Prospector, Apple Tree Provide The Perfect Weekend Getaway

The seasoned Puget Sound golfer knows we have an abundance of stellar courses within a short drive. Head in any direction on the compass for an hour or two and you’ll find delicious desert golf, majestic mountain golf, lovely links golf … whatever you’re looking for. But one direction — east — has been a bit more enticing these days. Two particular public courses not far off the I-90 corridor offer country club amenities, greenskeepers that are passionate about their craft and out-of-the-box design. And when you can tee it up at both of them without burning any vacation time, all the better. So pack your bags and duck out a little early on Friday afternoon. A mere hour and a half from Seattle, you’re in for a stay-and-play experience unlike any in the state. Saturday morning, you have a tee time at …

Prospector Golf Course

Oregon has Sunriver. Idaho has Coeur d’Alene. British Columbia has Whistler. Surrounded by four-star resort destinations, Washington state has been conspicuously absent in attracting the traveling golfer looking for more than just a tee time and a comfy bed. Until now. Covering 6,600 acres near Cle Elum, Suncadia stakes a legitimate claim to being the first resort of its kind in the state — a lavish wooded playground with killer views, epic golf, year-round outdoor sports, relaxation, family entertainment, shopping and fine dining. Leading trade publications like Travel+Leisure magazine are already gushing about this mammoth project — and the 230-room “condotel” lodge, pool/fitness center, spa, retail plazas, skating rink, amphitheater, etc., don’t even open until spring 2008. So what does that mean for you, the Puget Sound looper? An all-inclusive mountain retreat is little more than an hour away from Seattle. With Prospector GC already drawing rave reviews, the family-friendly Rope Rider GC slated to open in 2009 and an entire mountain village taking shape on a grand scale on the perpetually sunny side of the Cascades, Suncadia will be to Seattlites what Whistler is to Vancouver residents: a world-class recreational vacation in your own backyard. Although the grand vision is still a few years from full fruition, what’s there now is more than enough reason to book a trip. The 18-room Inn at Suncadia — with its cathedral beam ceilings, huge stone fireplace and sleek furnishings — has the feel of a Swiss ski chalet, with savory food and drink at the Gas Lamp Grille and Canary Lounge and an outdoor deck overlooking Prospector’s ninth and 18th greens. This is a public course but be prepared to feel like you’re at a country club. Bag boys take your clubs on arrival, they’ll replace your spikes for you and a bag of complimentary range balls sits in your cart after you’ve taken a few rolls on the putting green. A two-year-old Palmer Course Design Company layout, Prospector is an immaculate track, broadly cut through dense stands of pine and fir, with copious bunker complexes and strategically placed water hazards. At 6,641 yards from the blues, it is challenging but more than fair, with greens rolling as true as any public course you’ll ever play. Midway through the front, Prospector’s risk vs. reward character comes to life with a short par 4 fifth that wraps around a lake, begging you to cut at least some of the corner. The green at the par 3 sixth is hard by that same hazard, punishing any leftward shot. And there’s no running the ball up to the ninth green, with water protecting nearly the entire front right up to the fringe. The par 4 10th hole offers as breathtaking a view as you’ll find on any tee box in the West, with the fairway plunging more than 100 feet below and a panoramic view of the Cascades and Cle Elum River Valley testing your concentration. The backside tightens up a bit, without being overly penal. Unlike some heavily wooded courses in the Northwest, you can miss the fairway here and you might still find your ball in the thinned-out undergrowth. The par 5 11th presents an interesting blind tee shot, while the significantly elevated tee makes the 15th the most entertaining par 3 on the course. One piece of advice: It’s better to be short than long here, even if you find one of the many sand traps guarding the front. A Palmer trait seems to be elevated, rolling mounds behind each green, with the putting surface dipping — sometimes dramatically — down to the front edge. So if you find yourself long, you’re looking at a dicey lie, an uneven stance and a downhill chip on greens that, by August, will be kitchen-floor firm. When you step off the par 5 18th, take one last look at the endless evergreens and the majestic mountain peaks. Just one hour east, you’re in for a topographical twist. Next stop is Yakima. Tomorrow morning, you’ve got a tee time at …