Golf Courses-Central Oregon

Aspen Lakes Golf Course -- Sisters, Oregon

Aspen Lakes Golf Course is a short 10 minute drive from downtown Sisters, but a world away from the stresses of everyday life. The course is situated in such a way that you swear you're at the base of the Three Sisters Mountains. They seem to come into view on virtually every hole, exactly how the course designer intended it.

The golf course winds its way through the towering Ponderosa Pines and features numerous holes of note. One that your sure to remember is the now famous par four 479-yard 14^th hole. Countless publications have rated this par four as the hardest in the region and for good reason. The drive is demanding, if you don’t keep it to the left center portion of the fairway you will have a hard time going at the green. The approach is downhill which is the good news, but to a narrow green with plenty of undulation. It’s best to consider this a par five despite what the card reads.

If you haven't visited Aspen Lakes recently then your missing out on the new centerpiece that has come on line, the new 28,000 square foot clubhouse. The Cyrus family did an absolutely wonderful job at creating a place for golfers and non-golfers alike to gather and enjoy the pristine mountain views. The new clubhouse is home to an award winning restaurant in Brand 33 and the ever-popular patio seating in the summer months.

The Cyrus family has made a tradition in giving back to the Central Oregon community with free concerts and events. So be sure to check their website or call the pro shop and inquire about what performances they have coming up and plan your next trip around it.

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Black Butte Ranch Golf Courses -- Black Butte, Oregon

You have been patiently waiting and now their major projects for Big Meadow are finished for the 2009 golf season! Come revisit an old favorite and see how they have gracefully met the challenge of new technology while paying tribute to this wonderful Robert Muir Graves design. With four new tee boxes on each tee, fourteen additional "Cape and Bay" style bunkers, and a newly remodeled driving range we think you will be right at home.

This straightforward design has a classic mountain course layout. The sculpted fairways draw the eye to the surrounding terrain. Aspen groves and Ponderosa Pine trees frame stunning views of the seven-peaked Cascade Mountain range. The combination of course grooming, spectacular scenery and tee box options (anywhere from 7,000 to 5,480 yards) makes for an unparalleled experience. It is no wonder that Big Meadow has been host to numerous championships and golf outings of every type.

The sister course to Big Meadow is Glaze Meadow Golf Course, nestled among the rolling foothills of the Cascade Mountain range. This beautiful course winds through Quaking Aspen groves and gorgeous home sites of Black Butte Ranch. The views of 6,436' Black Butte, once visited by Lewis and Clark, remind visitors of the history and diversity of the area. Staggering mountain views await you during your round of golf while you negotiate this unique Gene "Bunny" Mason design. Part of the charm here is that each hole, individually framed with towering Ponderosa Pine trees, creates the feel of private golf holes for each group. With three tees available, and more after future renovations, the course offers numerous options for the shot-maker and novice alike.

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Brasada Ranch Golf Course -- Powell Butte, Oregon

Brasada Canyons Golf Course, the new Peter Jacobsen-Jim Hardy design that is the recreational centerpiece to the 1,800-acre residential community known as Brasada Ranch, boasts striking Cascade Mountain views of Mount Jefferson, the Three Sisters, Broken Top and Mount Bachelor. Brasada Ranch, formerly a working cattle ranch, is diverse with rock outcroppings, small canyons and sage- and juniper-covered hillsides.

Brasada Canyons represents the first design in Central Oregon for Jacobsen, the popular Oregon native and golf guru. The private, par-72 layout features 11 holes located in dramatic canyons as well as five tee settings, with course distances ranging from 7,242 to 5,470 yards. A common phrase from golfers that have played Brasada is playability and a flexible challenge. The course allows you to choose from several tee boxes that dramatically alter your playing experience. It's a great course for both a beginner and advanced golfer to be paired up and enjoy a great round of golf. The tips at Brasada present all the challenge you want, and that's without the wind impacting your round at all. While the front tee boxes present a more moderate course with few forced carries off the tee and manageable yardages.

Golf courses aren't normally known for having a restaurant worth hanging around for after your round. Brasada breaks that mold with Blue Olive. Budget some time for after your round and take in the magnificent views the restaurant offers and the views to match.

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Tetherow Golf Club - Bend, OR

There aren't many courses that when they open they change the landscape of golf course design in a region. The anticipation for Tetherow and its unique new golf course design for Central Oregon grew throughuot the golf community in the northwest even as plans were being drawn up. It was easy to keep an eye on the progress as dirt was moved and the course began to take shape in the west hills of Bend. What was born out of the rolling hills and old Awbrey Fire burn site was something special.

Residents and guests have the rare opportunity to live and play on a stunning course designed by David McLay Kidd. The son of renowned Scottish greens superintendent Jimmy Kidd, David was raised at Gleneagles in Central Scotland playing his early golf over the famous James Braid-designed Kings Course, and is now one of the leading golf course architects in the world. Among his credits is Bandon Dunes on the Oregon Coast, a course consistently named by Golf Magazine, Golf Digest and Golfweek as one of the world’s best.

The golf course at Tetherow features a brilliant layout with Kidd’s signature design traits that encourage elements of links-style play such as playing the game along the ground as well as the air. The course’s imaginative routing fits cohesively with the natural terrain, while providing an eclectic mix of golf holes framed by ragged bunkers, knobs and knolls.

While Tetherow will be one of the region’s premier private resorts, limited outside play is offered on a space available basis.

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Eagle Crest Resort and Golf Courses -- Redmond, Oregon

Eagle Crest Resort is a great spot for the golf enthusiast and his/her family. They have two championship courses to choose from (Ridge and Resort), the shorter Challenge Course and a fun putting course. It’s always fun to play the Ridge or Resort Course and then throw on the sneakers, grab a beverage and hit the putting course where the fun really begins.

The Ridge Course has hosted two Northwest Open’s and, most recently, the 2006 Oregon Open. It’s known as the “drivers dream” with ample landing areas for those who like to hit the long ball and features a straightforward, fair layout that challenges players of all levels. The key to scoring your best here lies in negotiating the subtle nuances on each green.

The signature hole is the twelfth. This par three features elevated tees playing to a slender green and boasts magnificent views of the Cascades. When playing this hole, beware — out of bounds lurks just left of the cart path and players often make the mistake of focusing too much on the water hazard only to land outside play just left of the bunker. The twelfth forces players to hit a precise shot as the only bail out option is to lay up significantly short of the green. This hole can provide a challenge to even the top players.

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Sunriver Resort and Golf Courses -- Sunriver, Oregon

Boasting Oregon's finest golf courses, Sunriver Resort is the perfect destination for a Pacific Northwest golf vacation. Each of Sunriver Resort's four golf courses were designed by an acclaimed architect. Crosswater, recipient of a host of national golf awards, was designed by Bob Cupp. Meadows, one of Oregon’s most unique golf courses, was designed by John Fought. Robert Trent Jones Jr. was the mastermind behind The Woodlands, regarded by many as Oregon’s finest championship golf course. Caldera Links, another Bob Cupp design is a family-friendly 9-hole course that makes the game of golf approachable for all skill levels. Graced with carefully preserved wetlands, forested meadows, and sparkling waters, Sunriver Resort offers 63 holes of the best golf in the West.

Honored by Golf Digest as one of "America's 100 Greatest Courses," and host of the 2007 - 2010 JELD-WEN Tradition major championship, Crosswater is a heathland-style course situated on 600 magnificently scenic acres of woodlands and carefully preserved wetlands.

If you poll the professionals in the region about what hole will most often leave you guessing, it’s the fourth at Crosswater. It’s not overly long at 413-yards from the tips, but the wind is normally in your face or blowing toward the wetlands that line the entire hole on the left. The fairway pinches down to be quite narrow so driving accuracy is a must.

The approach is where the fun begins, the green appears so narrow from the fairway you wonder if its only two or three paces deep. The green is essentially an island green with wetlands surrounding 90% of it so pick the right club. Crosswater is always a treat to play and it’s no wonder the Champions Tour has made this home for their fifth major.

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Broken Top Club  -- Bend, Oregon

Broken Top Club has a unique advantage amongst the array of golf courses in Central Oregon. It's the closest private golf club and community to downtown Bend. The location is absolutely gorgeous and especially convenient for someone enjoying an outdoor and recreational lifestyle. You're only minutes from shopping, dining, Drake Park and endless jogging and mountain biking trails.

Boredom never comes into play at Broken Top Club. There’s no back-and-forth. No sense of déjà vu because every hole has a distinctly different character. There’s an old quarry on number 11, vast views of Broken Top Mountain on 6 and 14, a risky drive on the 9th and a daunting lake on 17. As the membership at Broken Top is more than happy to tell you, they never get tired of playing the golf course. The layout is player friendly but not anywhere near a pushover. The Weiskopf-Morrish course mixes traditional design with modern routing and green complexes. It’s a challenging — but fair — layout that puts equal emphasis on driving, shot making and putting.

Being a member at Broken Top Club is about more than golf, it’s about the friendships and community environment that is prevalent throughout the membership. During the winter months, the community remains active with group outings to Mt. Bachelor for skiing, cross country skiing or that annual trip to Bandon Dunes, whatever the time of year the membership is on the move and enjoying the Central Oregon lifestyle.

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What will you find at Lost Tracks Golf Club? A perfect Central Oregon rolling terrain fashioned into beautiful golf holes by designer/owner Brian Whitcomb. Whitcomb recently completed his term as the President of the PGA of America. A huge honor for anyone and the first person from Central Oregon to be elected to such a position. Brian’s travels with the PGA took him all over the world promoting the game of golf and our great state of Oregon.

Back home, golfers have been busy enjoying Lost Tracks and for good reason. The course weaves in and out of the ever present Ponderosa Pines and the lava outcroppings. Lost Tracks isn’t overly long, but it puts a real emphasis on accuracy off the tee and with your approach shots. Several holes stick out when looking back on your round, the par four 4^th hole is a good one, playing every bit of 453-yards, or the two par fives on the course that measure close to 600-yards. But one of the most unique has to be the 16^th hole. A par three that is a manageable 141-yards from the tips, the shot is to an island green that is quite forgiving. What sticks out is the railway car that connects the island green to the cart path, a fun walk to the green as you step back in time.

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Juniper Golf Course -- Redmond, Oregon

Since Juniper Golf Club moved to its new location several years back, it has exploded onto the golf scene with nothing but praise. Nestled on a beautiful piece of land in Redmond with panoramic views of Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top, the Three Sisters, Mt. Washington, Three-fingered Jack, Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood, Juniper challenges you from your first tee shot to your last putt.

A true championship course designed by esteemed golf course architect John Harbottle, Juniper was host of the 2007 Oregon Open and a repeat US Amatuer qualifier site for the second consecutive year in 2007. However, the variety of tees available make it playable for golfers of all skill levels.

But if you want a real challenge then take several steps back, way back, to the Black Tees at Juniper which measure nearly 7200-yards. Their website uses the term “punishing rough” to describe the length of the rough during parts of the summer. The wind can be a real factor at Juniper, and when you finally get the wind at your back, it is not always helpful in holding the quick and well-manicured greens. Several greens are raised well above the fairway and are a lot of fun to hit too and make managing the depth of the pin on the green a real challenge. You can be left with long putts for birdie as the greens are deceptively deep

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Widgi Creek Golf Club - Bend, OR

On your way to Mount Bachelor from Bend you’ll come across Widgi Creek Golf Club. Widgi makes for a great round of golf because of the tree lines fairways, the massive Ponderosa Pines tower over virtually every hole, how every hole is absent from sharing space with others, and lets not forget about the unique layout.

At just under 7,000 yards from the back tees and 5,000 from the forward tee boxes, Widgi offers a unique and fair challenge to all golfers. What the course might lack in yardage, it makes up for with tight, tree-lined fairways and large, undulating greens. The 653-yard third hole is one of the longest Par 5s in the country and the 216-yard 11th hole is all the Par 3 you can handle.

A fun view to take in that many people aren’t aware of is behind the 15^th tee box, the Deschutes River is far below and its fun to see it rage through and carve out its path amongst the lave field. Widgi is also one of those courses where it pays to hit a straight tee ball, the approach shots to each green offer some forgiveness, but the tee shot is where the real trouble lies at Widig. Hit it sideways there and those towering Pines grab anything that comes their way. But sometimes the score just doesn't matter. And contrary to what Mark Twain once said about golf...A round at Widgi Creek is a good walk unspoiled.

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