In the summer, I like to take advantage of the long days of sunlight to extend my reach a little farther out for a good round, and add another notch to the belt of Washington courses I’ve played (poorly, in most cases). Of course, it’s also the time of year when courses demand their highest rates, making it even more important to focus on the value you’re getting, regardless of price point.
There are good courses in the $30 price range, but there are a lot of mediocre ones, too. Of course, the same goes for the $60 range, and every point in between – no matter what you plan to spend, what’s important is knowing that you’re getting your money’s worth.
So, this month we’re verging off the well-worn I-5 and I-405 corridors to recommend courses that, while a few extra miles from home (though each within 45 minutes of Seattle, Bellevue and/or Tacoma), provide a value well worth the trip. After all, hardly any place in the country is as awe-inspiring as the Puget Sound region in the summer time – we might as well get out and explore it.
Port Ludlow Resort • Port Ludlow
Relax.
It’s what I tell myself before almost every shot. Usually, when I’m playing poorly, it’s because I’m trying to do too much – I start gripping the club too tight, taking it back too far, swinging too hard. It’s a recipe for disaster, and I have to remind myself constantly to ease back and let the club do the work.
Not at Port Ludlow.
I think it starts on the ferry – staring across Puget Sound at Mount Rainier rising majestically towards a clear blue sky (which still takes my breath away every time I see it) and scanning the Sound for the always-possible orca or sea lion sighting, relaxation comes naturally. By the time the boat docks at Kingston after a 20-minute ride from Edmonds, and I make the short drive to the resort, my mind, body and soul are in the perfect state for a low round.
[infobox title=”THE DETAILS”]Yardage: 5,240-6,861
Rates: $36-$62
Tel: 888-793-1195
Web: portludlowresort.com[/infobox]
And it’s true – I have never scored poorly at Port Ludlow. It’s not that the course is easy – indeed, the Tide and Timber nines (the course’s current open layout, the Trail nine having been temporarily closed since 2010) play to 6,861 yards from the tips and boast a rating of 73.9 and a slope of 134, certainly well above average. It’s simply that calming influences lie at every turn of Robert Muir Graves’ design – from the numerous views of the mountains and Sound from elevated tees, to the flower-dotted cedar stumps scattered throughout, to the awe-inspiring pines that tower above the greens. If difficulty relaxing is your problem, Port Ludlow is the perfect tonic for your game.
Tide No. 2, plunging downwards to the Sound for the extent of its 357-yard length, gives golfers their first glimpse of the blue-green water below, and the first of several chances to make a risk/reward call. The safe play is an iron to the landing area on the right side of the fairway, but big hitters with the ability to draw the ball will be tempted to let it fly and take advantage of the slope for a chance to get ahead on the scorecard. It’s a perfect setup for what’s to come – breathtaking scenery, dramatic elevation changes, and a heck of a lot of fun.
Seemingly every hole provides at least two of the three, from the risk/reward par-5 Tide No. 4, to the dogleg right par-4 Tide No. 9, played back uphill to a green surrounded by a brilliant display of colorful flowers.
If the Tide nine is notable for its water features and narrow fairways, the Timber offers a different experience, winding through the valley below the ridge-top clubhouse. Wildflowers and long marsh grasses provide the scenery, while no fewer than four sharp doglegs and well-guarded greens provide the challenge, requiring precision off the tee and accuracy in the approach.
At as little as $36 on a weekday, Port Ludlow is also one of the Puget Sound region’s top values, and is a perfect companion to a round at Sequim’s Cedars at Dungeness, about an hour north, or Kingston’s White Horse, just a half hour south.
BEST HOLE
Others get more publicity, but I’m partial to Timber No. 2. From the elevated tee, the views of the Olympic Mountains on a sunny day are breathtaking, backdropping a medium-length, downhill par-4. There’s nothing more fun than giving it all you’ve got from an elevated tee, and it’s bombs away here. The fairway slopes left to right, so stay left to avoid rolling into a grove of trees that hug the right edge. Or, do what I did and knock it into trees, then miraculously hole out from 125 yards.
Trust me, if I can do it, so can you.
Enumclaw Golf Course • Enumclaw
Enumclaw golf course is not a country club by any means. It’s laid-back. It’s blue jeans. It’s T-shirts. It is more specifically a “country” course, reflective of its raw, rural setting.
The fast-moving Boise Creek meanders through the 5,561-yard layout just a couple miles east of downtown Enumclaw. It’s a salmon-spawning creek. If you’re fortunate, you might see a bald eagle swoop in for a sushi meal. Deer, elk and even black bears occasionally will want to play through.
There are breath-taking vistas of the snow-capped foothills leading up to Mt. Rainier. All along the left side of the No. 11 fairway is a magnificent granite wall. The area is shadowed by tall fir trees.
[infobox title=”THE DETAILS”]Yardage: 5,211-5,561
Rates: $13-$24
Tel: 360-825-2827
Web: cityofenumclaw.net[/infobox]
“It’s a pretty neat place to play and work,” said Brandon Herrell, the course superintendent and the facilities manager for the City of Enumclaw. “I can’t say enough about the folks who come and play there. It’s a friendly environment.”
The course is a draw for locals, but with its unique setting and decent greens fees, it’s worth a country drive.
Part of the course has been around for more than 70 years. The front nine was built in the late 1930s — first six holes, then nine. It’s old-school, with funky tee positions, some parallel fairways and blind tee shots. The back nine, built in the late ‘70s, is more traditional, with elevated tees and greens, bunker-defended greens and trouble-lined fairways.
One of the course’s most unusual – and befuddling — holes is the par-4, 297-yard No 12. It’s relatively short and, for some, drivable, but there’s a huge fir tree in the middle of the fairway about 140 yards out. You can’t go left because of forest intrusion. If you go right, you have to draw it around the tree. Hitting it straight and too far will put you in an untenable forest.
There also are more than the usual number of blind shots, which adds a little bit of mystery to the layout.
“It’s a pretty short track, but in the summer when conditions are right, it’s a fun golf course,” Herrell added. “It’s not going to break your budget. It’s a good product and a good value.”
– Bob Sherwin
BEST HOLE
The par-4, 390-yard sixth is a blind tee shot into uncertainty. Drift right and you can land in unforgiving brush, or have an impossible second shot through a grove of firs. Split a fir goalpost on your drive to leave yourself with an approach shot that must twist slightly to the left, through a valley and up to a small, elevated green.
North Shore Golf Course • Tacoma
You’ll find doglegs right and doglegs left at North Shore Golf & Country Club. And that’s just getting to the parking lot. There are another half dozen on the course.
North Shore, about five miles west of I-5 through Federal Way, is mostly obscured by placid northeast Tacoma neighborhoods. But the course, surprisingly, is virtually structure-free, sitting peacefully in a valley below the housing tracts.
It’s not a long course, stretching to about 6,300 yards, but it’s twisty. The front nine is flatter, in the valley with tall firs alongside almost every fairway. The back nine is mostly on the ridges, more elevation and frustration.
[infobox title=”THE DETAILS”]Yardage: 5,442-6,305
Rates: $15-$40
Tel: 800-447-1375
Web: northshoregc.net[/infobox]
“It’s a challenging course. You need to hit it straight but not necessarily long,” said PGA head professional David Wetli, who has worked at the course for the past 29 years. “It’s a lot of fun to play.”
There are some challenging holes on the front nine, but if you stay out of trouble you can score. However, don’t believe you have tamed the course.
The back nine tests you immediately with the par-5, 511-yard 10th, a long dogleg left. That’s followed by the par-4, 286-yard No. 11 hole, where you have a completely different shot with a short dogleg right. It’s a drivable green, provided you have enough height and power to clear the protective trees or a power fade to split the fir uprights. What you can’t do is hit a routine straight drive. That will take you through the fairway, out-of-bounds.
The final three holes are quite interesting, with two par-3s (156 yards and 185 yards) followed by a par-5, 542-yard finishing hole. The 185-yarder is the toughest of the trio, primarily because of the contours of the green, which is tilted back-to-front and right-to-left. If you are above the pin, either putting or chipping, best of luck stopping it when it’s dry.
Depending on the day, time of day and age of the golfers, the rates are accommodating.
“We think we have reasonable rates. We try to make it affordable to grow golfers,” Wetli said. “It’s a good test, where you have a lot of different shots.”
– Bob Sherwin
BEST HOLE
Local knowledge is compulsory at the par-5, 511-yard 10th. Your tee shot needs to be well to the right of the left-side tall fir about 180 yards out. If not, you can’t afford to be a hero — hit sideways and get back on the fairway. If you can see the green after your tee shot, then it’s only about 260 yards, all uphill, to a large, undulating green. “When the pin is in the front on 10, I’d rather miss the green short than go long,” Wetli said. “Those are the things you learn.”