Oregon offers stunning ocean views and a championship-caliber golfing challenge.
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Video by Bandon Dunes
Watch: Pacific Dunes
The second layout at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, designed by Tom Doak, tops every ranking of golf courses in the state and has taken the No. 1 spot in several national lists of public and resort courses. The course sits seamlessly on the dunes land and is sometimes buffeted by howling wind.
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File photo
The Reserve
Where: 4805 SW 229th Ave., Aloha
Website: Reservegolf.com
In short: The Reserve offers a unique rotating availability between two 18-hole layouts and was the home to events such as the Fred Meyer Challenge and Jeld-Wen Tradition.
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Video by The Reserve
Watch: The Reserve
The Reserve is a 36-hole facility, with the John Fought-designed South Course and Bob Cupp-designed North Course offering two distinct experiences. The South is tree-lined with 114 bunkers, while the North has a links feel, with mounding that frames the holes. In the facility’s setup, the South is available for public play in the first half of each month, and the North the second half. The side not used in public play is utilized as the member’s course.
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Courtesy Running Y
Running Y Ranch
Where: 5500 Running Y Road, Klamath Falls
Website: Runningy.com
In short: The state’s lone Arnold Palmer-designed course remains a jewel in Southern Oregon, with a challenging layout surrounded by sparkling scenery.
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Video by Running Y Ranch
Watch: Running Y Ranch
Running Y opened in 1997 to rave reviews, and it remains a worthy destination in Southern Oregon. The landscape not only offers beautiful views of meadows, wetlands and woodlands, but the setting also affords 300 days or more or sunshine annually.
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Courtesy Tetherow
Tetherow
Where: 61240 Skyline Ranch Road, Bend
Website: Tetherow.com
In short: A scenic beauty with expansive views, the course has a unique blend of links-like feel and desert highland landscape.
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Video by Golfboard
Watch: Tetherow
Tetherow opened in 2008 to rave reviews, with Golf magazine naming it the best new public course. Scotsman David McLay Kidd, who designed the original Bandon Dunes course, brought his links sensibilities to the high desert and created a singular golfing experience. The course also offers GolfBoards, a motorized skateboard-like way for golfers to get around the course.
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Courtesy Tokatee
Tokatee
Where: 54947 McKenzie Highway, McKenzie Bridge
Website: Tokatee.com
In short: A longtime Oregon favorite, we added Tokatee after it gained overwhelming support in our poll and comments section.
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Video by Tokatee
Watch: Tokatee
This old-school Oregon gem predates Bandon Dunes by three decades and remains a strong favorite among life-long Oregonians and newer converts. Easily accessed off the pass between Eugene and Bend, Tokatee also feels marvelously secluded, with breathtaking scenery and a first-rate golfing experience.
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