Corona Premier Property

Sun Country GC is an elevated adventure

Cle Elum course offers picturesque and affordable golf high atop the Cascades just off I-90

How often, during our many drives east on I-90 over the mountains, have we seen that notable and rather generic exit sign — Golf Course Road? It’s Exit 78 in Cle Elum, just one past the Suncadia Resort.

Mostly, we’re in a hurry as we breeze past, always to get somewhere else. So, we haven’t had reason to stop. It’s not destination golf, in that sense. We barely get a glimpse of a fairway adjacent to the freeway. Well, maybe we should take a turn of the wheel, at least once, and satisfy our curiosity. It might be worth our time.

“It’s one of the best alpine courses in the state,’’ said Jamie Colson, general manager of Sun Country Golf Course. “We strive to have the best conditions (to play). It’s a mix of it all, three holes near the freeway then turning into the pine trees. It’s not unlike coming to Suncadia (Rope Rider and Prospector courses), but we’re half the price of those.”

Sun Country is the reason why there’s a Golf Course Road, since 1970 when nine non-descript holes were initially built, a wedge from I-90. Back then, it was probably not worth taking the exit, but in 2004, under new ownership, another nine holes were added. Now, we’re talking about potential.

Colson saw it coming and in 2009, he took that exit, one up from Roper Rider where he worked. He wanted to be part of Sun Country’s future, as he put an emphasis on maintenance, casualness and clubhouse/restaurant improvements. Colson revamped the old farmhouse into a country chic pro shop and (in 2022) opened the 9 Iron Bar & Grill, with a 26-foot live edge piece of timber for the bar top.

A Bucket with GM • Jamie Colson

Toughest Tee Shot

Hole No. 11 (par 5, 365 yards). It’s a double dogleg par 5, one of the shortest in the state, under 400 yards. There’s a tall pine guarding the left and right sides. You could hit a short iron off the tee to get into position then thread your way through the trees. It’s kind of a three-shot hole. There’s water about 70 yards (on the left side) out but it’s a blind shot. You’ll want to be a logger when you leave.

Best Birdie Opportunity

With a short course (5,715 yards), there are a few. No. 2 is a great start (par 4, 258 yards) to make a birdie. It’s a slight dogleg left with water on the right (if the tee shot is too long). Just 50 yards remaining to the green at the end of the dogleg.

Best Par 3

No. 15 (164 yards). It’s our signature hole. There’s a 150-foot elevation change. You look straight downhill. I’ve had to put speed bumps on the cart path to slow them down, especially late in the round when they’ve had a few beers in them. The wind swirls through there so you can come up short.

Favorite Hole

I go with the sixth (par 4, 396 yards), which is parallel to I-90. You set up at one of the highest points on the course, looking east toward the Cascades. There’s no trees on the hole. It’s one of the first holes where you can grip and rip it. The whole state is to the left and to the right you have to guard against out-of-bounds. It’s really a picturesque hole.

Emergency Nine front or back?

Front. I score a lot better on the front nine.

Go-To Lunch Item on the clubhouse menu

We’re known for our Bogey Burger, a half-pound cheeseburger to die for. It’s downright tasty and really good. We also have a killer Bloody Mary. And we have a beer from our local Roslyn Brewery, Brookside (pale lager), that is one of the golfers’ favorites.

Sun Country Golf Course • 841 Saint Andrews Dr. • Cle Elum, WA 98922 • (509) 674-2226 • golfsuncountry.com