FEB 2021
www.nwgolfadventures.com
PLACES TO PLAY
Castle Creek Escondido, CA Not every course in Southern California was designed as a place of worship to professional golf. Many courses, like Castle Creek Country Club in Escondido, offer public golf that’s both fun and well-priced for players of all abilities.
is friendly and accomodating. It’s the kind of place you want to play and then hang around on the patio for a drink or two afterwards.
At Castle Creek, it’s all about fun when it comes to golf. The greens fees are a steal at $50 or less, the food and beverage is inexpensive, and everyone working there
Opened in 1948 as a Jack Daray design before a later rework by Perry Dye, Castle Creek features a relatively easy front nine that sets the stage for a much more difficult finishing nine. Starters constantly hear players say that they shot their best nine ever when making the turn, only to have their hopes of a career round crushed on the back. What gets them? It starts with three
Horn Rapids
holes (a par four and two par fives) that are narrow and difficult. They’re excellent golf holes, just difficult ones that require strategy off the tee. After that, water comes into play. A creek runs across holes 13, 14, 16, and 17, languidly waiting to snatch balls that are off-line. The toughest of those the 418-yard par four 14th - sports the creek running in front of the tee box and then down the entire left side of the hole before cutting back in front of the green. It’s all about holding on for dear life on the way into Castle Creek’s clubhouse.
Richland, WA With over 300 days of sunshine a year and less than 7 inches of rainfall, Horn Rapids offers year-round golfing. The Links at Horn Rapids is one of the best desert courses in the Pacific Northwest and an experience you won’t want to pass up. Winding through the sand and sage of the natural desert, Horn Rapids provides a brilliant contrast of greens backed by desert colors set against the backdrop of Rattlesnake Mountain. This desert course features narrow fairways lined by sagebrush and a standard cut of rough. The small greens are undulating and fast, and the terrain is rolling. The signature hole is #13, a 156yard par 3 that overlooks the Yakima River and the previously mentioned Rattlesnake Mountain. All five tees are rated for both men and women.
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Horn Rapids is one of the few courses out there that doesn’t have holes running parallel to one another. Unless you find yourself on one of the higher points of the property, it’s possible to go the entire day without seeing anyone but the groups immediately in front or behind you. The course, on the outside of the TriCities since 1994, has undergone an ownership change in the last few years and the new owners are embracing the potential the layout has to offer. With plenty of property around the golf course, new homes are being built and money put into the course to improve its conditions and playability. Included in those improvements are a new irrigation system, a practice facility, and new clubhouse. Since the purchase, both fairways and greens have seen a marked improvement.
