It was the blue highway signs.
In a former employment, I was fortunate to travel all over Oregon. I would pass the blue highway signs that would signal a turn to a golf course in a quarter or half mile. I would wonder “What is that course like?” As I retired from my former employment, I decided to play as many courses in Oregon as I could. But I wanted to do more than just play each course, I wanted to appreciate each course.
I am a bogey guy, and like a lot of people I enjoy playing golf for many reasons: to be with friends, to see the natural beauty of a course, to admire the design of a course, to revel in the history of a course (“Arnie walked here”), to actually make a shot I planned on making, to practice and play better, and to have an unexpected (low) score. As I traveled Oregon and played its many courses, I began to appreciate other things as well: the pride and effort that owners and greenskeepers have and put in their courses, the beauty that exists in every corner of Oregon, and the friendliness of (almost) every golfer. Playing the Oregon Courses became a vehicle to appreciating the people and places of Oregon.
The purpose of this website is to encourage golfers to play more Oregon Courses, and to be a resource about Oregon Courses. There are several good existing resources that provide information on Oregon Courses. Golf Courses of the Pacific Northwest, by Jeff Shelley, and the earlier Golfing in Oregon, by Daniel MacMillan, have information on all the courses in Oregon existing as of the time of their publications. Two websites that provide more current and generally reliable information on Oregon Courses are donandpetegolforegon.com and nwgolfguys.com/courses. (I have found that the national websites such as oregongolf.com, golflink.com, and golfnow.com are good for getting a tee time, but have descriptions that are mostly taken from other websites or are outdated.)
For this website to be an accurate resource of Oregon Courses, I’ll need the help of owners, managers, greenskeepers, and players. There are over 210 golf courses in Oregon, each one constantly changing. I have not played or reviewed some courses in two years. If you see an error or omission in a course description, please e-mail me at [email protected]. And if you play a course, please post a review on the course description page and help provide the most up-to-date information possible.
But most of all, go out and explore Oregon, and experience the beauty and variety of Oregon Courses.
Using the Course Descriptions
Green fees are based on a relative scale and standard rates. Generally, $ means less than $24 for 18 holes, $$ less than $48, $$$ less than $72, $$$$ less than $150, and $$$$$ over $150. Note that many courses provide special rates that are not considered in this pricing.
Descriptions of the Pro Shops focus on what clothing and equipment the shop may have. “Minimal” generally means that the Pro Shop just has tees and balls (maybe gloves and hats).
“What I Wish I Would Have Known Before I Played” is intended to be a description of what can make playing at the course more enjoyable (and can include hints on how not to get lost in finding the course). Most are based on playing the course a single time and talking to the owner/manager. If you have other suggestions, please post them in a course review.
I have not provided any information about obtaining a prior tee time at a course. I have found that even at an out-of-the-way 3-par public course, an event could be taking place that could prevent you from playing. I suggest that for all courses you call ahead for availability.