Hit Play >
When 18 is not enough, these destinations have more than one track to keep you humming from sunup to sundown
By Bart Potter • CG Staff Writer
When the itch to play won’t go away, there may be nothing for it but to follow a round of golf with a round of golf.
Who does that?
“I think it’s people who love the game of golf, and if you love the game of golf, you want to play as much as you can,” says Eric Ferrier, clubhouse manager at Avalon Golf Links in Burlington. Avalon has three full-length nines that offer maximum flexibility for configuring an expanded and expansive day of golf.
“If you’re working, or you have family obligations as well, and you get the day off, it’s like, ‘OK, I’m making the most of the situation and I’m playing 27 or 36.’”
Pro shop personnel around the state like Ferrier are ready and willing to step up and help you scratch your itch for 27 or 36 holes in a day.
“So, it’s just the love of the game, right?” Ferrier says. “If you let them play, they’ll play.”
And play. And play.
The Washington courses below make it easy to extend your golf day. Not all offer specials for playing 27 or 36, so call the courses to see about potential deals and discounts.
What is special, is that each of these spots scratch an itch that places with less than 19 holes can’t — these are experiences.
Eagles Pride & Whispering Firs
> Maximum golf in the USA
Eagles Pride (253) 967-6522
Whispering Firs (253) 982-2124
Get the morning/afternoon cadence going on with the two courses of Joint Base Lewis McChord in Pierce County. At Eagles Pride, the main configuration pairs the Red and Blue courses for a rugged 6,679 yards with plenty of elevation change (add the Green course to complete a self-contained 27). The scenic Whispering Firs at McChord AFB (rating 71.8/122, 6,646 yards) is not as forgiving as its military brother, requiring shots to tight windows through the trees to small greens. For your 36er, remember everyone going through the McChord gate needs an enhanced driver’s license, passport or other ID that conforms to the REAL ID act.
Gamble Sands
> Panorama central
(509) 436-8323
Imagine two David McLay Kidd golf courses on the same vast property in central Washington, each ranked as world-class from the day they opened, then imagine playing both in the same day. Imagination can be reality at Gamble Sands Golf Club in Brewster. The new course, Scarecrow, won’t kill with its length but will surprise with its playability, especially from the Sands tees at 6,261 yards (course rating 70.0, slope 122). The original Gamble Sands course is longer (7,155 yards from the back Medal tees, 6,389 from the Sands), but all tees let you lift your eyes to the big sky forever of the Gamble Sands spectacle.
Hawks Prairie
> Links, woods or vice versa
(360) 455-8383
The Golf Club at Hawks Prairie in Lacey offers a morning-afternoon test in two 18s as distinct from each other as their names. The Woodlands course (rating 73.1, slope 133) is classic western Washington: from the back tees, its wide fairways wind 7,170 yards alongside trees big and old, ponds and wetlands, to large multi-tiered greens. The Links course (73.4/135, 6,887 yards), with its views of Puget Sound and Mount Rainier, is a contrast to its woodsy sister with its Scottish-style open fairways and rolling terrain.
Avalon
> Triple your pleasure
(360) 757-1900
The three niners here, designed by Robert Muir Graves, have distinct characters, the better to pick and choose a 27- or 36-hole route. The signature of the North nine (3,366 yards) is its arrangement of three par 3s, three par 4s and three par 5s. The West nine is shorter and more focused on accurate driving to fairways narrowed by trees. The South nine (3,408 yards), Ferrier’s favorite, opens up broader and longer fairways, with larger greens and the best views of the Skagit Valley on the property.
Gold Mountain
> Pick your pretty poison
(360) 415-5432
Here in Bremerton, in the wooded foothills of the Olympic Mountains, lies Gold Mountain Golf Club, where you’ll find all you could want for 36 holes of golf in a day. The Olympic Course (rating 72.6/slope 142) is recognized as one of the best courses in the state. The Cascade Course (129/71.6) is older and not as steeply challenging, but barely a hair less pretty. Try to get lunch in between your 18s, because you’ll need a refuel stop, especially if you’re walking and you play the grand and gnarly Olympic first.
Newcastle
> The eastside empire
(425) 793-5566
The courses at The Golf Club at Newcastle are the scenic equal of any public course in eastern King County, so sensory overload is a possibility in your 36 holes. The Coal Creek course stretches 7,024 yards from the back, featuring thickly bunkered landing areas, rolling fairways, sloping greens and lots of up and down. China Creek packages its views with hole designs that offer variety enough for golfers of every stripe over its 6,632 yards of gently undulating terrain. Don’t fail to fit a meal and beverage at Calcutta Grill into your double-18 day.
LakeLand Village
> Just that little bit more
(360) 275-6100
When 18 ain’t quite enough and 36 seems about half-again too much, LakeLand Village in Allyn, Mason County, is the place to feel the feel. Back in the day, LakeLand had three nines called Generation I, Generation II and Generation III. Today, the most common configuration is the old Gen II and III making up the 18-hole Ranch Course (rating 70.8/slope 123), which meanders 6,392 well-groomed yards through the rustic LakeLand community. Round out a 27-hole day with a cruise around Generation I, which LakeLand now calls an executive nine, at a quiet and pretty 2,407 yards.
Suncadia
> Double down on Rope Rider and Prospector
(509) 260-4224
Public golfers are encouraged to dial up 36 holes on two premium courses at the Suncadia Resort community in Roslyn. The Rope Rider course offers a stiff test for good players at 7,300 yards and offers an array of tee options on down to youth tees. The Prospector course runs out to 7,100 yards, and its rolling, well-bunkered fairways and abundance of on-course water offers risk vs. reward tasks for accomplished players.
Willows Run
> Diversity of experience
(425) 883-1200
This Redmond club promises “softer edges” on its Coyote Creek course. But there’s no such thing as a pushover at the Willows Run Golf Complex, whether you start your 36 with Coyote (slope 120, rating 70.8) or its thornier sister Eagles Talon (125/72). There are few forced carries at Coyote Creek, but precise shot placement is a must. At Eagles Talon, you’ll need to be straight-up strategic off the tee and approaching the bunker-protected greens. Still not done after 36? Try Heron Links on the property for nine more holes of par-3 challenge.