It would seem that the Northwest might just be turning into the world’s “other” links golf capital. Just over a year after Chambers Bay put the state of Washington on the cover of just about every major golf magazine in the world, Oregon has joined the links golf fray with its latest 18-hole masterpiece, Bend’s Tetherow Golf Club, which held its grand opening celebration July 26, and began allowing limited guest play July 27. The photos alone tell you as much as you really need to know about the course which, in true links golf style, incorporates the natural terrain of the area into its fescue-covered, bunker-strewn design. The links-style layout is a trademark of famed designer David McLay Kidd, the man behind Bandon Dunes in Oregon and St. Andrews’ Castle Course. “The striking design that David McLay Kidd has created, combined with the stunning scenery…will create one of the most unique and memorable golf experiences in the region,” says director of golf Martin Chuck. Indeed, the course blends fairways and landscape seamlessly, making it almost impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. In addition to the eye candy within the resort’s 700-acre footprint, there’s plenty to be enjoyed in the surrounding area, with views of the Cascade Mountains and Bend’s trademark postcard landscape from nearly every hole. “Above all, the course is fun,” Kidd says. “It’s an adventure to see what the next hole will bring. As a golfer, I love that.” Like so many new courses being developed these days, Tetherow will be the focal point of a larger resort community, including numerous single-family homes and a four-star hotel and spa, the Hotel Tetherow. Access to Tetherow’s fairways and greens will be limited to course members and those staying at the hotel, scheduled to open next year. If you can’t wait, though, limited guest play will be allowed on a space-available basis leading up to the hotel’s opening. For more information, or to schedule a tee time, visit www.tetherow.com, or call (541) 389-5857.