Heron Lakes Greenback

General Course Description

Heron Lakes Greenback is the older, more parklike course of the Heron Lakes complex of two 18-hole, municipal championship-style courses in North Portland. With views of Mt. Hood and built next to a wetland, but also next to Portland International Raceway and train tracks, the courses can be both scenic and noisy. But the two courses make up what has to be one of the best municipal golf complexes in Oregon. Heron Lakes Greenback is shorter than its sister course and is full of tree-lined fairways. It also has its share of traps and water. The greens generally undulate. With the amount of play the course hosts, it is in surprisingly good condition. The course is a nice walk.  Forward tees (including a set of Family Friendly tees) provide shorter distances and easier angles. (Much of the information below is repeated in the review of Heron Lakes Great Blue.)

Course History

Originally part of Vanport, once the second largest city in Oregon (and the largest government housing project in the history) with over 40,000 people. Vanport was destroyed by a flood in 1948. In 1972, the then named Delta Lakes Golf Course opened. The nines have flipped over time. The course has hosted several events including the Northwest Open (1988 to 1991; Fred Couples won in 1988 and 1990), the OGA Tournament of Champions (2002), and the US Amateur Public Links Championship (1979).

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

There are several doglegs on the course. If you are a decent hitter, the way you would approach several holes will be very different if hitting from the blue or the white tees because on several holes the white tees may provide you with an aggressive, but beneficial, line. You may want to play the course twice to see how aggressive you want to be. Also, the greens break less than you think.

Did You Know

It is named for the Green Heron, a migratory bird in the area and known to blend in well with a marsh environment.

Good For Them

The complex is one of the teaching facilities for First Tee of Portland (you can see a separate practice area at the end of the first hole). 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. The course 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 unfair to call this course the “lesser” or “easier” of the two courses; it is just different. The reason to play it is slightly different than the Great Blue: a challenging but fun parklike course that is very scenic. The course also has Family Tees that make it accessible for a wide variety of golfers. 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; take a pin sheet
  • Clothing: Collared shirts requested but not required
  • Walkable: Very
  • Spikes: Soft only
  • Shoe Cleaning: Air hose and brushes
  • Rentals: All
  • Open all year (and drains well in winter)