21 minute read
Cascade Golfer Short Game
_________________
SHORT GAME • 1
“I’ll never stop going” — Brian Kruhlak celebrates a quarter century playing at Bandon Dunes
Brian Kruhlak just got back from a week at Bandon Dunes, exhausted, exhilarated and excited for his next visit to the southern Oregon coast. He was so animated about the excursion, in fact, you’d think it was his first trip to Mike Keiser’s golf fantasyland overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Not so. Not even close, actually. Kruhlak, the director of golf at Sudden Valley GC outside Bellingham since 2011, was there for the 25th straight year having played the resort’s original course — the David McLay Kidd-designed Bandon Dunes — just a few months after it had opened.
Kruhlak’s original group of Bandonistas was 24 strong, but it has grown over the years to 56, with Avalon Links Head Professional Eric Ferrier the only other golfer to have been present every year.
For this year’s trip, Kruhlak had some special hats made up with ‘BDQC’ (Bandon Dunes Quarter Century) on the front. He was also gifted a Bandon Dunes bag from the group with ‘BK25’ embroidered below the handle.
Working with some local intel, and following a few years of constant cold rain, Kruhlak changed the dates of the annual visit from March to February and says it’s probably the best golf-related decision he ever made.
“March had been pretty miserable every year,” he says. “But since switching we’ve had a number of great years. We have had the four seasons a few times, though.”
Not surprisingly, he often gets asked which of Bandon’s five 18-hole courses he likes the best.
“I can’t answer that,” he says. “They’re like my kids. I love them all to pieces. The whole place is just perfect. There’s nothing out of place. It all just fits. Thank heavens we have someone like Mike Keiser to envision such a place. I’ll never stop going.”
_________________
SHORT GAME • 2
High Cedars goes high tech to meet growing need of its fans with installation of three Trackman simulators
In 24 years at High Cedars Golf Course (and 80 years of life), John Benedetti hasn’t shied away from change. But neither does he leap to change for change’s sake.
Take, for example, the new Trackman indoor golf simulators at the course in Orting, Wash., just off Highway 162.
When Benedetti, High Cedars’ general manager, recently made the decision to shut down his special events program (long known for hosting weddings and other celebrations in view of Mount Rainier and the Orting Valley), he had a 6,000-square-foot banquet room suddenly sitting empty.
Benedetti was aware of the rapid growth of golf simulator businesses. There are both indoor-only simulators as well as digitally enhanced full-length driving ranges, most of which offer food and drink service plus a range of golfgame options and virtual golf courses.
He’d already been approached by folks wanting to trick out his outdoor practice range — which he calls “the eighth wonder of the world” — as its 36 hitting bays (18 covered) all point toward the large mountain in the neighborhood.
Nope. Not going to change the range. But what about the vacated banquet room?
In January 2024, after doing its homework, the High Cedars management team installed Trackman simulators in the empty space. They were a smash hit right away.
Families can be found playing alongside the more serious enthusiasts, who are interested in the readings for ball speed, spin, ball flight, etc. Patrons of all ages and skill levels can play on any one of the 280-plus courses in the Trackman library. Options include Valderrama, Muirfield Village, Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, The Old Course at St. Andrews, and many others.
The bar is open. The grub is good. Two more simulators are on the way. What better way to serve Head Pro Scot Solomonson’s instructional program!
Benedetti, who has a house on the golf course, could retire. But why? Life around High Cedars keeps getting better. The numbers are good: the 90,000 rounds booked in 2023 was the course’s highest number ever.
How about these numbers in the simulator room?
Temperature: a steady 72, wind speed and precipitation: 0. “You don’t have to pack for a trip. You don’t have to buy a plane ticket. You don’t have to hassle with your luggage,” Benedetti says. “You can play St. Andrews right here.”
Visit their website to book a tee time in the sims.
HIGH CEDARS GOLF COURSE
14604 149th St. Ct. E., Orting, WA 98360
SIMULATORS$45 per hour per bay$350 for 10-hour certificate
_________________
SHORT GAME • 3
Levenworth’s Kahler Mountain Club is a playable yet challenging jewel in the Cascade Mountains
Over the past few years, the Kahler Mountain Club has been emerging as a Pacific Northwest golf destination.
It’s not emerging anymore, though. It has arrived.
Kahler Mountain is situated on the eastern slopes of the Cascades, next to the picturesque shores of Lake Wenatchee, and 30 minutes from downtown Leavenworth and Stevens Pass. It’s close to a lot of things, but there’s plenty to do right there.
From the playable but consistently challenging golf course, to the acclaimed Wildflour Restaurant and array of lodging options, it’s enough to turn your casual golf inquiry into a firmed-up stay and play.
The golf course should be open by mid-April after a mild winter, according to Head Professional Taylor Solem.
Start with the golf. A course flyover video highlights clean grooming on the shortish (nearly 5,900 yards from the blue tees) layout that doesn’t overpower the natural feel of the place.
No. 9, a double-dogleg par-5 tester at 600 yards from
the tips, is one of the most difficult holes on the course. It begs a tee shot down the middle in front of a water hazard or risk a tight OB on the right. The par-3 No. 12 is straight up a steep hill lining the right side to a big green that offers ample options for wicked pin placements. Don’t overthink the par-5 4th hole, another double-dogleg, where a little planning and distance control wouldn’t hurt. Water comes into play. Try not to notice.
Kahler Mountain’s finishing hole, a 449-yard par 5, is probably the toughest hole on the back. It features a long, thin fairway bunker tight on the left which beckons a tee ball only slightly offline. The latest golf wrinkle at Kahler Mountain is the aquatic driving range — right next to No. 1 — which has been a hit with patrons, Solem says.
The Wildflour Restaurant features chef-driven food and craft cocktails, inspired by cuisines from around the world, and made with locally foraged and farmed ingredients. Luxury condos and townhomes are available for a golf getaway rental. Visit kahlermountainclub.rentals to see your stayover options, or to make a reservation.
_________________
SHORT GAME • 4
Cup’s 15th season opens at Chambers Bay April 27 with amazing prize pool
The Annual Cascade Golfer Cup, a five-event, April-to-September test of golf that features many of the finest tracks in the region, returns for its 15th season.
The 2024 schedule begins April 27 with the season opener at Chambers Bay. That will be followed by competitions at Salish Cliffs Golf Club, The Home Course, White Horse GC and Oakbrook GC.
Each tournament — limited to 64 amateur two-player teams — will be a separate event, as golfers battle for travel prizes, stay-and-play packages, and golf equipment. Season standings will be used to crown a champion in both gross and net divisions. Prizes will also be awarded for all teams finishing in the top 10 in the gross and net divisions at every event, and on the season.
Here’s a closer look at the events and courses.
Chambers Bay, the site of the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2015 U.S. Open in University Place, will be host venue for a two-person, best ball Stableford event in which each player plays his or her own ball throughout the round, recording the best score.
Salish Cliffs GC in Shelton opened in 2011 and is owned and operated by the Squaxin Island Tribe. It will host the Cascade Golfer Challenge on June 1. A best ball format will be used over the challenging 7,269-yard layout.
On June 29, the competition continues at The Home Course in DuPont for the Michelob ULTRA Open. This will be a two-person, stroke-play aggregate Stableford. In this format, both players’ scores are counted under the stroke play system. The champion is the team with the most combined points, not the fewest strokes.
The Puetz Golf Shootout at White Horse in Kingston will be the fourth Cascade Golfer Cup event. It will be held Aug. 10 and played under the two-person scramble format. Both golfers tee off separately, choose the best drive, then play on from there with each player using his or her own ball to complete the hole.
Finally, the summer of CG Cup concludes with a Sept. 7 competition at Oakwood GC in Lakewood. This will be another two-person best ball, same as at Salish Cliffs.
Time to get a partner, set your handicaps and sign up for a summer of golf fun. Someone has to win. Why not you? To learn more or to register, visit CascadeGolfer. com/Cup or email simon@cascadegolfer.com.
_________________
SHORT GAME • 5
Kylie Nguyen, Brianna Nguyen earn Duke’s Seafood Junior Golf Scholarships
Sometimes, candidates for the Duke’s Seafood Junior Golf Scholarship are so evenly matched that choosing the winner takes serious thought and deliberation. Other times, you look through someone’s long list of accomplishments, wonder what on earth you were doing at a similar age and shut it down knowing you have your winner.
Then you receive nominations for two candidates, whose lists of achievements are equally astonishing (and who are closely linked), so you decide to give them each a scholarship.
Take Fife High School senior Kylie Nguyen and Interlake High School junior Brianna Nguyen, for instance. Their playing records at school (and the WJGA where both have played since before they were teens), academic performance, and extra-curricular activities check all the necessary boxes, and that there’s so much more to their biographies than we have space for here. Those aspects alone would have made them serious candidates for the scholarship, but there’s another part of their story that deserves special mention, and had the judges looking at each other, blinking, and wordlessly scribbling in their winner(s).
During the pandemic, the WJGA had to cancel tournaments, which meant a significant revenue loss. So, in 2020, Kylie, Brianna, and a few other junior golfers with the same last name created a 144-player charity golf event at North Shore, naming it The Nguyen Junior Amateur. In the first year, it raised over $24,000 for Washington Junior Golf. Starbucks, Amazon and other local companies partnered with the tournament, which this year will benefit the Duc Foundation (Duc Nguyen was the grandfather of two of the Nguyen girls), which seeks to empowers youth through the development of leadership and life skills.
“It’s very impressive what Kylie and Brianna are doing, and both are deserving winners,” says John Moscrip, owner of Duke’s and the creator of the scholarship. “I’m very excited to have them be a part of this great scholarship history, and big congratulations to them both.”
ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS
Win $500 For Your Young Golfer
The Duke’s Junior Golfer Scholarship is a $500 scholarship awarded three times this year in Cascade Golfer to a deserving young player from the Puget Sound region. If you know of an area youth that loves golf and has a desire to take their career to the next level, submit your letter of inquiry for scholarship consideration to both tonydear71@comcast.net and stephens@varsitycommunications.com — subject “Duke’s Scholar.”
_________________
SHORT GAME • 6
Cascade Golfer Players Card features 11 courses for $299 a deal you don’t want to miss!
Looking to play a bunch of great golf courses in 2024 all on one card? Well, you’ve hit the jackpot. Welcome to the Cascade Golfer Players Card, where you get 11 rounds for just $299 — a discount of over $550 — at awesome courses throughout western and central Washington. It’s a deal that’s hard to beat, and all you have to do is go play.
The Cascade Golfer Players Card is simply “golf for less.” This is the 13th edition, and the courses involved are many of the Northwest’s finest.
Play any of the 11 individually, or head out for a 36-hole day. Maybe you’re looking for a two-day journey? Head to Salish Cliffs in Shelton or Apple Tree in Yakima, a couple of the state’s best-maintained and most unique loops. Hit up Sun Country on your way over to Yakima and maybe High Cedars or Eagles Pride on your way to Shelton. Don’t forget Camaloch when you head north to Whidbey Island.
You could also head across the pass to Wenatchee to play Highlander and make a pit stop at Kahler Mountain Club just outside of Leavenworth.
The peninsula offers some great golf — imagine a 36-hole day that includes Port Ludlow and Cedars at Dungeness. Both courses combine great layouts with fantastic conditions. Now that’s a good day out.
As a bonus to our 2024 card, we also include a free appetizer at Duke’s Seafood, good at any of their seven locations throughout the Puget Sound area.
The number of Players Cards is limited − at the time of printing less than 100 remained. How long they last is uncertain as readers know they can save a bunch of cash.
Log on to CascadeGolfer.com and get your card today. See you on the fairway!
_________________
SHORT GAME • 7
2024 Northwest Golfers Playbook available now: Save money all summer long with 120 offers!
Here we are again. Spring is here and golf is back in full swing. Green fees aren’t going down in 2024, but don’t fret fellow golfer because we got you.
The Northwest Golfers Playbook is back again and better than ever — packed full of golf savings, ensuring that you can golf all year long without breaking the bank.
Plenty of the courses that sit in Washington’s top 15 (Gamble Sands, Wine Valley, Suncadia, Apple Tree, White Horse, Port Ludlow, etc.) are included. Of course, we have many of our local favorites — too many to list — and we’re excited to welcome back a few new faces, including Loomis Trail, High Cedars and Alderbrook.
Golf’s popularity – indoors and out – continues to soar. We had several new indoor facilities jump into the book last year, including Five Iron Golf on Capitol Hill, Lounge by Topgolf in Kirkland, Kutting Edge Fitness in Redmond, and Loft Golf out of Olympia. We still have an offer at Back 9 Parlor in Lynnwood and have added a couple of new ones – Stadium Golf in Tacoma and Evergreen Golf Club in Redmond. Oh, and of course, Puetz Golf, where you get $10, as usual, along with several other offers.
Whether you live in the city, play your golf up north, or call the south end your home, the NWGPB has a ton of options for you. Plus, if you’re a road tripper, there are loads of courses on the Peninsula or across the passes to central and eastern Washington for you to visit.
What type of offers should you expect? Well, pretty much anything goes. You will find 2 for 1s, 4 for 3s, percentage discounts, free carts, lessons, range balls, twosome specials, foursome specials, simulator time specials, food and beverage offers and more.
With courses still packed and everyone looking to get in some golf, we’re excited to be able to put together a book jammed with so many great offers. With more than 120 pages of golf deals, you simply need to use a few coupons and you’ll soon be in the black.
You can purchase a book online for $44.95. And use the code SAVEBIGONGOLF to save another $5. Whether you play in your immediate area or head somewhere you’ve never played before, just put the book in your golf bag and count your savings all summer long.
Pick one up at NWGolfersPlaybook.com and start saving today!
_________________
SHORT GAME • 8
Two-day Corona Premier Shootout returns to Gamble Sands this July the ultimate getaway tourney
Last year’s staging of the Corona Premier Shootout at Gamble Sands went pretty much according to plan. Scores of golfers showed up on a gloriously sunny Saturday morning in July for the first round on the Sands Course, after which players took on the highly entertaining QuickSands par 3 course, some with beers in hand.
Many stuck around for an evening of food and fun, sharing laughs on the Cascade Putting Green during happy hour, and enjoying a drink or two around the firepit. Then, on Sunday, the rank and file returned for the second round — on a similarly fine day — and went home exhausted following a wonderful experience on one of the most exciting courses in the country.
Yep, just as we planned it.
You’ll be thrilled to hear it’s all happening again this summer. This time, participants will be able to enjoy non-golf time in The Barn, which opens in April. There, you can sit and relax in front of the TVs, enjoy a beverage, and tell everyone how you just shot the round of your life … or didn’t.
Everyone should be familiar with the format by now. The team competition will be a two-person best ball with gross and net divisions, and extra prizes for KPs (4), long and straight drive. As in years past, the top five teams will earn prizes both daily and overall, making a total of 30 team prizes.
The fee is $1,120 per team, which includes the tournament entry, green fees, Saturday round at QuickSands, use of a cart, range balls, plus lunch on Saturday and Sunday. Lodging is available at the Inn, but reservations will be difficult to come by for procrastinators.
Have you got your partner lined up yet for what promises to be the best golf weekend of the year? Go to CascadeGolfer.com to register.
Slots fill fast. Pick your partner and jump in today.
CORONA PREMIER SHOOTOUT AT GAMBLE SANDS
• July 27-28, Gamble Sands
• Two-person best ball Saturday & Sunday Net and gross divisions
• Prize pool daily & total
• 4 KPs, Long Drive, Straight Drive daily
• Saturday Corona Premier Happy Hour at Quicksands/Cascade Putting Course
YOUR $1,120 TEAM FEE INCLUDES
• Greens fees
• Cart
• Range & lunch on Saturday & Sunday
• Plus Saturday afternoon/evening round at Quicksands.
Go to CascadeGolfer.com to register
The Barn ups the ante at Gamble Sands
As if Gamble Sands wasn’t awesome enough already, our favorite central Washington venue is doubling down with a second 18-hole course, 40 more lodging rooms, and a new restaurant. Ultimately, the property will feature two 18-hole courses, 77 rooms, a 14hole par-3 course, a 100,000-square-foot putting green, and two great places to enjoy Executive Chef Chris Lamkin’s superb food.
Obviously, you already know about the original Sands Course, QuickSands Par 3, Cascade Putting Course, Danny Boy Bar & Grill, and the first phase of the Inn at Gamble Sands. We’ve told you about David McLay Kidd’s second 18-hole course, set to open on ground to the north of the Sands Course in May 2025.
What might be news to you, though, is the official opening of The Barn, coming in April.
Some readers will have seen the 4,000-square foot building southeast of the clubhouse during construction, and may have even had a peek inside.
Gamble Sands General Manager Blake Froling says it will “complement the resort’s existing Danny Boy Bar & Grill and provide guests with multiple spots to gather, eat, and swap stories about their rounds.”
The Barn seats 125 people inside, with room for 75 more guests on the patio outside. The space will be available for weddings, events, and tournament spreads. Its large rear doors open to views of the Cascade Mountains and Columbia River Valley, and the room itself features multiple TVs, family-style dining tables, a fireplace, and late-night games.
Chef Lamkin will oversee the menus at both Danny Boy and The Barn and plans to keep the two unique. While Danny Boy will continue to serve steaks, locally sourced seafood, and farm-to-table cuisine, The Barn will offer sandwiches, pizzas, and salads. Craft beers and cocktails will also be served, of course.
“We could not be more excited for the future of Gamble Sands,” says Froling. “With the new restaurant being the next expansion stage, it will provide necessary options for our guests to have multiple dining choices. As our stays have gotten longer, offering our guests more variety and alleviating some pressure in the Danny Boy Bar and Grill has become essential.”
With The Barn opening, more rooms coming, and the new course just a year from being ready, these are exciting times for Gamble Sands with Froling at the helm.
“Watching David (McLay Kidd) and his team transform the land visible through my office window has been fantastic,” he says. “The lodging expansion is the key to it all. We have a great plan to create a similar feel to the original units while creating more variety so guests can customize their experience to how it fits them and their group best.”
_________________
SHORT GAME • 9
A big shift in WA Top 10 Public Courses list?
Two years ago, when we ran our “Top 10 Public Courses in Washington” article, we tallied thousands of votes, and we weren’t surprised by any of the results. At all. That’s a good thing, of course.
Further, it meant that the hard work put in by superintendents, professionals, and managers was being recognized.
It wasn’t unexpected, as we’ve long known how female golfers love the course, that Port Ludlow was the fan favorite in the “Women’s Choice” category as the No. 1 in Washington.
Readers had Chambers Bay in the top spot with 1,584 votes (including 73 first places) and Gamble Sands in second with 1,473 votes and 62 first places, while people who work in the golf industry put Gamble Sands at the top with 80 percent more first-place votes. While the positions of the two courses had been the same in 2019, the distance between them was much smaller. We’re not entirely sure why industry folk like Gamble Sands more than Chambers Bay, or why readers increasingly put Chambers over Gamble for that matter, but the fact is the two courses totaled more first-place votes than all the state’s 300 or so other courses combined.
With the first two places more or less tied up, the battle for third was perhaps going to be the most interesting. Again, two courses – Gold Mountain (Olympic) and Wine Valley — have shared the spot the last several times with precious few to choose between them. In 2017, Gold Mountain won the race within the race by just 36 votes, even though Wine Valley had quite a few more first-places.
Two years later, Wine Valley topped Gold Mountain by 48 votes. However, the last time we put it to the vote, Gold Mountain regained the advantage with a more substantial 138-point advantage. This time, we expect Gold Mountain to hold down third place but, you know … we could be wrong.
In 2026, it’s quite possible Chambers Bay, Gamble Sands (Sands Course), Gold Mountain (Olympic), Wine Valley and every other course in the state may drop one place as Gamble Sands (2) will have been open for 12 months or more. Having walked the site twice in the last year and seen grass beginning to grow on the brilliantly contoured fairways, we’re fully expecting David McLay Kidd’s new design to crash into the top five. Yes, it looks that good.
Could it be, that by 2028, it’s Chambers Bay and the original course at Gamble Sands that are vying for third place, with Gamble Sands (2) and the highly anticipated Westport course slugging it out for top honors? The site at Westport (in Grays Harbor County), the choice of designer McLay Kidd and his initial routing maps are all superb, and we think it’s a bit of a no-brainer to give the project the green light. We’re certainly not calling it though, and don’t want to jinx anything, but it’s conceivable that McLay Kidd courses will finish 1-2-3 in a few years’ time.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. Let’s just concentrate on 2024 and the amazing courses we already have. Your votes will be very much appreciated, as always. Stay tuned for the next issue where we will promote it in our ‘Best Of’ voting.
