OCT 2019
www.nwgolfadventures.com
PLACES TO PLAY
Bear Mountain Ranch
Chelan, WA
What started as a destination golf course has quickly become one of the most popular residential locations in the Chelan area. Golfers get the opportunity to see where some of the grapes for a handful of popular wineries are grown, just yards away from the fairways and greens. Sitting out on the shores of Lake Chelan, visitors can’t help but wonder how they could get a better birds-eye view of the area. Those who enjoy a challenging round of golf will find that Bear Mountain Ranch provides an excellent playing experience, and the most complete views of the lake and the surrounding orchards. One of the first indicators that players are in for a hilly round of golf is the requirement to take a cart out for their round. The course - especially the opening nine - has some pretty severe elevation changes from tee to green. The closing nine opens up a bit as players work their way across plateaus to the clubhouse. Course designers took great pride in having moved a minimal amount of dirt during construction, instead choosing to rely on the property’s natural contours to create a variety of
Gamble Sands
different holes and shots. One of the unique things about Bear Mountain is the number of blind shots you’ll have to hit. The first hole is a great example, with a blind shot down to the fairway before another partially-blind shot up to an elevated green. Two good shots reward players with a chance at an opening birdie and a spectacular view of Lake Chelan. Throughout the round, players will be faced with risk-reward opportunities. Those who are feeling frisky off the tee are invited to try overpowering the course, but even great shots can leave players with awkward distances into the greens. Bear Mountain Ranch is the kind of place where it pays to look closely at the yardage guide and manage your way around.
Brewster, WA
Links golf in the high desert Overlooking the Columbia River, in the high desert of North Central Washington, Gamble Sands is blessed with one of the most dramatic settings for true links golf in the world. In fact, golf course designer, David McLay Kidd described the property as the stuff that designers dream of.
golf designer dreams of, rolling sand dunes overlooking a large body of water, a developer willing to build golf just for the love of the game,” said Kidd. “No homes, no other development around, just golf on sand, golf as it was truly meant to be.”
The centerpiece of the course is currently the Sands Course. The course owners, the Gebbers family, chose Kidd as their designer because of his success with similar projects. The Scotsman came with a prestigious list of accomplishments in the world of links golf that included the famed Bandon Dunes, The Castle Course in St. Andrews and Tetherow.
The Sands course is a true links course with sandy soil, traditional fine fescue grasses, firm playing surfaces, wide fairways and massive greens.
“This is the once in a lifetime site every
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The Sands course offers a very playable experience that weighs in at 7,169 yards from the back tees and plays to a par 72. It’s similar to some of Kidd’s earlier work at Bandon with an emphasis on having fun.
