FROM THE GREEN
A GOLFER’S GUIDE TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
IN THE DESERT TETHEROW
BEND, OREGON
This course gets you into a high desert climate that puts you closer to a cactus-less Southwest feel. Tetherow in Bend is a startling incarnation of Scottish links. Designed by Scotsman David McLay Kidd, Tetherow feels like St. Andrews without the rain. The fairways run fast, and your errant shot slows only in the high fescue, if at all. The Row, one of the course’s restaurants, serves Scotch eggs, too. Tetherow is international travel made local. Learn more: www.tetherow.com
SILVIES VALLEY RANCH
BY DESERT, MOUNTAIN, WATER OR WINE, THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IS A VARIED ADVENTURE FOR GOLFERS WRITTEN BY KEVIN GIFFIN
G
OLF WASN’T invented in the Pacific Northwest, but it should have been. Curious onlookers would have seen deserts and wetlands, mountains and oceans, wooded forests and tall grasses rather than the uninspired omnipresent green that defines golf in flat, undifferentiated places. They would have played on Scottish-style links courses with natural long, blonde grasses surrounding them. They could imagine pulling too far to the right and watching their shot tumble down a cliff and into the Pacific Ocean. They would have noted the benefit to plunking down in the middle of a viticulture region, if for no other reason than the reward at the end of the game. In the Pacific Northwest, they would have seen golf as much as an odyssey to experience
Cover photo: Greg Sweney Productions
SILVIES, OREGON
Prospector at Suncadia provides a rolling course framed by mountains. (photo: Greg Sweney Productions)
the wondrous and vastly different climates and soils as it is a game of precision. Our region of the country is, perhaps, not ideal for serious golfers, because we have seasons instead of different shades of summer. We have natural obstacles everywhere, such as mountains, rivers, grasslands—even an ocean to overcome. For the adventurous golfer, though, the Pacific Northwest offers a travel agenda imbued with beauty, wilderness and unmatched variety. Instead of sorting courses by region or difficulty or reputation, we have put them together in small groups defined by climate and topography. Golfers can plan their next itineraries by what kind of natural surroundings they seek and cloak themselves in that terroir.
More from the high desert, the new Silvies Valley Ranch brings together traditional golf with traditional ruminants—goats. While it amassed an impressive chest of medals from national golf publications in its opening year 2018, Silvies is becoming best known for its well-mannered American Range goat caddies. These friendly creatures carry your bag and work for peanuts—literally. South of John Day in Eastern Oregon, Silvies is a chance to get away and enjoy the resort, spa and shooting range. Learn more: www.silvies.us Silvies offers goat caddies to carry your bag. (photo: Silvies Valley Ranch)
