Pure Golf Meets Natural Beauty
By, Charles Beene, CG Editor
A “golf experience” … it’s a phrase often used on golf course web sites but rarely delivered. It’s the idea that a round of golf can be more than a collection of tee shots, pitches and putts. A “golf experience” is a more visceral connection with the natural environment, sharing your epic surroundings with friends and family, an event that will live in your memory for years, one that you’ll still talk about even after you’ve played dozens of other golf courses.
The resorts of Central Oregon offer that “golf experience” and it’s within a day’s drive of the Puget Sound.
Despite its relative isolation from major cities, international airports and interstate highways, the Central Oregon region — epically framed by snow-capped peaks, high desert and rolling farmlands — has nonetheless become one of the hottest destinations for the traveling golfer. Having a half dozen world-class golf courses within a one-hour drive of each other tends to have that effect.
Yes, the little resort over in Coos Bay has been the Beaver State’s media darling since opening in 1999, and the rest of the state can thank Bandon for bringing some much-deserved national focus on the rest of the state’s golf climate. (Speaking of climate, did we mention the perpetual sunshine?)
But once you tee it up at any of Central Oregon’s resorts, you realize that these courses are just as praise-worthy as any on the coast. Breathe in the mountain air, soak up the unparalleled views, masterful designs and plush facilities and let the “experience” take you.
Aspen Lakes
Primetime Green Fee: $70 • www.aspenlakes.com • 800-866-3981
This 10-year-old William Overdorf design will have you seeing red — and hopefully not from shanking your driver. The trademark red cinder bunkers at Aspen Lakes offer a unique contrast to the brilliant blue sky and lush green of this scenic course nestled in the shadows of the Three Sisters. Named one of America’s 10 Best New Affordable Courses by Golf Digest in 2001, Aspen Lakes strikes the perfect balance between mountain and high desert golf — ponderosa- and juniper-lined rolling fairways to test you on the tee, plenty of sage to swallow your ball should you stray and an abundance of wildlife. Water comes into play on nearly half the holes and bentgrass fairways give you plenty of roll — helping you tame its 7,302 yards from the tips.
Black Butte Ranch
Primetime Green Fees: $69 – Big Meadow, $60 – Glaze Meadow • www.blackbutteranch.com • 800-399-2322
The Big Meadow and Glaze Meadow courses at Black Butte Ranch have garnered numerous designations over the past 35 years, including Golf Digest’s “Top 75 Affordable Courses in America.” If you’ve been in the past, recent renovations demand that you revisit this terrific tandem, with five Cascade summits as a backdrop to its rolling twists and turns. Big Meadow, the more open of the two courses, has been boosted to 7,000 yards and several bunkers and tee boxes have been reconfigured. With more water in play, Glaze Meadow tightens up for more of a shot-placement challenge. A complete renovation of Glaze is in the planning stages, so now’s the time to play the original layout. After your round, Black Butte Ranch’s amenities continue to impress, earning Condé Nast’s prestigious Traveller Award. Zagat Survey recently gave the resort an “extraordinary” rating — its highest mark — and Golf Digest and Links Magazine have both put BBR on their Top 100 Resorts lists.