6 minute read
Save Some Green
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1 - Apple Tree Golf Course
YAKIMA
It isn’t all about the island green at Apple Tree Golf Course in Yakima.
Most of the other 17 holes could make a claim of noteworthiness, and the whole effect is one of consistent golf challenge, immaculately groomed.
And you can’t not talk about the apple-shaped, par-3 17th green, surrounded by water, which you’ll leave with an answer — for better or worse — to the question, “Did you hit it in one?”
One of Washington’s most-honored courses, Apple Tree is also playable and affordable, with a pleasant mix of man-made (it sits alongside 100-year-old orchards) and naturally scenic features. The course website features drone flyover views of five back-nine holes, and more flyovers will be appearing soon.
No. 14 is long (544 yards) and straight. The green – when you get there – is compact. The 15th is a longish par 4 at 423 yards that rolls up to a large green guarded on the left by a big peanut-shaped bunker. No. 16 is framed on the left, midway down its 388 yards, by four large white-sand bunkers. Another striking trap guards the green.
The finishing hole, a 506-yard par 5, requires some ball placement skill around the midpoint of the fairway, where it doglegs left toward the clubhouse with huge splash hazards posed by ponds on the left.
Apple Tree is cheaper to play if you’re a Yakima resident, but opportunities for savings exist for non-residents, too. Weekday twilight rates are a particularly good bargain at $43 for all.
No matter when you play, though, you’ll eventually reach No. 17 and its justly famous green. It’s really big (more than 14,000 square feet) and its shape is the ultimate expression of the course’s fruity theme. At 180 yards from the elevated black tees (only 136 from the whites), proper club selection is crucial. You’ll want to get some air under the ball, if for no other reason than it looks cool against a blue sky.
So, did you hit it in one? Well, did you?
YARDAGE (PAR) 5,428-6,961 yards
RATES $43-$72 weekdays, $54-$93 weekends*
TEL (509) 966-5877
* Check website for current rates
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2 - Walter Hall Golf Course
EVERETT
Shayne Day, General Manager for Premier Golf Centers at Walter Hall Golf Course and Legion Memorial (its sister course in Everett), describes the former — affectionately known as “Walter” — like this:
• Walter Hall has a fully stocked pro shop, a full kitchen (with some outdoor seating) and a fun golf course layout.
• The par-72 course stretches to just over 6,400 yards from the tips and boasts naturally beautiful scenery and a creek running throughout the back nine.
• Walter is a friendly course off the tee and tightens up near the greens. With 18 new greens installed a few years ago, the course is in great shape year-round.
After a tough January, when the course was closed for 11 days due to snow and severe freezing conditions, Day says business has recovered and things are looking good for 2024. Of course, this comes off the heels of 2023, which saw the best revenue year in Walter Hall history due to the continued “pandemic boom.”
Day says Walter doesn’t have a “signature hole.” It features a traditional 4/4/10 layout, with four par 3s, four par 5s, and 10 par 4s. He adds that the two most popular holes are back-to-back, 14 and 15.
The par-3 14th has a slightly elevated teeing ground and ranges between 130 and 180 yards. Players aim over the creek bed, and if they come up short, their ball could roll back down the hill into it.
Then it’s off to the difficult 15th hole, which is visually challenging off the tee. Players navigate through a penalty area on the left and tall grass, plus a small creek on the right, before arriving at the fairly flat green. The shortish par 5 plays just under 500 yards. Day says if you can’t hit the middle of the fairway off the tee, you’re probably staring at a bogey or worse.
Like the other Premier courses, Walter Hall uses the dynamic pricing model. Day recommends booking early to get the best price possible.
YARDAGE (PAR) 5,816-6,403 yards
RATES $21-$37 weekdays, $19-$42 weekends*
TEL (425) 353-4653
WEB everettgolf.com
* Check website for current rates
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3 - West Seattle Golf Course
SEATTLE
Veteran Northwest golf pro Colin Gants has no problem naming West Seattle Golf Course as his favorite course in the region.
He is biased, though. The head pro and GM has spent the last 34 years at the course, the only one where he’s ever worked. However, he does make a good case for the quality and value of the West Seattle experience.
Owned by the city of Seattle and operated by Premier Golf Centers, the course is fresh off its alltime best revenue year. Over 65,000 rounds were played there in 2023, about 30 percent of which were highly discounted opportunities for senior and youth players.
Gants grew up in Spokane and went to the University of Washington. He started as a golf professional at his favorite course in 1990 and has loved every moment of it. He has lots to say about West Seattle, designed by legendary architect H. Chandler Egan, and his passion shows through in every sentence.
“The course is spectacular,” he says. “And the membership is just as passionate about its course as me. The front nine wanders through a wooded setting with Longfellow Creek coming into play on six of the nine holes, while the back has the most breathtaking views of Seattle’s skyline that I know.”
Most players name the oft-photographed No. 12 as Egan’s signature achievement here, according to Gants. The 480-yard par 5 offers a landing area pinched by Longfellow Creek and a bunker. The green sits on a 40-foot hill protected by the creek on the left.
The pro’s favorite hole is No. 2, a 320-yard par 4 requiring an approach to a green where the penalty area is only five feet from its edge.
Like all courses in the Premier portfolio, West Seattle operates under the dynamic pricing model, which offers the greatest affordability at low-demand times.
Value, hand in hand with quality.
“My pet peeve is when I hear golfers say West Seattle is the best muni in the Puget Sound area,” says Gants. “I quickly correct them encouraging them to remove the ’muni’ modifier. West Seattle is one of the best courses in the entire state, period.”
YARDAGE (PAR) 4,756-6,805 yards
RATES $15-$36.50 weekdays, $15-$47 weekends*
TEL (206) 935-5187
WEB premiergc.com
* Check website for current rates
