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Oregon's Wearin' of the Golf Greens

© Sue Barton

Spring is awakening and as we approach the St. Patrick's Day holiday, some of Oregon's golf courses are also just waking up for the year. One of the many recreational opportunities provided in Oregon is the great game of golf with nearly 200 public and private courses. In the last year alone, ten new 18-hole courses and 4 new 9-hole courses opened to a clamoring for more tee times.

The majority of courses in the state are on the west side of the Cascade mountains with only about 10% being on the drier, less temperate side east of the mountains. Many of the western courses are playable year-round, while the eastern ones are definitely subject to winter closure with snowfall and frozen turf.

Resort Courses

Oregon boasts a number of resort courses. Among them are three located at the Resort At The Mountain in Welches, Oregon; three at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver near Bend, Oregon; two at Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond and one each Black Butte Ranch near Sisters, Kah Nee Tah Resort in Warm Springs, Salishan at Gleneden Beach, and Hillebrands Paradise Ranch Resort in Grants Pass.

The Crosswater Course at Sunriver has racked up numerous industry awards.

·        Golf Digest rated this course 15th among the "Top 75 Upscale Courses for 1996," and 4th "Best in State" course for 1997-98.

·        GOLF Magazine ranked it 71st among the "Top 100 Courses You Can Play" in the U.S. for 1996,

·        GOLFWEEK named it the 34th in the category of "America's 100 Best Modern Courses" for 1997, 41st for 1998 and 42nd for 1999.

·        Golf Digest rated it as the "Best New Resort Course" in America for 1995.

·        GOLF Magazine chose the Crosswater Course 15th in its 1998 category of "Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S."

Public Courses

There are about 110 public courses in Oregon with a few more than half being 9-hole courses and the rest are18-hole. Among these is Ghost Creek at Pumpkin Ridge in Cornelius near Portland. It is the partner to Witch Hollow, the private course where Tiger Woods won the 1996 U.S. Amateur Tournament. Ghost Hollow has also won many awards, being named #13 in GOLF Magazine's "Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S."