Heron Lakes Great Blue

General Course Description

Heron Lakes Great Blue is an 18-hole municipal course in North Portland. The course is the younger, links-style course of the Heron Lakes complex of two championship style courses. With views of Mt. Hood and built next to a wetland, but also next to Portland International Raceway and train tracks, the course can be both scenic and noisy. But the combination of the courses makes up what has to be one of the best municipal golf complexes in Oregon. Heron Lakes Great Blue has few trees, but has a good mix of traps, water, deep rough, and rolling terrain, with the fairways generally getting narrow as one approaches the green. Considering the amount of use, the fairways are in generally good condition and the greens, which generally undulate, are in very good condition.  The course is a nice walk. Forward tees provide the benefits of shorter distances and better angles.  (Much of the information below is repeated in the post of Heron Lakes Greenback.)

Course History

Originally part of Vanport, once the second largest city in Oregon (and the largest government housing project in history) with over 40,000 people. Vanport was destroyed by a flood in 1948. In 1987 the first 9, then the “Red” nine of what was then known as the Delta Lakes Golf Course (which is now the back 9) opened. The front 9 was completed in 1992.  In 2008 it was named one of the Top 10 Public Golf Courses in Oregon by The Oregonian. The course has hosted many events including the NW Open (1992) and the US Amateur Public Links Championships (2000).

Why It Is There

The City of Portland sought to reclaim the area in a way to provide a natural environment, so it built a golf complex.

I Wish I Would Have Known Before I Played

Hole 15, a 3-par over a lake, looks downhill but is all carry. So don’t short-change your club selection. Hole 16, is a shortish par 4 that is bifurcated by a long pond: you can drive it straight and then hit over the pond and a trap to the green or drive over the front edge of the pond to the fairway in front of a trap left and have a chip to the green. It is about 160 yards to the center of the green from the front corner of the pond and 100 yards to the center of the green from  the flat part of the fairway in front of the trap left.

Did You Know

It is named for the Great Blue Heron, Portland’s official City Bird.

Good For Them

The complex is one of the teaching facilities for First Tee of Portland. They hold junior camps and Get Golf Ready clinics and host PGA Junior League.  They also host Women’s Golf Day and Ladies Clinics. The complex provides home courses for many Portland High Schools as well as Concordia College.  Heron Lakes Great Blue is an Evans Scholarship participant course (through the EAGLE Caddy Program). The complex is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.

Why Play This Course

It is a challenging but fun, links-style course that can be very scenic (views of Mt. Hood). For the price, it is one of the best values in the state.

General

• • Type: 18-hole public course
  • Price: $$
  • Phone/webpage: (503)289-1818/www.heronlakesgolf.com
  • Address:  3500 N. Victory Blvd., Portland, Oregon 97217
  • Owner: City of Portland
  • Designer: Robert Trent Jones II
  • Pros:  Jason Basile (PGA), Jerry Olson (PGA)
  • Practice Facilities: Driving range on grass, pitching and sand areas, and practice green
  • Pro Shop: Good-sized, with clothing and equipment
  • Food: Restaurant with breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, snacks, beer, and drinks, with a deck overlooking putting green and 10th tee
  • Bathrooms: Improved in clubhouse, porta potties on course
  • Yardage Markers: 150 posts; 250, 200, 150, 100 in-ground markers; most sprinklers have yardage; pins set on a zone system
  • Clothing: Collared shirts requested but not required
  • Walkable: Very
  • Spikes: Soft only
  • Shoe Cleaning: Air hose and brushes
  • Rentals: All
  • Open all year (drains well in winter)