Best New Course: Black Butte Ranch, Glaze Meadow, 866-901-2961
At a time when many economists are preaching “save,” Black Butte Ranch, the full-service family resort near Sisters, has instead decided to invest, pouring $3.75 million into a total overhaul of its Glaze Meadow course that has shot it to the top of any Central Oregon visitor’s list of must-plays this summer.
“[John Fought] has essentially created an entirely new course, yet it has a completely unmanufactured feel, as if it were simply cut right out the landscape,” says GM Scott Huntsman. “It’s truly remarkable.”
While Glaze Meadow is tucked among the thick Ponderosa pines at the foot of the Cascade Mountains, Black Butte’s other 18-hole course, Big Meadow, features a more open layout, with wider fairways and larger greens. The renovation has made the two a perfect complement to one another, and fun “high mountain” alternatives to the more traditional high-desert styles of the region.
A key component of the Glaze Meadow redesign was the addition of five sets of tees — essential for a resort that prides itself on being one of the region’s top spots for vacationing families. Black Butte further caters to families with a twilight playing rate of just $60 for a family foursome teeing off after 4 p.m., plus other amenities like horseback riding, bike trails, waterslides, indoor and outdoor pools and more — all set among the thick Ponderosa pines at the base of the Cascades, giving Black Butte a quieter, more secluded feel than many other area resorts.
Unlimited golf packages start as low as $99 a night, including overnight accommodations and as many holes as you can play between sunrise and sunset. And with Central Oregon’s best new course in its fold, we’re betting that’s going to be a lot.