Cascade Golfer — August 2020

VOLUME 14 • ISSUE 4 • AUGUST 2020 • COMPLIMENTARY

cascadegolfer.com

@cascadegolfer

EASY-TO-HIT IRONS NO RTHWEST GO LF N E W S & VI E W S

AND MORE:

Road Trip Survival Guide UW’s Nick Taylor Breaks Out

CG Cup at Chambers This Fall? Stay Tuned!

A LOOK

Volume 14 • Issue 4 • AUGUST 2020

CASCADE

GOLFER cascadegolfer.com

Cascade Golfer is published and owned by Varsity Communications, Inc. This publication is e-mailed free to over 100,000 readers throughout the Seattle area.

Departments 4 6

VARSITY COMMUNICATIONS, INC. varsitycommunications.com

EDITORIAL STAFF

P U B LI S H E R S Dick Stephens & Kirk Tourtillotte E D I TO R Brian Beaky ART DIRECTION Robert Becker GR APHIC DESIGNERS Robert Becker FOR EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS AND INQUIRIES: Brian Beaky editor@cascadegolfer.com

PUBLISHER’S PITCH SHORT GAME

• PGA TOUR gives college stars a leg up • Home Course gets a new home • Two local youth split $1,000 from Duke’s • Trips to Maui on the line at White Horse

14 IN THE BAG

• TaylorMade Truss putters • Cleveland ZipCore wedge • Titleist U-Series irons • Cobra T-Rail irons & hybrids • Plus balls, rangefinders and more

23 RISK VS REWARD

• Cedarcrest Golf Course | Hole No. 9

58 SAVE SOME GREEN

• Eastside’s best values

64 POSTGAME

• Rules of the road

ADVERTISING & MARKETING STAFF SALES & MARKETING Simon Dubiel, Ian Civey, Elijah Prokopenko

FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES, CONTACT: Simon Dubiel simon@cascadegolfer.com

PUETZ GOLF SAVINGS 16-21

ACCOUNTING STAFF

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Bobbi Kramer ACCOUNTS PAYABLE & RECEIVABLE Pam Titland

Bear Mountain Ranch • Chelan Photo by Rob Perry / robperry.com

COPYRIGHT 2020 Cascade Golfer. PRINTED IN THE USA. All rights reserved. Articles, photos, advertising and/ or graphics may not be reprinted without the written permission of the publisher. Advertising and editorial contained herein does not constitute endorsement of Cascade Golfer or Varsity Communications, Inc. Publisher reserves the right to edit letters, photos and copy submitted and publish only excerpts. The publisher has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all material contained in this issue. However, as unpredictable changes and errors do occur, the publisher can assume no liability for errors, omissions or changes.

INSIDE Features

24

The Ultimate Washington Golf Road Trip Take a week this summer to explore one of three incredible in-state golf getaways — or, be bold and do ‘em all.

26

Cascade Loop

From Bellingham to Chelan, it’s Washington’s most scenic golf adventure.

34

Eastbound and Down

A golf vacation so good, you may never want to come home.

42

The Sweetest Sound

Stick to the Sound region and play five of Washington’s top-11 tracks.

50 Never Say Never Less than two years ago, UW alum Nick Taylor thought his career might be over.

Instead, it was just getting started.

STORY BY BOB SHERWIN

All photos are courtesy of the course or individual unless otherwise noted.

PRODUCER AND OWNER OF THE PROUD CHARTER MEMBER

cascadegolfer.com

AUGUST 2020

3

PUBLISHER’S PITCH

DICK STEPHENS

COVID-19 has delivered golf a shot in the arm, new clients and a relaxed vibe

T

here’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has been an unmitigated tragedy for the the world — both here at home, and beyond.

As of this writing, nearly 700,000 people have been killed by the pandemic worldwide, and more than 150,000 in the United States alone.

Millions of people have lost loved ones, and millions more have found themselves unemployed, or unable to return to work, struggling to find hope in an endless sea of bad news.

I’m certainly not immune. The pandemic has given me a significant kick in the gut that left me breathless both professionally and personally for a while. Cascade Golfer has been moved to a digital publishing platform for the time being, the Cascade Golfer Cup schedule was shortened to four (socially distanced) events, the Seattle Golf Show was cut to one day, and the rest of our national tour of golf and food-and-beverage events were cancelled.

But, five months into this dizzying experience, I find myself trying to find the silver linings, the opportunities buried in the crisis. And, it’s hard not to notice what’s happening in the world of golf.

For the better part of the last two decades, golf has been hovering. That is to say, it’s been able to stay the course (pun intended), not growing in any dramatic way, but not going away, either. It’s been stable.

But, I have never heard the phrase “golf course” used more in that time than I have since the pandemic broke in March. “Golf courses are open” was the battle cry for anyone looking to do anything remotely athletic in the spring and summer. With city-run tennis courts closed, health clubs shuttered, bowling alleys boarded up and even park trails and other places to play not open for business because of social distancing, golf was the oasis.

The national news regularly is showing footage of golf courses and the PGA TOUR was the FIRST professional sports league to open up.

Many courses are flat-out slammed and tee times 4

AUGUST 2020

are taken, in some cases, for two weeks out. Driving ranges, also socially distant and as safe as any pursuit, are knocking it dead right now. Golf is the cool sport again, in a way it hasn’t been since I was a kid in the 1970s and ‘80s.

Best of all, courses and ranges are seeing more novice and family play than they have in years — because it’s safe, fun, healthy and features so many great parallels to life lessons and fair play.

Even better, it’s become a friendlier game out of necessity — with stationary pins, raised cups, no rakes in bunkers and understandably more lax maintenance procedures at many courses, golfers have become friendlier, more accepting, more supportive and less competitive with each other. Instead of frustration, these changes have brought about gimmes and a friendly, “I’ve got your back” vibe. Perfect putt pops in and out of the cup, bouncing off the cut-down pool floatie shoved into the hole? Don’t worry, it was good.

Ball lands in a big footprint in the trap? Move it to a place you can play. It’s chilled the sport out, and that’s a good thing. Golf is hard enough.

It’s no longer the “good walk spoiled” that Mark Twain once wrote about. It’s just a good walk.

Like all of us, I am pulling for a vaccine, but I’m so happy that our sport has been able to provide folks a life raft. What Topgolf did for golf by making it more social and inclusive, the new COVID rules and eagerness of people to be outside engaging in physical pursuits has done for the green-grass version of the game.

Surely, revenues are down for the year and the sport will feel the effects, but golf has become a much-needed life elixir, whether you live in Seattle, Seoul, Sydney or Southhampton.

We’re trying to make lemonade from lemons. If you’re struggling, like we have been as well, maybe looking at things through a different lens will help you, too.

THANK YOU to all that make this magazine work during these interesting times, enjoy the end of summer and, AS ALWAYS, TAKE IT EASY. cascadegolfer.com

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SHORT GAME

Una Johnson

Duke’s Picks Two To Share Fourth $1,000 Golf Scholarship of 2020

S

ometimes, it’s easy to pick a winner of the Duke’s Junior Golf Scholarship — $1,000 awarded in every issue of Cascade Golfer to a young golfer in the local area who shows a passion for golf, and a commitment to academics and community service.

Other times — like this month — it’s much tougher. When browsing through the nominations we’ve received from parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches and mentors — even siblings!

— the scholarship committee (including Duke’s Seafood founder Duke Moscrip and his son and COO, John Moscrip) had a tough time parsing between the many outstanding young candidates. Do you pick the one with the strongest golf credentials? Or maybe the one with the most community service to their credit? Should age or need be relevant, or should you just focus purely on the facts? It’s a tough call in every issue, but this time, it proved even more challenging.

So it is that the committee ultimately decided to split this month’s scholarship into two and award it to a pair of young golfers who each appear to have bright futures ahead of them.

Nixon Dremousis is heading into fourth grade this fall, but you’d be wise to decline a friendly wager from him on the first tee. Already this year, Nixon has logged over 40 rounds of golf, with a low score of 77 at Washington National. Yep, you read that right — 77, before he’s even entered the fourth grade. Nixon first broke 80 at the age of 8, firing a 79 at West Seattle last summer, and has become a regular in the local youth tournament scene. In 2019, Nixon entered the Jackson Juniors tournament in the 6-12-year-old age division and proceeded to win by 11 strokes, shooting a oneunder-par 30 over nine holes. He’s also begun playing in PGA Junior League and WJGA events, and placed second last month among nine-yearolds in the WJGA District 2 Finals.

Yeah, this isn’t the last we’re going to hear from this kid.

Nixon also works hard in school, and participates in both school and community charities.

Last year, he and his friends formed an Eco Club at school and collected trash at local play fields and community centers. He also plays yearround soccer and baseball, and never sleeps. OK, we made up that part about not sleeping, but

really, this kid somehow does it all.

“Nixon is very excited and honored to have been selected!” said his father, George Dremousis. “He is humbled and honored to be recognized by Duke’s and Cascade Golfer, and plans to save the money and add it to his college fund.

He’s a special kid, a tremendous golfer, and has learned a ton from playing golf and embodying all the positive characteristics we love about the game. Thank you!”

He’s not the only one who’s special, though.

Like Nixon, Anastacia Johnson has also been working hard on her game, while committing herself to being an all-around great student and community member. A product of The First Tee of South Puget Sound, Anastacia has blossomed into one of the state’s top junior players. Now entering her senior year at Tacoma’s Stadium High School, Anastacia has earned top-10 finishes in nine of her last 12 WJGA tournaments, including a fourth-place effort at last month’s WJGA Western Open at Capitol City in Olympia, where she fired back-to-back rounds of 72-74, and the medalist honor at last year’s Sub-District Championship at Wing Point Country Club in Bainbridge.

Congratulations to the Winners of July’s Enter-To-Wins!

We’re all winners — while I mean that metaphorically for most of us, though, a few of our readers are winners in a literal sense, having taken home some sweet golf packages in last month’s issue of Cascade Golfer:

Do you want to be a literal winner, too? Yeah, so do we. Well, no need to worry, because there are two more chances to take home some golf packages of your own this month!

Twosome to Loomis Trail • Diane Ginther • Kirkland Foursomes to Whidbey G.C. • Greg Burnside • Edmonds Foursome to Alderbrook G.C. • Bob Clark • Auburn Stay-and-Play to Circling Raven • Thurmon Young • Puyallup

• Foursomes to Highlander G.C. & Sun Country G.C. • Page 36 • Whidbey G.C. Foursome & Port Ludlow

Twosome • Page 52

Highlander G.C. • No. 17

All you have to do to win is log on to CascadeGolfer.com, so get to it and make yourself a winner today!

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AUGUST 2020

cascadegolfer.com

Nixon Dremousis

Anastacia also plays for the Stadium High School girls’ team, and passes on nights out with friends to instead volunteer with Young Life, mentoring middle-schoolers in the Tacoma area.

It’s a sign of her influence on those around her that Anastacia was nominated by her sister, Una, who wrote, “There is no one that loves the game of golf more than her. Not only does she work hard on her own game, but she also helps teammates be the best they can be, both on and off the course. As her sister, I know the benefit that golf has had on her life through etiquette, new friendships and the ability to work independently.

Anastacia is a perfect candidate for this scholarship, and it would mean the world to her.”

The team at Duke’s agreed, and as a result, both Nixon and Anastacia will be receiving $500 checks to put towards their growth and development in the game.

“We are very excited to be able to assist and endorse these two outstanding young people,” says John Moscrip, a former junior golfer himself who understands the financial obstacles to high-level success in the game. “Every time I read about kids like this, I’m grateful to know that the future of our game is in their hands.

With their passion and effort, they’re definitely going places.”

And, with that, two more outstanding candidates have been cleared from the deck — which means we need to hear from you! Send an email to editor@cascadegolfer.com and let us know about a young person that you think deserves $1,000 from Duke’s Seafood. Nominees need only to be of high school age or younger, with a demonstrated passion for golf. Of course, in a crowded field, strong academics and a commitment to community service doesn’t hurt, either.

To learn more or to send in your nomination, visit CascadeGolfer.com. cascadegolfer.com

AUGUST 2020

7

SHORT GAME PGA TOUR Announces Major Changes to Qualifying Format in 2021

I

t’s been a summer of major announcements from the professional leagues — from the NBA and NHL taking their playoff teams inside a bubble, to baseball’s 60-game season and 16-team playoff field, to the NFL canceling the preseason, to Major League Soccer’s “MLS is Back” tournament — not to mention the total cancellation of Pac-12 fall sports — it seems that every day brings changes to the way we’re used to seeing our favorite leagues run.

So, you can be forgiven if you may have missed a similarly significant change to the traditional order of business from a sport that those of us reading this magazine care quite a bit about — a change that may be much longer-lasting and more impactful than any of those mentioned above.

In June, the PGA TOUR announced a significant change to the way top amateur and college stars will qualify for professional events. In the old days, the vast majority of players — no matter how many U.S. Amateurs, NCAA Championships or World No. 1 rankings they’d achieved — had to go through the same process as every other hard-scrabbling golfer without Tour status, fighting their way through Q School to earn one of a handful of coveted Tour cards. Those that didn’t make it could hopefully get status on the Korn Ferry or Canadian Tours, and try to work their way up the ladder. Some made it; others did not.

Sure, there was the occasional Tiger Woods, who could parlay a series of sponsors’ exemptions as a rookie into a long-lasting pro career. If you didn’t get hot in those first few events, though, it was off to Q School, just like the rest of them. Take the case of Chris Williams — the Moscow, Idaho, native left UW in 2013 with the World No. 1 ranking and college golf’s Heisman, the Hogan Award, on his trophy shelf. Shoot, he was considered such a sure-fire success that Nike inked him to a five-year deal before he ever played his first professional tournament. Even with all of that wind in

cascadegolfer.com

his sails, though, by 2019, Williams was out of the game, having only rarely played in events higher than the PGA TOUR Canada. The reality is, making it on the PGA TOUR is hard.

Starting in 2021, though, players like Williams will be given a head start. Under the new PGA TOUR University program, created by the Tour in collaboration with Tour players, the top-five players in the PGA TOUR University rankings at the end of the collegiate season will earn immediate status on the Korn Ferry Tour for the remainder of the year, giving those players nearly half of the Korn Ferry Tour season in which to earn enough points to qualify for the Tour Finals and potentially earn a PGA TOUR card. Players that fail to do so will be given a second chance via an exemption into the final stage of Q School; should they still fail to earn their card, they’ll receive full Korn Ferry Tour status for the following year.

In addition, players ranked sixth through 15th in the PGA TOUR University standings will also be given preference in PGA TOUR events, with their choice of status on the Mackenzie Tour (PGA TOUR Canada), PGA TOUR Latinoamerica or PGA TOUR China. Notably, this program will only be available to players who spent a full four years at a Division-I University, part of the PGA TOUR’s effort to encourage players to get an education, and come into the Tour with the requisite physical and emotional maturity needed to succeed.

PGA TOUR players said the early success of so many young stars in recent years — like 2020 PGA Champion Colin Morikawa, who graduated from Cal barely a year ago — proves that fresh-out-ofcollege pros don’t necessarily need a long time to bring their games up to a PGA TOUR level — they simply need a realistic opportunity to prove themselves, which means more than just one or

Photo courtesy University of Washington

Chris Williams

two sponsors’ exemptions and a Monday qualifier here and there. The game has changed significantly over the past decade, players say, and players come out of college ready to compete right away.

“What you had to figure out on your own took so much longer,” said Webb Simpson in a June article on PGATOUR.com, when talking about his own transition to the pros 12 years ago after a vaunted amateur career. “Now, we have so much at our fingertips, on our phone, or on TrackMan. That’s one of the main reasons guys are improving a lot faster and they come out here and they’re ready to win. They understand their games more than I did.”

Now, though, players like Simpson will have a full half-season to show what they can do, and nearly 18 months of guaranteed status to take the pressure off when they make the jump from college. It’s seven years too late for Chris Williams, but just in time for the glut of players who will be completing their college careers next spring, including both the class of 2021 and 2020 seniors who opted to postpone their senior seasons.

And, don’t worry about Chris Williams. He’s doing fine.

AUGUST 2020

9

In the “Sun Belt”

SHORT GAME Thirteen Years After Opening Its Doors, The Home Course Finally Gets a Clubhouse

At The Golf Course

Voted #1

in Washington for Best Value

by GolfAdvisor.com Featuring some of the best and most well maintained greens in the area!

Located in the Sunbelt of Western Washington We receive less rain during the wet season and less heat during the summer

Offering Discount Punch Cards No Expiration

Remember, we’re only 15 minutes from I-5exit #212, in the “Sun Belt” on Camano Island.

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Camaloch Golf Course

(360) 387-3084

camalochgolf.com 10

AUGUST 2020

The Home Course • Dupont

T

he Home Course is a trailer park no longer.

Lest you think we’re using the term “trailer park” to in any way diminish one of Washington’s most outstanding public courses, rest assured that we are not — we love The Home Course just as much as our readers who ranked it No. 6 in the state in last year’s bi-annual ranking of Washington’s Top-10 Public Courses.

We are simply referring to the fact that, for the entirety of its first decade, The Home Course has been operated out of a literal trailer.

But, not anymore.

In June, the trailer was finally loaded up and trucked away, as golf operations for the acclaimed course moved across the driveway to a beautiful, all-new clubhouse befitting of a course that has hosted the U.S. Amateur (cohost in 2010 with Chambers Bay), the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championships and, of course, the Cascade Golfer Cup (all equally prestigious, of course).

In the words of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s senior director of communications, Tom Cade, the new pro shop has been “a long time a-coming.”

Parked on-site in 2007 and expected to serve as a merely temporary pro shop until the official

Photo courtesy of The Home Course

clubhouse could be built, The Home Course’s trailer instead served as the golf course’s unofficial headquarters for the last 13 years, as construction was repeatedly put off by various economic and other factors. By the time it disappeared down the road, many longtime course staff found themselves surprisingly conflicted over its departure.

“As the years went by, it became a fixture in the lives of staff and guests alike, its plainness and coziness somehow endearing itself to everyone who entered its door,” Home Course staff wrote in a post to the golf course website. “We are sorry to see the trailer go.

“But, not really. It was time.”

General manager Justin Gravatt says the new clubhouse gives the golf course the curb appeal it has always deserved.

“It is great to have a facility that matches the quality of the golf course,” Gravatt says. “Couple that with the addition of the Golf House Grill, and we are now, more than ever, able to deliver on the overall experience golfers desire.”

If you’re out at The Home Course this summer, pour one out for the old trailer. Then, check in at the new pro shop, grab a beer at the grill, and have a blast. cascadegolfer.com

Duke’s Seafood Delivers — On the Golf Course, and To Your Door

S

ince launching the Duke’s Junior Golf Scholarship in 2016, Duke’s Seafood has awarded more than $20,000 to hard-working young golfers looking to jump-start their careers with a new set of clubs, private lessons, or entry into the state’s top junior golf competitions. A longtime Seattle institution, Duke’s has been taking care of our state’s young golfers. And, with the coronavirus limiting our options for indoor dining, Duke’s has figured out a way to take care of us, too.

In June, as its restaurant locations around the region were opening up to limited occupancy, Duke’s announced its new Sound Bites delivery service, a partnership with Sound Sustainable Farms that sees ready-to-cook Duke’s favorites delivered right to your door. Missing those bowls of clam chowder (we’ll fight anyone who thinks they know someone who makes it better than Duke himself), or that luscious cut of salmon? No problem — with the Sound Bites program, you can have clam chowder, sourdough bread, juicy burgers or a beautiful side of salmon delivered right to your door. All but the bread are delivered frozen, so you can whip it up that same night, or save it for a special occasion. Either way, you’ll be able to get a little taste of that Duke’s lifestyle we’ve all come to love, even if you can’t actually leave your home.

“Crafting memorable meals from fresh, sustainable ingredients for family and friends in our local community is what’s driven our business

cascadegolfer.com

since my dad opened his first Duke’s location in 1976,” says John Moscrip, Duke’s Chief Operating Officer. “At the start of the pandemic, when we couldn’t have that interaction with our customers, it was heartbreaking. This partnership with Sound Sustainable Farms gives us the chance to make those connections again, and put a smile on someone’s face when they are able to enjoy their favorite dishes again. And, that’s what we’re all about.”

As an added bonus, you’ll even get a look behind the curtain at the secrets of how Duke’s staff prepares these mouth-watering meals, with video snippets from Executive Chef Bill Ranniger providing tips for whipping up Duke’s classics in your own kitchen. And, you can rest assured that the food you’re receiving has been farmed organically and via sustainable methods, a staple of both Duke’s and Sound Sustainable Farms.

“Just because we’re stuck at home, doesn’t mean we have to give up all the things we love,” says Moscrip. “Hopefully, Sound Bites will give people a little taste of normalcy to tide them over until we can all be back together again.”

It’s not every day that one of Seattle’s most famous chefs gives you the ingredients and tips you need to recreate his most iconic dishes in your own home. But, then, these aren’t everyday times — and Duke’s is no ordinary restaurant.

To learn more or place your order, go online to DukesSeafood.com.

AUGUST 2020

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SHORT GAME

Over $10,000 In Prizes On The Line When CG Cup Heads to White Horse

White Horse G.C. • No. 18 Photo by Rob Perry / robperry.com

T

he virus may have shortened our Cascade Golfer Cup calendar from seven events to four in 2020 (Or, maybe five? Stay tuned for a possible fifth event, at Chambers Bay, in October), but that just means we’ve had more great prizes to go around.

You see, we start each year by securing all of the amazing stay-and-plays, foursomes, twosomes, clubs and more that we’ll be giving away at each event. With prizes for the top-15 net and top-10 gross teams at each tournament, plus six hole contests, that means that we’re responsible for ... oh, a little over 200 prizes each year.

This year, though, our series was cut to just four events, meaning we’d only need about 125 prizes — crucially, though, that happened after we had already secured all the 2020 prizes. Since most of the stay-and-plays and rounds we receive have expiration dates sometime this year, it didn’t make sense to hold on to much of anything until 2021 — so, we simply upped the ante and made all the prizes at our 2020 events a little better.

Through three events, we’ve already given away multiple trips to Bandon Dunes, Las Vegas, Mesquite, Sunriver, Running Y Ranch and Portland, twosomes and foursomes to Suncadia, Wine Valley, Salish Cliffs, Loomis Trail, Apple Tree, The Home

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AUGUST 2020

Course and more than a dozen other outstanding tracks, plus golf bags, Clicgear carts and more.

And, there’s just one tournament left.

At White Horse, on Sept. 5, we’re blowing out the last of what we had planned for 2020, including golf to nearly all of the in-state locations mentioned above, plus two trips to Maui for the lucky (and talented) gross and net winners.

If you’ve never played in a Cascade Golfer Cup event before, you’re in for a treat — unlike other high-pressure, competitive tournaments, our series puts fun front and center, with friendly staff, outgoing teams and beer on the course for all players. We aren’t able to have our post-round parties like we usually do, and we’re stuck playing with tee times instead of gathering everyone together for a shotgun start, but that doesn’t mean we can’t show you a good time. You’ll still feel the blood pumping a little faster when you stand over that six-footer for birdie, knowing a trip to Maui and other great prizes are on the line, and whether you make it or miss it, you’ll walk away glad you came.

Just ask first-timers Michael Day and Patrick Rieder, who showed up to July’s Muckelshoot Casino Players Championship at Washington National with no prior CG Cup experience and a couple of

double-digit handicaps, and walked away with the overall first-place prize and a trip to Mesquite. They might run into Austin Geiger and Alex Cogdall — that veteran duo fired rounds of 68 (including a blistering 33 on the back nine) and 77, respectively, to win the gross division and their own Mesquite trip. The success of each of these teams shows that you don’t have to be the best to win a prize in the CG Cup — just play your best, whatever that is, and you won’t walk away empty-handed.

Shoot, even if you don’t play your best, you’ll still have a good time. One foursome at Washington National combined for a score of 51 on the par-5 17th — yep, 51. Needless to say, they didn’t walk away winners. But, we’ll be darned if they didn’t turn in their scorecard with smiles on their faces, and tell us how much they looked forward to seeing us at our next event.

Hopefully, they’ll see you, too. All events are open to any two-person team with registered handicaps, so grab your spouse, cousin, best friend, co-worker or neighbor and join us at White Horse. You can’t win if you don’t play — but, if you do, you’ve got a great chance to take home some sweet, sweet loot.

Visit CascadeGolfer.com to register or to learn more. cascadegolfer.com

2020

Cascade Golfer Cup Over $10,000 in prizes at every tournament

Join Us For The Last Tournament Of The CG Cup Season

Net and Gross Prizes 2-Player Format

Puetz Golf Shootout at White Horse Sept. 5 • 8 am “The most fun an amateur golfer can have playing tournament golf”

Great Competition • Great Camaraderie

Great Fun!

To register or for more information visit

cascadegolfer.com Click on the Cup! PRESENTING

STAY TUNED for a possible fifth event, at CHAMBERS BAY, THIS FALL!

Contact: Simon Dubiel simon@varsitycommunications.com

SUPPORTING

IN THE

BAG

1

PRODUCT REVIEWS and equipment news you can use

BY BRIAN BEAKY — CG EDITOR

FAST AND FURIOUS

I

n the five months since the virus took over the planet in March, many industries have ground to a halt. Golf, meanwhile, is pressing down on the accelerator.

Not only was the PGA TOUR one of the first professional sports to resume play, but recreational golf came back even sooner, at levels many courses hadn’t seen in decades. Manufacturers have taken notice, too, and begun churning out new clubs at a head-spinning clip.

In fact, they’re coming out with products so quickly that by the time we post our In The Bag section each month, something new has already been released that takes the game to a new level. In December, we wrote about Titleist’s new T200 irons, a great set for high-single-digit and low-double-digit handicaps who want to up their game, but aren’t totally comfortable with blades. Well, Titleist has since released an all-black set of T200s, as has Cleveland with the sweet new SM8 wedges we reviewed in May. Shoot, just last month we wrote a piece about the best new package sets on the market, and then Cleveland came out with a Launcher Turbo set that might be the best of the bunch.

In this issue, we’ve once again tried to take the pulse of the hottest new gear on the market, but the reality is that there is far more of interest than we can fit on these pages. Head into your local Puetz to browse the shelves — or, if you’re in Seattle, to take something out on the range — or click through the lists of new products at PuetzGolf.com. There’s a lot out there — find what’s best for you.

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AUGUST 2020

2

CLEVELAND

TAYLORMADE

RTX ZipCore Wedge 1

Truss Putters 2

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

C

$149.99 Raw $169.99

leveland’s cavity-back CBX wedges were a revelation when they first hit the market, adding a dose of forgiveness to what has traditionally been one of the least forgiving clubs in a golfer’s bag, as manufacturers chose to focus instead on feel and control. Could the same be done in a Tour-style wedge, though? Pros like 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry don’t traditionally want cavity backs, so instead Cleveland re-engineered the internal structure of the new RTX ZipCore wedge to make it both lighter and stronger, pushing weight to the perimeter of the club and moving the center of gravity closer to the center of the face.

The perimeter weighting reduces twisting for more center-face strikes, while that relocated CG means those strikes will have more spin and consistency.

Oh, and as for spin, Cleveland also re-engineered its RTX grooves, creating a new UltiZip groove that is deeper and sharper than its predecessor, to maximize spin, and closer together as well, allowing two more grooves to fit on the face. Add in a new heat treatment that extends the life of the grooves as well, and you have a wedge you could be scoring with for years to come.

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hese two clubs, the Truss and the RTX ZipCore, pair well together not only because they both have the chance to improve your short game, but because they each serve a similar purpose — packaging game-improvement technology into a club that looks and feels like a more traditional offering.

In TaylorMade’s case, they’ve done that by building what they call a “Stability Superstructure” — a triangle-shaped hosel that covers 50 percent more area than a traditional hosel, and connects to the head at two different points. According to the manufacturer, the extra stability provided by this hosel — essentially, a “truss” supporting the clubhead — reduces face rotation by as much as 70 percent, resulting in more on-target strikes with TaylorMade’s patented (and beloved) True Roll face insert. From above, you can’t really see the truss, a fact which has proven beneficial for golfers who like that traditional look, but struggle to keep their putts on-line (especially those with a tendency to miss left). Currently manufactured in two styles — a traditional blade and a fang-style similar to Odyssey’s Seven — both available in heel- and center-shafted models, it’s definitely worth testing out all four to determine which one is best for you.

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EXTRA, EXTRA Not everything new this summer is meant to be swung. Here’s a few more ways to improve your game without investing in a new set of sticks:

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K, we’ll confess that these aren’t new. They were released in the four-month gap between our August and December issues last year, and ended up lost between the cool summer releases and the early 2020 gear. But, they definitely should not be overlooked, because they have the chance to make those hardest-to-hit shots — fairway wood and long-iron efforts — significantly easier. Long a leader in the utility iron field, Titleist has taken things a step further with the U500 and U510, combining the L-shaped face first seen on Titleist’s T-MB (played

by Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott and others) with large tungsten inserts in both the toe and heel. The structure of the face allows it to be ultra-thin without losing any strength, providing more ball speed and distance, while those internal tungsten weights reduce twisting for greater forgiveness, without altering the external appearance of the club. The U500 comes in 2-through-4-iron lofts, and has a thinner topline than the U510, which is available in 1-through-4 iron lofts and is slightly larger with a wider sole. Publicly unveiled at the 2019 Open Championship, they’re a good choice for players who want hybrid-like performance in an iron-style package.

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$899.99 (7-piece set)

t’s not every day that Golf.com calls a club a “game changer.” What makes the T-Rail so easy to pure off the face? Well, to answer that, we have to go inside the clubs, where we’ll find — nothing.

OK, not “nothing,” exactly, but compared to most clubs, it’s a ghost town in there. That comparatively hollow design allows the center of gravity to be put low and deep for maximum forgiveness, while Cobra’s patented Baffler rails along the sole provide stability to the head, both on the downswing and when making contact with the turf. Add it all up and you get high-launching shots with consistent trajectories, both in terms of distance and dispersion. The 5-iron through pitching wedge are all iron-hybrid combos, with slightly larger profiles that give confidence to players who need it, though the black finish creates an optical illusion that makes the clubs look slimmer than they are; the four-hybrid is a standard hybrid. If you’re a golfer who could stand to hit ‘em longer, straighter and more consistent, then the T-Rails are definitely worth a test at the range. If you’re not — well, we always knew some of our Home Teamers on Tour read CG, too.

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ro V1s are great, but the ball that works best for Justin Thomas might not be the one that works best for you. To that end, Titleist launched extensive testing on the swings of amateur golfers when designing its brand-new Tour Speed golf ball, designed to be the Pro V1 for the thousands of us who don’t have triple-digit swing speeds or consistent shot shapes. The resulting Tour Speed combines distance in the long game and shortgame scoring control through its unique core design, 346 quadrilateral dipyramid dimples and a three-piece casing. Knock ‘em dead.

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he hottest accessory on the market in 2020, bar none, Bushnell’s new Wingman is a bluetooth speaker and GPS rangefinder in one — at a cost lower than both combined. Simply connect it wirelessly to your phone’s internal audio player, download the Bushnell GPS app, check in on the app at whatever course you’re playing for the day, and with a simple tap of a button on a remote control, the Wingman will swap back and forth between your favorite tunes, and distances to the front, center and back of every green. Rock on.

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he latest release in the Tour V line is the Tour V5, which comes in both standard (yardage-only) models and an enhanced “Shift” model that takes slope into account when providing the yardage you’ll need to hit (a feature that can be switched off for tournament play). Distances are accurate to within one yard, a vibration lets you know when it’s locked on to the pin, and the magnetic BITE technology allows it to be attached to anything metal without the need for extra straps or connections. For golfers who prefer laser to GPS, there’s nothing better.

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RISK vs. REWARD Cedarcrest Golf Course

By Simon Dubiel

Hole No. 9 Par 5 461 yards (Blue Tees)

The Setup The landing area for this short par-5 is generous. A few towering firs give you an aiming point. Anything in the fairway to the left of those firs is spot “A,” giving you a great look at the green. The green is very long and slopes uphill, from front to back. A vicious, deep, greenside bunker protects the left front of this green, while a hill on the right can lead to some awkward pitch shots.

The Risk If you end up in the green-side bunker, you have

your work cut out for you. If the pin is back, it will be tough to take aim from 180-220 out, as landing your ball on the front of the green will leave a very long, uphill putt, one that will be difficult to get down in two.

Miss right and you will have a downhill chip with the green running away from you. Good luck!

The Reward Even the short hitter should have the firepower to consider going at the green in two. The area surrounding the green is generally open and gives the

Cedarcrest Golf Course • Hole No. 9

risk-taker a chance to get up and down should you miss with your second. The bunker is no walk in the park, so favor the right side.

Final Call A huge landing area begs you to find the short stuff and have a look at getting home in two. If you can navigate the tee shot, you should have around two bills in and perhaps even an iron in your hand.

Those odds are as good as any to put a circle on your card. Time to press that bet. Giddyup!

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18-Hole Golf Course located just one mile from the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth AUGUST 2020

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Washington Ulti mate

50urses

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1,500 Miles

3 Incredible Weeks

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Nobody could possibly play every great destination course in the state in one crazy trip ... could they

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or the past decade, I’ve dreamed of leading my fellow Cascade Golfer cohorts on the greatest golf road trip any of us have ever conceived.

We’d take 3-4 weeks off, rent an RV, and drive to all corners of our great state, playing 18 to 36 holes a day, with occasional breaks to sight-see, taste wine, hike a local trail, kayak on a lake, and otherwise enjoy all the impossibly glorious activities our state has to offer.

In a typical year, we’ll take 1-2 longer trips, either across the mountains (to Central and Eastern Washington, Idaho or Montana) or to B.C., Oregon, Mesquite, Hawaii or other favorite destinations. That means that, in any given year, we’ll play maybe 4-5 of the incredible destination tracks scattered across Washington and the Northwest.

Imagine instead, though, knocking off as many as 50 of those courses in one trip, hitting Bellingham, Chelan, Suncadia, Apple Tree, Wine Valley, Moses Pointe, Palouse Ridge and the Spokane munis, with a quick dip across the border to Coeur d’Alene and Circling Raven. Along the way, we’d pop into many of the smaller tracks that are often left off the itineraries of hurried travelers eager to hit the big-name courses, places like

cascadegolfer.com

BY BRIAN BEAKY CG EDITOR

Leavenworth, Kahler Glen, Sun Country, Desert Aire, Alta Lake and the like. Shoot, we’d even finally have time to turn off the highway and play nine holes at those little podunk courses that you stumble upon on any cross-state drive and think, “Geez, I’ve never even heard of that one.” (Yes, that happens to us, too.) With a month to spare and a state packed with great courses at every turn, we’d never be in a hurry.

I called it “The Ultimate Washington Golf Trip,” and in our editorial meetings, I’d pitch it as not only being a heck of a story for Cascade Golfer, but also a bucket-list trip for any of us lucky enough to secure a spot in the RV. Now, you have probably figured out by now that this trip has never happened.

While editors are always focused on “the next big story,” publishers and sales reps have to think about things like budgets, while wives and families are concerned with things like “responsibilities” and “being present” and, “Are you thinking about golf again? I’m trying to talk to you here.”

So, maybe taking a month off to tour the state isn’t realistic — especially if, unlike the staff of Cascade Golfer, your job isn’t to visit and write about golf courses all day. I get it.

That’s why, in this article, we’ve taken that month-long itinerary and pared it down into three, distinct, seven-day journeys — one to the Peninsula; one up north, doing the better part of the North Cascade Loop, including Bellingham, Chelan and Leavenworth; and, the most ambitious (but possibly most rewarding) of all, an Eastern Washington journey through Moses Pointe, Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Circling Raven, Palouse Ridge, Wine Valley and Apple Tree, with as much par-making and Pinot-drinking as you can handle.

In each trip, we’ve added some optional excursions you can take to extend or enhance your journey, given your time, budget, interest and willingness to adventure. And, of course, we’ve made it easy to link all three trips into one, starting on the Peninsula and making your way east — the Ultimate Washington Golf Trip that we’ve always dreamed of, and never had the stones (or the money, or the time, or the permission) to actually take.

Maybe you’ll be luckier than we’ve been. Maybe you’ll fulfill what’s only ever been a dream for us.

Maybe you’ll be the one who finally feels what it’s like to live free.

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TOTAL TIME: 7 Days D­ RIVING DISTANCE: 509 miles

Border Bavaria to

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f we were only going to do one of these trips, this would be the one. The fact is that the golf is going to be great no matter which trip you take. When you’re putting together The Ultimate Golf Road Trip, however, you have to consider the “road” part as well — and, on this trip, nearly every section of that road will take your breath away.

We start on DAY 1 with a drive up I-5 to Whatcom County, which just may be Washington’s most under-appreciated golf hotbed. Sure, everyone knows about Loomis Trail (and Semiahmoo, if you’re staying at the resort or you’ve got someone on the inside), but there’s also courses like Shuksan, Homestead Farms, North Bellingham, Sudden Valley, Lake Padden, Raspberry Ridge and others — all tucked within about a 20-mile radius of downtown Bellingham.

And, because it doesn’t draw out-of-town vacationers the way Central or Eastern

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Washington do, greens fees are lower than they would be elsewhere — usually no more than $50 — while fairways are significantly less crowded. We certainly wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to forgo the rest of the trip and just park yourself in Bellingham for a long weekend — we’ve done so ourselves, and it’s one of our favorite in-state getaways.

But, that’s not what we’ve set out to do here. Instead, Skagit County is merely our first stop — so, we’d better get to work. The first round of our epic journey is a late-morning round at Loomis Trail, the one must-play course for any Skagit County visitor. Laden with creeks, ponds and streams (that are often hidden from view — pair yourself with a local, or ask in the pro shop for tips), it’s a true test of target golf, with a handful of risk-reward opportunities to keep you coming back for more. Ranked No. 5 in the state by Golfweek (and No. 19 by CG readers, though

tops in the “North” region), it’s the perfect way to start your week-long adventure.

After the round, grab a drink in Washington’s coolest clubhouse, styled after an English Tudor mansion, then choose from any of the terrific tracks listed above for your second 18 of the day — at twilight rates, to boot.

With the sun starting to dip low towards Bellingham Bay, say goodbye to the eagles and deer that accompanied you around the course, grab dinner in Bellingham’s Fairhaven Historic District, then tuck in for a good night’s sleep — because you have 36 more holes on tap tomorrow.

The SECOND DAY of this trip is a simple one — pick two more Skagit County tracks and have at it. You can’t go wrong with any of the ones we listed above; for reference sake, our readers ranked Loomis, Shuksan, Homestead Farms and North Bellingham as the region’s four best in 2019. cascadegolfer.com

DAY 3 is when the real adventure begins. It’s also a rest day of sorts — after backto-back 36-hole days, you’ve earned it.

Start by heading south to Mount Vernon (feel free to jump off the road and put in 18 at Avalon, if you so choose) and jumping on Highway 20 east, then prepare yourself for one of the prettiest drives you’ll ever make.

The North Cascades Scenic Byway, as it’s called, is the northern section of the famed Cascade Loop — a mind-blowing 400-mile drive that, by the end of the week, you’ll have seen every inch of. Stop in at the Cascadian Farm roadside stand in Marblemount for a double-dip of ice cream before heading up into America’s least-visited National Park.

Over the next two hours, you’ll pass turquoise-colored lakes; craggy, snow-capped peaks and enough roadside scenery to keep your head on a swivel.

Stop and take a hike if you want — the Pacific Crest Trail passes nearby, and there are numerous trails that lead to it, or down to one of the many lakes along the way. Stand atop Ross Dam as it sends its power down the mountains to Seattle. Linger at the scenic overlooks — we recommend the Diablo Lake overlook and Washington Pass overlook — to take pictures and soak up the views. On this trip, there are just as many memories to be made off the golf course as on it.

Spend the afternoon and evening in Winthrop (or at the nearby Sun Mountain Lodge, which offers incredible views of the valley and frequent black bear sightings), the Old West’s answer to Leavenworth. Reimagined in the 1970s as a pioneer town, Winthrop today is a blast from the past, with woodplank sidewalks, 19th-century storefronts and the oldest legal saloon in Washington state. Grab a beer or a whiskey, then find a place to bunk up and call it a night — because tomorrow, the real ride begins.

DAY 4 is the day that you’ve been waiting for, the day that you get to play the course ranked No. 1 in the state by Cascade Golfer readers in 2017, and No. 35 in America by Golf Digest — Gamble Sands.

Start with a coffee and cinnamon twisp from the eponymous Cinnamon Twisp Bakery in Twisp — trust us, you won’t regret it — then make your way southeast to Gamble Sands and prepare yourself for four hours of pure heaven. Fairways wider than a pair of cascadegolfer.com

Loomis Trail

Homestead Farms

Gamble Sands

Sudden Valley

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Gamble Sands Alta Lake Golf Course

Lake Chelan Golf Course

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747s flying side-by-side, bounded by sandy waste areas deep enough to lose a battleship. Massive greens that pitch and roll, rewarding wellplaced approaches that take advantage of their natural features. And, everywhere you look, miles and miles of endless Cascade Mountain and Columbia River vistas. If you hadn’t figured it out yet, by Day 4, you’ll know for sure — you have truly managed to get away from it all For all of its natural beauty, Gamble’s best feature is David McLay Kidd’s design, which provides the savvy player with assistance on nearly every shot. Not a long driver? No worries — knock it 220 yards in the right direction on the par-4 fifth or par-5 18th holes, and your ball will run an extra 50-60 yards down the fairway, leaving you with a reasonable approach — or a chance to go for eagle. Wide fairways accommodate mid- and high-handicappers who struggle to control their driver, while the fairway bunkers are typically only in play for longer hitters, who also theoretically have the skill to avoid them.

Nearly every green is open in front, allowing players to run balls up onto the green, while others feature Redan-style slopes or grasslined backstops ready to funnel a mis-hit approach toward the pin.

It’s possible not to score well at Gamble, but you’ll really have to try.

It’s not possible, though, to walk away disappointed.

If you want to, you can follow-up your round at Gamble with another trip around the course; or, a visit to the all-new short course, Quicksands, scheduled to open for limited preview rounds this fall. If you do stick around, and are spending the night at The Inn at Gamble Sands, then the 100,000-square foot Cascade Putting Course is a must, and a great place for a late-evening skins game to settle some bets. We, however, are grabbing lunch at Danny Boy Bar & Grill in the Gamble Sands clubhouse and then heading down Highway 97 to perhaps Central Washington’s most overlooked gem of a course, Alta Lake. The first course owned and managed by Don Barth — who would later purchase the much-more-acclaimed Bear Mountain Ranch and Desert Canyon, as well — Alta Lake has the same quality, views and setting as the region’s more celebrated courses, but with half the traffic and greens fees. Fully restored after the Carlton Complex Fire gutted course infrastructure in 2014, Alta Lake is known for its two-tiered greens and creative back nine, and is the perfect place to watch the sun set behind the mountains before calling it a night.

On DAY 5, it’s time to drive down into Washington’s favorite resort town, Chelan, for a day of golfing and whatever other recreation tickles your fancy. A morning round at Lake Chelan Golf Course — as the sun turns the surrounding hillsides the same purple shade as the wine grapes growing on their vines, and the clear, blue lake glistens below — will remind you why you put up with those dark, wet, cold winters every year. It’s because beauty like this is just a short drive away.

Despite its “muni” label, Lake Chelan offers plenty to test golfers of all abilities — at 6,430 yards from the tips, its blue tees are right in the wheelhouse of most men, while its 5,500-yard red tees are even a touch longer than the forward tees at many Western Washington tracks. In addition, its rating and slope — 71.2 and 126, respectively — belie the challenge the course presents to low- and high-handicappers alike. Much of that rating comes from Lake Chelan’s small, elevated greens, which combined with the breeze that blows steadily off the lake require an informed club selection, and precise shot execution. Trees and bunkers, while present, aren’t copious enough cascadegolfer.com

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Bear Mountain Ranch

Desert Canyon

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to restrict an average golfer from achieving a good score even with a little wildness, while the only real water hazard is more a distraction — in the form of the beautiful blue Lake Chelan stretching out as far as the eye can see to the west — than a threat.

As for the rest of the day — well, the world is your oyster. Boats, jet skis and other personal watercraft can be rented in town and taken out on the lake, while the city offers plenty of public beaches for those who simply want to take a dip without venturing too far out. If you have the family with you, or are just a kid at heart, the Slidewaters water park on the lake’s southwestern corner is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon — our favorite is Purple Haze, a completely enclosed slide that even travels partway underground for a portion of its journey from hilltop to the pool below. If you don’t have the kids, then we’d recommend spending the afternoon sampling some of the amazing wines being made in one of America’s fastest-growing wine regions.

Benson Estate Vineyards, just up the road from the golf course, has one of the best Cabernet Francs we’ve ever tried, while the Syrahs at Nefarious Cellars, on the lake’s southern shore, can’t be beat.

Just when you’re starting to think you could live this vacation life forever, you wake up on DAY 6 and realize that, by tomorrow night, you’ll be tucking your head back into your own bed, at home. By now, it’s getting hard to even remember what “home” feels like — but, you know you’ll be a heck of a lot more relaxed when you get back to than you were when you left.

The good news is, there’s still 72 more holes to play. On this day, we’re going to complete the Don Barth trifecta by playing both Bear Mountain Ranch and Desert Canyon — a 36-hole day we’ve done multiple times as a day trip from Western Washington, but one that’s even sweeter when you can tee off at Bear Mountain at the crack of dawn and watch the sun’s first rays spread over the lake.

While golfers may quibble with some of Barth’s design at BMR — most notably the many blind shots, including a tee shot at No. 1 that plays blind over a ridge, requiring most players to pull mid-iron — nobody argues with the scenery. One USGA course rater who visited shortly after the course first opened in 2005 called it the most scenic course in the lower 48, and it definitely has more jaw-dropping moments than any other track in the state. The entire course sits high on a slope on the lake’s south side, with cascading views down across acres and acres of vineyards to the lake below, then back up the vineyard-covered slopes of the lake’s north side. Whenever we run photos of Bear Mountain Ranch in the magazine, golfers ask us, “Is that place for real?” It is, and if you’ve played it, then you’ll understand why it annually receives more first-place votes from our readers than any other course outside the top-10 (in 2017, BMR placed 15th). There’s nothing else like it in the state.

Though, Desert Canyon comes close. About a half-hour down the road from BMR, on the eastern shore of the Columbia River, Desert Canyon offers many of the same features that make BMR so memorable — the endless views, impeccable conditioning and a creative design. Choosing between the two is really just a matter of personal preference. Desert Canyon counters Bear Mountain’s memorable holes with some unforgettable ones of its own, routed across two nines with distinctly different feels. The Lake nine, usually played as the front, is more resort-y than its companion, with the cascadegolfer.com

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Highlander Golf Course

Leavenworth Golf Course

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extra water you’d expect from the name, and a few more properties lining the fairways.

The Desert nine, meanwhile, is more rough and rugged, and features Desert Canyon’s signature hole, the 690-yard, downhill, par5 sixth (typically played as No. 15). OK, you don’t have to play it at its full 690 — come all the way forward to the white tees, and it’s a measly 632.

After a burger at Wenatchee’s famed EZ’s Burger Deluxe — paired with a shake in one of 21 different flavors — lay down your head and dream one last night’s worth of golf vacation dreams. Because tomorrow, it’s time to go home.

But, not without getting in one more full day of golf. DAY 7 starts in East Wenatchee, looking down across the river to the valley below from the tee boxes at Highlander Golf Course. Originally designed in a Scottish links style, Highlander has been reimagined in bits and pieces over the last decade into a resort course, with all-new bunkers, trees and water features, and a complete redesign of the course’s back nine. Always a sucker for a pretty view, our favorite holes are two that play across gaping canyons on the ridge’s edge — the par-3 ninth and the short, par-4 17th. The former is one of the most intimidating tee shots in Washington, while the latter is a fantastic, risk-reward delight that we saw fit to put on the cover of our magazine the year after it opened. If it’s been a while since you last played Highlander, go back; if you’ve never been, put it on your list.

Once you’ve walked off the 18th green and given one last look down the cliff’s edge to the Columbia below, continue your drive on the Cascades Loop — with minor side

Win Two Central Washington Foursomes!

trips, you’ve been on it this whole time — and head west on Highway 2 to America’s favorite Bavarian mountain getaway. Laden with tourists no matter the time of year, who pack Leavenworth’s tiny front street to enjoy shopping, beer gardens and bratwurst by the shovelful, Leavenworth is a great spot to grab lunch before your afternoon round at the local muni. If it’s beer and burgers you want, the Rhein Haus is a great pick, with an outdoor patio overlooking the town. If soup and sandwiches hit the spot, the no-frills Soup Cellar is always a good bet.

So is Leavenworth Golf Course, which has evolved with the town around it from a dinky little nine-holer with sand greens back when it was still catering to coal miners and loggers in the 1920s, to an 18-hole championship course with a well-earned reputation as one of Washington’s top mountain tracks. Just 5,699 yards from the tips, it won’t ask much of your driver, but it will ask you to deftly manage its small, fast greens, which provide its best defense against low scores.

When you reach the tee box at the par-3 fourth — the most remote part of the course, hard along the banks of the Wenatchee with only the No. 3 green in the near vicinity, take a moment to stop and close your eyes. Inhale a deep breath of the cool, crisp mountain air, and just listen. Those sounds you hear — the gurgling river, the rustle of the trees, the call of a bird … that’s peace.

This is the feeling to hold onto once you’ve left this place, pointed the car west, and made the scenic, winding two-hour drive back to civilization. This is the feeling you came here for. This is the magic that we all need.

Highlander G.C. • No. 14

here aren’t many views in Washington golf better than that from the fairways and tee boxes at East Wenatchee’s Highlander Golf Course. And, they’re even sweeter at the end (or the beginning) of a whirlwind tour of the golf and scenery along the Cascade Loop that we’ve laid out here. We’re going to get you started on your Ultimate Washington Golf Road Trip with a complimentary foursome to Highlander, plus a second foursome to Sun Country Golf Course in Cle Elum. All it takes to win is a quick visit to CascadeGolfer.com, so get your name in the hat today!

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cascadegolfer.com

TOTAL TIME: 7 Days D­ RIVING DISTANCE: 740 miles

Eastbound & Down

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aybe you’re feeling a little more adventurous. Maybe you want to take in a Cougs game or visit friends and family in Spokane on your trip. Or, maybe you just really like spending time in your car. Either way, do we have the trip for you.

DAY 1 begins with an 80-mile drive to one of our favorite destinations in the entire state, and a must-play for us every single summer — Suncadia Resort. With two 18-hole championship courses open to the public, and a third open to residents and members, there’s more incredible golf within the footprint of Suncadia than anywhere else in Washington state.

It doesn’t matter which of the two public courses you play first, but make sure you play them both before continuing your journey east. Prospector — a fixture in CG readers’ picks for the state’s top-10 public courses — is the older of the two, and the one that’s usually busier on a typical summer weekend. Routed across the ridges on which the Suncadia Resort resides, Prospector is a thrilling blend of elevated tee shots, risk-reward par-4 and -5s, and tree-lined fairways that immerse you in your surroundings.

There are no fewer than four opportunities for even a moderately long hitter to take a shot at eagle — the par-4 fifth, requiring a

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daring drive across a lake to a green roughly 270 yards away; the par-4 10th, with its unforgettable elevated tee box; the par-5 11th, just 465 yards from the white tees; and the par-5 18th, a 496-yard dogleg left with a downhill approach that can be landed short and run onto the putting surface. While No. 10 is the shot you won’t forget — with sweeping views of the mountains and valley below — there will be no shortage of holes stuck in your memory when you leave.

The experience is much the same at Rope Rider. Built atop the old No. 9 and No. 10 mines from which coal miners pulled black gold for the better part of a century, Rope Rider pays homage to its past not only in its name — the term “rope rider” refers to miners who would straddle the hitches between mine carts as they descended into the shaft, and tug on a rope when the cart was full to indicate that it was time for miners at the shaft exit to pull the cart out — but also in its design. The entrance to the No. 9 shaft can be seen from just outside the clubhouse (which doubles as the home for Swiftwater Cellars winery), while the course’s most memorable stretch of holes wrap around Tipple Hill, a massive pile of coal tailings left behind when the mines were shuttered.

It used to be that you’d tee off on No. 1

looking directly out at Tipple Hill, and start your round with two risk-reward opportunities in the first three holes. Since opening in 2012, however, the nines have been reversed; no worries, the risk-reward opportunities remain. The 11th is a 462-yard par-5 with water down the right-hand side, but certainly reachable in two for even a medium-length hitter. It highlights a front nine that is reminiscent of the holes at Prospector, albeit with wider fairways and fewer trees. It’s that second nine, though, where Rope Rider’s identity comes alive. Both the 485-yard 10th and heavily bunkered, 275yard 12th are reachable; with a 118-yard par-3 in between them, there’s a realistic chance to go birdie-birdie-birdie right out of the gate. It’s also possible to cut the corner and leave yourself a sand wedge approach at the 390-yard 15th, before making that epic turn to the final three holes winding around Tipple Hill.

Plan to spend the night at Suncadia and you won’t have to rush your departure. Instead, grab a bite at the Hoist House restaurant in the Swiftwater Cellars section of the clubhouse, and sample some of the wines being crafted right on site. You may have thought you weren’t in wine country yet, but this is Washington, friend — it’s all wine country. Drink up. cascadegolfer.com

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Photos by Rob Perry / robperry.com

Suncadia Resort Prospector

Photo by John Johnson

DAY 2 is your driving day, but don’t worry, there’s some great golf to be played along the way. Start by rolling out of bed early and making your way 90 minutes east to Moses Lake, home to The Links at Moses Pointe. It’s often left out of stories about the great golf in Central and Eastern Washington, but that’s certainly not for a lack of quality. It’s more a matter of location; while a golfer can plan trips to Chelan, Spokane, Walla Walla or even Suncadia and find an abundance of great courses within a relatively small footprint, Moses Pointe sits all by itself on the shores of Moses Lake, a little less than halfway between Ellensburg and Spokane, and seemingly a lifetime away from anywhere. That isolation, though, works in its favor; once you’re out on the course, it’s just you, the little white ball and the flag, just as golf’s sadistic creators intended. It’s fitting, then, that Moses Pointe would be a Scottish-style track, its fairways and greens undulating in rhythm with the rolling farmland around them. With firm, glassy putting surfaces and tall native grasses swallowing errant tee shots, Moses Pointe can be a testy bugger, but accuracy and a soft touch will lead to good scores.

Hopefully you played well, because it’s another 100 miles to Spokane, our stop for the night. Depending on how early you left Suncadia, you might be able to squeeze in an evening round at one of Spokane’s famed municipal tracks; if not, use that time to head over to The Flying Goat for pizza and a beer before checking in at The Historic Davenport, in operation since 1914.

DAY 3 is a callback to last month’s feature on all the incredible golf in and around Spokane — take your pick from city courses Indian Canyon, The Creek at Qualchan, Esmeralda and Downriver, or county tracks MeadowWood, Liberty Lake and Hangman Valley. They’re all spectacular, and they’re all less than $50. If it helps, our readers ranked Indian Canyon (No. 17 in the state, just ahead of Rope Rider, Druids Glen and Loomis Trail), Qualchan (No. 21, one spot ahead of Newcastle’s Coal Creek) and Hangman Valley (No. 24) highest in 2019, with MeadowWood not far behind. Pick two and make as make as many birdies as you can; shoot, if you’re feeling really ambitious (and are younger and more limber than we are), pick three.

Photos by Rob Perry / robperry.com

Suncadia Resort Prospector

The Links at Moses Pointe AUGUST 2020

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MeadowWood Golf Club

Photo by Rob Perry / robperry.com

Palouse Ridge Golf Club

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Now, DAY 4 gives you some options. Certainly, when you’re this close already, it’s hard to resist the urge to duck across the border to play Coeur d’Alene Resort, just 30 minutes away. But then, if you do, you’re also going to want to drive 45 minutes south to play Circling Raven, and now you’ve used up a whole day — or two, if you’ve also chosen to take some recreational time on the lake, or at the Silverwood Theme Park just short drive up Highway 95. The reality is — as we laid out in last month’s issue — you can basically pitch camp in this area and get sucked in for days on end, branching out from Coeur d’Alene to Spokane, Circling Raven, Palouse Ridge and Silverwood, and coming back each afternoon to frolic on the lake.

On this trip, though, we’re not looking to settle down in one spot and call it good. We’re on the move.

So it is that on Day 4, while some of you may indeed choose to wander over to Coeur d’Alene, we’re instead driving 90 minutes south to ply the fairways of Palouse Ridge, quite possibly America’s best collegiate golf course. The nice thing about coming straight to Palouse, without an earlier stop, is that you can get there early enough to play it twice — and, trust us, you’ll definitely want to play it again. In his all-too-brief life, John Harbottle built just two courses from scratch in Washington — Gold Mountain’s Olympic and Palouse Ridge. If you’ve played either one, then you have a sense of the quality of the experience you’re in for at the other. Palouse Ridge swaps Gold Mountain’s tight fairways and towering trees for broad landing areas and the rolling hills of the Palouse, but otherwise, the signature is there. Fun holes that challenge the golfer’s thinking; creative bunkering that tests better golfers; and views from elevated tee boxes that will truly take your breath away. The Cougs may never win another Apple Cup, but as long as they have Palouse Ridge, they can be satisfied that their Husky friends are consumed with envy.

Having already played Washington’s No. 8 (Prospector) and No. 7 (Palouse Ridge) courses on this trip, it’s time to climb a few rungs up the ladder on Day 5, and make your way two hours southeast to Walla Walla, and Dan Hixson’s Wine Valley Golf Club (No. 3).

One look down the fairway at No. 1 is all you need to know you’re in for a unique experience — two large, natural bunkers border a generous fairway, which merges seamlessly with the second fairway coming back up the hill. The challenge at Wine Valley isn’t off the tee – nearly all of the fairways are wide open, what little rough exists is trimmed short, and the long native grasses that frame each hole only come into play on severe mishits (and even then, it’s not too difficult to find and play your ball, at least in the early part of the season). The challenge, instead, is placing your tee shot in the right part of the fairway to give yourself the ability to put your approach shot close to the pin — because if you don’t, hoo boy.

Fairway undulations put a premium on finding the power slots and level lies, but each of Wine Valley’s greens offer multiple means of attack. Typically fronted by a bunker on just one side, your best bet on most is to run the ball on from the apron on the other side and use the natural undulations of the green to guide the ball to the pin.

Otherwise, you’re left carrying that bunker to massive greens that are firm, fast and deadly. Fail to get close and you’ll find yourself making putts you simply don’t attempt anyplace else — turning your back to the hole and putting up a slope 90 degrees right of the pin to try and cascadegolfer.com

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feed the ball back down; tapping a 12-footer a mere 4-5 inches in the hopes that it will stop near the hole; or, intentionally over-hitting a putt to run it past the hole, letting the slope bring it back to the pin. The first time we played it, one of our staff members shot 88 — with 44 putts.

Only Chambers and Gamble offers a similar true links golf style, with broad fairways, bump-and-run approaches, large greens and natural-edged bunkers. Only Suncadia’s Tumble Creek and Sahalee Country Club offer similar conditioning, with fairways so perfectly manicured that just taking a divot feels like vandalizing a work of art. And, only the great Central Washington courses — Gamble, Prospector, Desert Canyon and Bear Mountain Ranch chief among them — offer the same sense of exhilaration, of complete immersion in a getaway golf experience unlike any other. It’s quite possible that the only thing preventing Wine Valley from being No. 1 in our CG reader rankings is the fact that not enough have made the drive over to play it.

If you want to, play it again. Or, head into Walla Walla and taste our state’s glorious grapes until your heart’s content. Walla Walla Vintners, aMaurice Cellars, Doubleback Winery (owned by Coug legend Drew Bledsoe), Pepper Bridge Winery, Leonetti Cellar and Dunham Cellars are some of our favorites. But, we’re talking Washington wine here — you can’t go wrong.

DAY 6 provides more choices. Your objective is Yakima, two hours to the west (assuming, of course, that Yakima County’s current restrictions have been loosened), but how you get there is up to you. You could play another morning round at Wine Valley, then wine-taste your way along I-82, stopping in tasting rooms in the Tri-Cities, Prosser, Benton or Zillah, all home to a number of outstanding wineries. Another option would be to play 18 or even 36 holes in the Tri-Cities, where Canyon Lakes, Sun Willows, Columbia Point and Horn Rapids are all terrific options (Canyon Lakes was ranked No. 23 in the state by CG readers last year) before making your way west. Or, you could double-down on your Dan Hixson experience and drive over to Desert Aire Golf Club, just northeast of Yakima, and play a round on the banks of the Columbia River.

Whichever path you choose, DAY 7 brings 36 more holes of fun, and puts your head on your own pillow by bedtime. We start at Apple Tree, a course that never fails to put a smile on our face. While its never cracked our readers’ top-10 (Apple Tree ranked 13th last

Wine Valley Golf Club

Doubleback Winery

Woodward Canyon Winery

Where Are You Going ?

These are some of our favorite Northwest road trips — but what are yours? We asked readers on our website, CascadeGolfer.com, and our social media pages to chime in, and here’s what you had to say about the places that get your engines revving in road-trip season: “Lake Chelan trip with a trio of great golf courses — Bear Mountain Ranch, Desert Canyon, and of course, Gamble Sands.”

— Ki Kim Rope Rider at Suncadia • No. 10

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“Epic weekend: Drive east from Seattle, hit Mt. Si on the way to Suncadia, spend the night in Ellensburg or Yakima, do Apple Tree in the morning and hit another Suncadia course on the way home. Must be done when the summer days are long.”

— Greg Stackhouse

“Bandon Dunes. Hands down.

Nothing compares. No detail missed during this resort experience. Pure. Worth every penny and should be on every golfer’s road trip list.”

— Sean King AUGUST 2020

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Desert Aire Golf Club

Apple Tree Resort

Sun Country Golf Resort

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year), it annually receives more first-place votes than many courses that do — while not as many golfers have played Apple Tree compared to some of the more well-known Western Washington tracks, those that do love it.

Even if you’ve never been there, you are likely familiar with Apple Tree’s apple-shaped island green, complete with a leaf-shaped bunker and a footbridge stem. Second only to Coeur d’Alene’s floating green among the Northwest’s most iconic golf course images, the apple green is every bit as fun to play as it is to look at; so many golfers stop to take photos and hit extra shots from the hole’s elevated tee box that the course has had to erect a sign reminding players to please keep it moving out of courtesy to the groups behind them.

But, it may not be the hole you end up claiming as your favorite.

The par-4 first is a great way to start your round; by the time you reach the par-5 third and par-4 fourth, you’ll be playing your shots amidst an active apple orchard, its smaller, fruit-laden trees a stark contrast to those you’re used to hitting from underneath in Western Washington. The beauty of the apple orchards on the front nine is matched only by the water hazards and white-sand bunkers of the back — the green complexes at the 11th and 14th holes are among the prettiest in the state, while the steeply-sloping 16th hole, and the 463-yard, par-5, risk/reward 18th team with the island green to form one of our favorite finishing stretches.

Grab a quick lunch in the clubhouse and make the 80-minute drive back to Cle Elum. No, we’re not making a second stop at Suncadia (I mean, unless you know someone who can get you on at Tumble Creek, the resort’s private course); instead, we’re heading across I-90 to Sun Country Golf Resort, the last stop on our journey, and one you won’t want to skip.

It’s quite possible you’ve noticed Sun Country before without realizing it — just east of Keechelus Lake, almost due south across the highway from Suncadia, is an old, faded sign high up on a ridge with faded block letters reading, “GOLF COURSE.” A hidden gem squirreled away in the shadow of its much more famous neighbor, Sun Country wouldn’t be out of place across the street, tucked among the Suncadia homesites alongside Prospector and Rope Rider. It’s shorter than either, at 5,507 yards, but is kept in terrific shape, particularly in the late summer when the Northwest sun is at its peak. Fairways tumble down from elevated tees to firm, fast greens, holes dogleg around stands of tall firs, and cool mountain creeks and ponds challenge several approaches.

What makes it the perfect place to end our epic adventure, though, is that it’s simply a fun round of golf. A handful of short par-4s and reachable par-5s give even mid-handicappers the thrill of going for the green, while the water, trees and uneven lies create enough challenge to hook a better golfer. You’ll likely make a birdie (or two), you’ll enjoy some terrific mountain views, and you’ll breathe in that crisp, refreshing, pine-scented air, all for barely $40.

You started this trip in the mountains, and it’s to the mountains that you’ve returned. Home is less than 90 minutes away. Before you get in the car for that final drive, though, reflect on where you are, where you’ve been, what you’re doing and the people you’ve chosen to do it with. In doing so, you’ll fully appreciate how lucky you are.

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TOTAL TIME: 7 Days D­ RIVING DISTANCE: 356 miles

Sound

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Explorer

he Peninsula trip is perfect for the golfer who isn’t too keen on the idea of driving 500-plus miles to all corners of the state, but still wants to play the highest concentration of great golf that Washington has to offer.

That would be the Peninsula, ranked by our readers as Washington’s No. 1 golf destination. This trip starts with a drive around the south end of the sound to Salish Cliffs, where Gene Bates crafted a thrill-ride every bit on par with his effort at Circling Raven just a few years earlier. We’ve dedicated so many column inches to Salish Cliffs over the years that we don’t need to tell you much more — it’s the No. 5-ranked course in the state, and one of the few courses we’ve never rotated out of our Cascade Golfer Cup lineup. Our players love it, our staff loves it, and just about everyone we’ve ever talked to agrees that you won’t find a more well-maintained or fair test of golf in the state. And, we love a good risk-reward hole — we dedicate a whole section to them in each issue. Salish has at least four (and as

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many as six depending on how far you hit the ball), including the first two holes and the 18th, giving you a chance to both start and finish your round with a smile.

Just up the road in Union is Alderbrook Resort, a tree-lined respite with occasional vistas of the Sound below. It’s our second stop for the day, but where you go from here is up to you. You can grab a room or cottage at the resort and be treated to luxurious trappings overlooking the Hood Canal; or, you can head back south to Salish Cliffs and hit the tables at the Little Creek Casino Resort before calling it a night. A stay at Alderbrook saves you from having to double back, and saves you about 20 minutes of driving time on Day 2; a stay at the Little Creek can be packaged with the golf to save money on both, and gives you the chance to do some high rolling with your buddies before hitting the sack. Decide what works best for you and your group, and make the most of your first night out on the road.

We’re going to go ahead and combine DAYS 2 AND 3, because there are four

great courses in the Bremerton/Port Orchard area, and you’re going to play them all over the next two days. The most acclaimed track in the area is John Harbottle’s Olympic Course at Gold Mountain, which has been dropping jaws left and right since opening in 1996. Whenever we have out-of-town guests that want to know what Washington golf is all about, we take them to Gold Mountain. The natural beauty; the towering trees; the deep, blue water features; the gently rolling fairways, the creatively contoured greens; the elevated tee boxes; the immaculate conditioning; and the incredible views — it’s all here, in one near-perfect 18hole circuit. Our readers have never ranked the Olympic lower than fourth in the state; by value, it’s definitely No. 1. While you’re there, be sure to also play its sibling, the Cascade Course — sure, it’s been relegated to a life of playing second fiddle, but that’s no fault of its own. The Cascade is to the Olympic like Scottie Pippen is to Michael Jordan — you can’t deny that one’s better than the other, but they’re both to be admired. cascadegolfer.com

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Photo by Brian Oar

Salish Cliffs Golf Club Alderbrook Resort

Photo by Rob Perry / robperry.com

Trophy Lake Golf & Casting

Photo by Rob Perry / robperry.com

For our second day in the Bremerton area, we’re playing the other two tracks that make golfers on the other side of the Sound so jealous of those that get to live here fulltime — Trophy Lake and McCormick Woods.

Stretched out to its full 7,040-yard length, McCormick Woods can challenge the shotmaking ability of any golfer, particularly with its many doglegs, bunkers, water hazards and tall trees forcing players to think before they swing. Those many doglegs, though, also give the high-handicapper with a decent short game a chance to score. That’s because driver — the club most likely to get a high-handicapper in trouble — is often not the play when teeing it up from the shorter (6,165 yards) white tees.

A perfect example is Hole No. 12, a par4 with a dogleg right around a small pond.

Better golfers can fade a driver from the elevated back tee to the fairway below, bisecting the pond and a bunker on the opposite side.

From the shorter white tees, though, a hybrid or even a well-struck 5-iron will leave a short iron uphill to the pin. Both players are thus given a good look at par, while also allowed to utilize strategies equivalent to their skills.

We’re playing it first specifically so that we can grab lunch in McCormick’s clubhouse restaurant, easily one of the state’s best (the Mac and Cheese is a CG favorite, especially when paired with a local microbrew).

Playing McCormick Woods first also allows to take advantage of one of the best bargains in the state — $42-$48 greens after 5 p.m. at Trophy Lake, and just $22-$37 for Oki cardholders. Even at peak times, Trophy never tops $100 — one can’t help but think that if it were on our side of the Sound, greens fees would be more in line with other high-quality Oki tracks like Washington National or the courses at Newcastle. Trophy beats all of them in our in-state rankings, but comes in $20-$140 cheaper per round. A John Fought design (Indian Wells, Sand Hollow, Crosswater and, yes, Washington National), it shares many of the features that make those courses great — particularly, creative bunkering and green designs that force players to think before making each shot, and frequent elevation changes that make club selection tricky.

At 465 yards from the white tees, its 18th hole isn’t only one of the prettiest in the state (indeed, it’s proven good enough to grace

Olympic Course at Gold Mountain AUGUST 2020

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McCormick Woods Golf Club

Photo by Rob Perry / robperry.com

White Horse Golf Club

The Resort at Port Ludlow

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our cover), but also a chance to put an eagle or birdie on the scorecard at the end of your round, if you’re brave enough to try and carry the creek that bisects the fairway and green. Of course, if you’re taking The Ultimate Washington Golf Road Trip, we have a hunch you’re the adventurous type. Pull out that fairway wood and let ‘er rip.

DAY 4 dawns bright and early with a morning round about 40 minutes up the road at White Horse, in Kingston. As you pull into the parking lot, you might see golfers getting off the shuttle that brings walk-ons from the Edmonds-Kingston ferry to and from the course, at no extra charge.

Cynthia Dye McGarey built the original 18 at White Horse, but it wasn’t until new owners the Suquamish Tribe brought in John Harbottle — yes, he of Palouse Ridge and Gold Mountain (Olympic) fame — to soften up the edges in 2012 that golfers truly fell in love. Harbottle tore out over 200 trees (mostly around the green complexes) to provide more light and air to the greens and tee boxes and promote a healthier, more player-friendly surface. He also stripped out 62 bunkers, softened green approaches and leveled many fairways in the areas where mid- and high-handicappers are most likely to hit. That effort has allowed the course’s strong bones — most notably, rolling fairways cut from a dense Northwest pine forest; unique and memorable holes that included uphill, downhill and sidehill shots; and some of the best eye candy in the region — to shine, while reduced greens fees and a fabulous new clubhouse have only enhanced the experience.

One of the state’s driest courses, it’s the rare course in our state’s top-10 that’s just as good in December as it is in July. Of course, December doesn’t leave enough sunlight for a second 18 — and, that’s just what we have on the agenda.

First, though, we’re going to make a pit stop for a quick lunch and a brief history lesson. Smack in between White Horse and Port Ludlow — our ultimate destination for the day — is Port Gamble, a mill town that has graced the shores of the Hood Canal since 1853, the same year the Denny party founded “The Town of Seattle” on the eastern shore of Elliott Bay (and 36 years before Washington officially became a state). Today, it’s preserved much as it was before the turn of the century — the 20th century, that is. A National Historic Landmark, Port Gamble is filled with shops, homes and New England-style buildings that transport travelers back to a simpler time.

While many simply drive through (slowly — the speed trap here has burned many a careless driver), it’s worth a stop to grab lunch and browse a few shops before hopping back into the car.

By the time you do, you’re just 15 minutes from The Resort at Port Ludlow, which marks not only our second round of the day, but also the spot where we’ll be resting our head for the night. We expounded on Port Ludlow for two-thirds of a page just last month — here’s a link to the full review — so we won’t go too deep into it here.

Suffice to say, it’s a blast to play, has some outstanding views, and has been significantly renovated since a change in management a few years back. Pair your round with a stay at The Inn at Port Ludlow and you’ll save money on the golf, and get to enjoy an incredible meal — no lie, the dinner we ate at the Inn a few summers back is one of the best we’ve ever had — and a comfy night’s sleep in front of a cozy fire. cascadegolfer.com

Don’t get too comfy, though — we’re barely halfway done. Day 5 brings a drive up the Salish Sea coast to Sequim, and an early round at The Cedars at Dungeness. It’s good to get to Cedars early if you can — not only will you beat the rush that can swarm the course on a sunny late-morning or early afternoon, but you’ll also avoid the winds blowing off the Strait of Juan de Fuca that wreak havoc with golfers’ club selection later in the day. A relatively flat and open front nine gets tighter and hillier on the back; and, while there are certainly a few par-4s that will give you the chance to have a wedge or short-iron approach to the green, the par-5s are all business, with two at or above 550 yards, and a third — the 509-yard sixth — played directly into that prevailing wind.

Finish early enough to grab lunch at Stymie’s, one of our favorite spots in the state to pick up a burger and a beer. After that, we’re turning the car around and heading back to Port Townsend — while we’re eager for someone to build a Bandon Dunes-style course out on the Washington coast, for now, it’s practically a golf ghost town until you wrap all the way around to Ocean Shores — a three-and-a-half hour drive away. No, thanks.

Instead, we’re playing our second round of the day at Discovery Bay, a local favorite five miles outside Port Townsend. When we say “local favorite,” we mean it — while out-of-towners are busy driving up to Dungeness, or prowling the many celebrated courses farther south, this is where Peninsula residents can usually be found. In fact, they’ve ranked it as the Peninsula’s best course for three years running, in large part due to its high quality, low rates and laid-back vibe. Designed by Mike Asmundsen (who also designed The Home Course), it has two

Cedars at Dungeness

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distinct nines — the front nine, or “farm nine” is more open, with fewer trees but plenty of long grass to trouble wild swingers. The back nine, or “forest nine,” is tighter, as its name would suggest, with more elevation changes. Both offer golfers a fair mix of birdie and eagle opportunities, plus plenty of chances to put a big number on the scorecard with a misplaced shot.

If you finish in the late afternoon or early evening, you’ll have plenty of time to drive up to nearby Port Townsend and check out the Fort Worden State Park, as well as the numerous shops and restaurants downtown. Like Port Gamble, it’s one of Washington’s most historic towns, and an easy place to get lost for a day or more browsing shops and visiting historical sites. We’re spending the night here, and taking a lazy day tomorrow, so feel free to move about town at your leisure and soak it all in — or, if history isn’t your thing, drive down to the nearby 7 Cedars Casino and try your luck at the tables.

In the morning, grab a coffee and breakfast at The Courtyard Cafe, then jump on the ferry for a quick ride over to Whidbey Island. While the first five days of your trip have been all golf, golf, golf, after fivestraight 36-hole days, you could probably use a break. Today, therefore, is about slowing down and appreciating what’s around you.

We start at Fort Casey, where as recently as World War II, soldiers scanned the horizon 24 hours a day for invading ships coming down the Strait. Along with the aforementioned Fort Worden and nearby Fort Flagler, enemy positions could be triangulated and targeted with 10inch guns, some of which are still on display. Walking through the catacomb-like gun emplacements, bunkers and batteries, you can almost

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Discovery Bay Golf Course

AUGUST 2020

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Whidbey Golf Club

Swinomish Golf Links

The Links at Avalon

feel the ghosts of those earlier times; reading the many historical placards throughout the fort, you can also learn some of their stories. A walk up to the top of the Admiralty Head Lighthouse is also a must before heading off to another recreational activity — kayaking. Several different companies offer guided kayak tours from Langley, Oak Harbor and other locations around the island (choosing to kayak and stay in Oak Harbor will set you up best for your final day of golf); you’ll learn about the island’s history, and encounter seals, dolphins, eagles and maybe even an orca or two, if you’re lucky.

Of course, you can always skip DAY 6 if you want and move straight to DAY 7 — the home stretch. For this one, we don’t have to leave Whidbey Island at all. We’re starting at Whidbey Golf Club, a formerly private course that has recently opened its doors to the public.

It’s another one we just wrote about recently, so we’ll simply link you to that story here, and let you know that Whidbey has some of the finest greens in the region, and is well worth the drive even if you’re not simply wrapping up an Ultimate Golf Road Trip.

For your final round, you have a few choices. One option is to drive just a few minutes up the road to Gallery Golf Course, a fun little 18hole track owned and operated by the U.S. Navy. Not only will you be treated to a solid round of golf at a reasonable rate, you’ll also get to spend a few more hours looking out across the Strait to Vancouver Island, and you may even be buzzed by the occasional fighter jet coming home to NAS Whidbey. Likewise, you can also continue driving north, stopping off at Deception Pass for photos, a quick hike and/or a bite to eat at The Shrimp Shack, before playing a second 18 at Swinomish Golf Links (another delightfully scenic and enjoyable course nestled between Similk and Fidalgo Bays) or Avalon, just up I-5 in Mount Vernon.

By the time you pull the car back into the garage, you’ll have played 12 rounds of golf — including four of the top-10, and five of the top-11 courses in the state, as rated by CG readers) passed through some ofWashington’s most historic sites, communed with nature from a kayak, and, just maybe, won enough at the tables to cover your nut. And, all in the same amount of driving you’d do going to Portland and back.

It’s possible — shoot, probable — that other states have epic golf adventures of their own. But, we’re comfortable saying that none offer the variety, history and adventure of ours. Take one of these three trips, or take them all — either way, The Ultimate Washington Golf Road Trip is whatever you make of it. Just get out there and make it happen.

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The Resort at Port Ludlow

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hink that Peninsula golf getaway sounds pretty sweet? Yeah, so do we. In fact, we’re going to make it even sweeter — take the Peninsula golf trip we laid out in these pages this summer, and we’ll cover you on both ends with a twosome at Port Ludlow Resort, and a foursome at Whidbey Golf Club! You don’t have to take the whole trip to win and enjoy these rounds — but, why wouldn’t you want to? So, fill up the car, round up your buddies and log on to CascadeGolfer.com for your chance to win!

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In The NEXT ISSUE! SAND, SUN, SURF: On the road playing the only 12 true American links on the West Coast

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e’re already excited for the next issue of Cascade Golfer, where we will share another epic road trip — a 2,500-mile journey from University Place to Carmel, Calif., and everywhere in between.

It was our pleasure to touch em’ all and play all 12 of the true American links golf courses on the West Coast. Who determines whether they are “true” or not? Well, Old Tom Morris is no longer with us, and Ty Webb and Danny Noonan were unavailable.

So, we tapped George Peper’s book, True Links, Wikipedia and few other sources to determine “true” links — that is, courses that are largely built on sand, are truly coastal and are on the land that links the ocean to the heathland or parkland.

The final list, from north to south: Chambers Bay (University Place, Wash.); Gearhart

Golf Links (Gearhart, Ore.); all five courses at Bandon Dunes (Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Old Macdonald and the new Sheep Ranch); Sea Links Ranch (Sonoma Coast, Calif.); Half Moon Bay’s Ocean Course (Half Moon Bay, Calif.); and all three Pebble Beach Resort courses (Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach).

We drove the coast and played ‘em all, staying in incredible (but affordable) places and keeping it real on our own West Coast Links Trail. We’re not sure if we were the first to ever do it, but we did it.

The Sheep Ranch, which we featured in depth in June, blew us away — both literally, with its intense ocean winds, and figuratively. It was beyond our wildest dreams — and Bandon Dunes is a place where we’ve had plenty of dreams come true, for sure.

We will regale you with great insights, how-tos, and places to stay, play, eat, drink and relax along Highway 101, which stitches all these beauties together.

It was a journey of a lifetime, for sure.

Here’s a few pics to wet your whistle. Look to the next issue for the full-meal deal.

BANDON-BY-THE-SEA Lodging Jewel

I

n the meantime, if you are looking at taking a Bandon plunge soon and seeing what the golf world is gushing about with the new Sheep Ranch, we have a great place to consider staying in the lovely town of Bandon-by-the-Sea. Of course, you can’t go wrong with any of the amazing Bandon Dunes Golf Resort accommodations, ever. But, if you have a Jack Kerouac notion and want to take in something off-campus, please consider the Bandon Marina Inn — you’ll be glad you did.

The small, clean, shiplap-walled stunner is quaint, casually elegant and just so chill. Each room has a different theme and tone and they take their COVID-clean spin to the highest level. The décor and mood is all beachy, and reminded me of places I’ve stayed in New England.

The beds are top-of-the-line; so are the furnishings and linens. You’ll feel like you are in a home — not a hotel.

We woke to the sounds of seagulls, fishing boats gearing up and the smell of fresh-ground coffee at the coffee house just behind the Inn. The rates are seasonal and affordable, and its location on the

cascadegolfer.com

main drag of Bandon-by-the-Sea puts it right next to all the galleries, bistros, cafes, bars and, of course, the Pacific Ocean. We’d put this place at the top of the list.

Get reservations early, as the word is getting out. You can find them on the web at BandonMarinaInn.com, and in person just a five minute drive from Bandon Dunes.

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Under Pressure 50

AUGUST 2020

cascadegolfer.com

Nick Taylor

UW alum went toe-to-toe with Phil Mickelson at Pebble Beach in February — and gave him a taste of his own medicine

I

t was clear to most everyone in the gallery for February’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am that Nick Taylor had an almost negligible chance of a wire-to-wire PGA TOUR victory.

How could anyone believe that this poor lad would hold up against his opponent – Phil Mickelson – in the final pairing on that blustery Sunday morning? Mickelson, among the Tour’s most popular and iconic golfers for the past couple decades, who turned pro when Taylor was four years old and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame two years before Taylor earned his Tour card, was lurking just one shot behind. Mickelson, who was practically playing on home turf, having won five times at Pebble, including the previous year’s AT&T. Mickelson, who had 44 Tour victories — including five majors — 36 seconds, 28 thirds and 195 top-10s in 623 Tour starts.

As for Taylor? Well, he had been ranked No. 1 once, but that was all the way back

cascadegolfer.com

BY BOB SHERWIN

in college, at the University of Washington, when he held No. 1 status in the Rolex World Amateur rankings for 20 weeks in 2009. Now, 11 years later, Taylor was ranked 229th, had earned just one victory in six years on the PGA TOUR, and had no second-place finishes, no thirds and just 11 top-10s in his 161-event career.

The crowd overwhelmingly favored the native Californian. Shoot, Taylor wasn’t even a native American, instead a product of Winnipeg by way of Abbotsford, B.C. His gallery was woefully underwhelming. His wife, Andie, followed him for most of the front nine, but had to leave for five holes to pick up their three-month-old son, Charlie, at daycare. The only other supporters were his in-laws, a couple friends who drove down from Abbotsford overnight, and perhaps a handful of loyal Canadian geese.

How many times have we seen this setup? Answer: Virtually every week. Check out

the first three rounds in every tournament — inevitably, there’s a guy ranked near triple figures on the PGA TOUR money list who turns in an uncommon round to take or share a lead. When it comes time to hand out the trophy on the 18th green on Sunday evening, however, that same guy is over in the parking lot slamming his car trunk with the umbrage of missed opportunities, as a more well-known player hoists the hardware.

Taylor, 32, understood exactly what he was up against. A six-year pro, he’s seen the scenario above play out time and again. He knew the odds. He knew what Mickelson would bring, and what the crowd would give him.

“Obviously, if he makes a putt, or a great shot, the crowd’s going to go wild,” Taylor told the media after the third round. “I’ve just got to do my own thing, try to block all that out. Easier said than done, without having done it before.”

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T

hat’s the thing — heading into that final round at Pebble, Taylor had never faced that kind of pressure. In his six years on Tour, the former Husky had never slept on a 54-hole lead. Nor, for that matter, had he ever held a 36-hole or 18-hole lead, either.

Taylor’s lone victory, at the Sanderson Farms Championship on Nov. 9, 2014, was a different circumstance with a different caliber of competition. At that time, Sanderson was an opposite-field tournament, which meant that the field included few top players. It also was just his fourth PGA TOUR start, so Taylor hadn’t yet experienced enough failure on Tour to understand the pressure a golfer feels when a real chance to win comes along. He started four strokes behind on that Sunday and shot a final-round 66 for a comfortable two-stroke victory.

Winning so quickly, Taylor could have been forgiven for thinking that it was always going to be this easy.

“I didn’t have time to understand the gravity of what happened,” he says, looking back. “So much happened. I got married.

I graduated. I went through Q-School and turned my (2014) season around in my last four, five weeks for a dramatic finish to get my Tour card.”

Indeed, a few weeks before, Taylor had capped his 2014 Web.com Tour season with a final-round, career-best 63 in the Tour Championship. The top 25 earned cards. He finished in 21st place.

“Then, six weeks later, I’m in contention and winning my first tournament. There was a lot of milestones in a short time,” Taylor adds.

“I didn’t have much of a break to let it soak in. Winning is a difficult thing to accomplish. I ended up not playing that great.”

For the next five seasons, Taylor was a one-win wonder — one of hundreds who have come and gone over the years, most long forgotten to history. He missed the cut 60 times, making not a dollar for his efforts — essentially, going 14 months of his first 60 on Tour without a paycheck. He finished 50th or worse another 34 times, earning enough to cover expenses, but not advancing his career. His best finish in the FedEx Cup standings was 93rd, in 2017.

By the end of the 2018 season, Taylor

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“So much happened.

I got married. I graduated.

I went through Q-School and turned my (2014) season around in my last four, five weeks for a dramatic finish to get my Tour card.”

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felt that the end was near. Entering the final regular-season event — the Wyndham Championship — he was ranked 129th in the FedEx Cup standings. Only the top 125 players automatically retain Tour cards for the subsequent season, and Taylor knew that he needed a top-10 finish to earn enough points to make the jump — an accomplishment he had only achieved seven times in his 121 Tour starts to date.

“I had missed a bunch of cuts in a row and was trying to figure things out,” Taylor recalls.

The facts bear out his frustration — in his previous 26 starts, Taylor had made just one top-20, and missed 12 cuts. Eight years into his professional golf career (including a year off in 2013 and a 2014 season on the Web.com Tour), with a toddler at home, Taylor found himself beginning to think ahead to life after golf.

It didn’t help his chances when he took a triple bogey late in the Wyndham’s third round, placing him on the cusp of melting back to minor tours and major concerns. Taylor needed an extraordinary final round to retain his playing privileges for another season. And, just as he had in the 2014 Web.com Tour Championship, when he had to have that epic round, he found it. Taylor matched his career-best with yet another 63 on Sunday to finish tied for eighth. He won $174,000, just enough to slip into 123rd place on the money list and hold onto his exclusive — and elusive — eligibility for another year.

UW golf coach Matt Thurmond, who now works at Arizona State, says Taylor “is unique’’ when it comes to pressure situations.

“Under pressure, everyone speeds up. Your mind speeds up, you walk faster, you swing tighter, faster,” Thurmond says. “Somehow, Nick slows down when there’s more pressure. His swing, his mood, his tone of voice are all slower. He always has been that way from when he first started playing the game.

“I’m sure his heart is racing, but he’s able to manage it.,” Thurmond continues. “He’s done that in his career over and over again.”

P

erhaps that’s why Taylor, out of curiosity, spent the night before his final round at Pebble Beach this past February watching video highlights of Mickelson’s short game magic. Where many golfers would have steered away from the pressure, from the gravity of the moment and the intensity of the challenge, Taylor — like a Formula One champion — steered into it.

Taylor didn’t need to steel his nerves. Pressure isn’t winning a PGA TOUR tournament in February. Pressure is going into the final round of your season knowing that your career rests on the next 18 holes, and then coming through with the best professional round of your life. Pressure is doing that twice. That’s where Taylor went to find his resolve that night — back to 2018.

“I don’t want to be in that situation again,” he says. “That’s more pressure than trying to win a golf tournament. (In 2018), I was trying to keep my job. I was trying to keep my status. The consequences (of losing a single tournament) are not as great.”

But, still, there were significant consequences on that Sunday at Pebble Beach. Besides re-starting the clock on another two-year exemption, the biggest paycheck of his life — $1.4 million, more

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than he’d earned in any single season of his career — was on the line. He’d also punch his ticket to The Masters for the first time, a lifelong dream, and earn entry to the PGA Championship. And, he’d climb comfortably into the top-30 on the FedEx Cup money list, and get a bump up the World Golf Rankings.

The final pair drew a 9:30 a.m. tee time.

Taylor, who had never played with Mickelson, admitted to “always having first-tee jitters,” but handled himself well, with pars on the first two holes. Mickelson parred the first then birdied the second hole. The two were tied. Here we go.

Then, Taylor changed the script. He played like the steadfast veteran. He birdied four. He birdied five, as did Mickelson, and they headed to the par-5, 515-yard, sixth hole with Taylor leading by one.

Taylor’s approach landed in the right greenside bunker, leaving a 47-foot shot across the crested green on an exposed ridge with the wind blowing at gusts as high as 40 miles per hour. He coolly flipped it up to about 20 feet, then watched it roll across

cascadegolfer.com

the long green expanse into the hole for an eagle. Maybe he learned a thing or two from that late-night YouTube session after all.

“The whole week, I felt good with wedges.

[Former UW teammate] Richard Lee had helped me with my short game, and I felt more comfortable with it,” Taylor says. “Phil used to do that to other people. It’s fun to reflect back on it.”

The eagle gave Taylor the momentum he needed, but he said that a 12-foot par putt on the iconic, par-3 seventh was critical in keeping it.

“I didn’t waste any thoughts on anyone else,” Taylor says. “That can be distracting at times. It became a match-play scenario, just Phil and me.”

The howling wind affected all the players as the scores soared. At one point, Taylor had a five-stroke lead, but struggled with back-to-back bogeys on 11 and 12, followed by a double on the par-5 14th. Just like that, the lead was down to two.

“My lead was cut in half when Andie was driving to get Charlie,” Taylor says. “She must

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have been in torture, not knowing what was going on.”

Kevin Streelman, with birdies on 14 and 15 one group ahead, had passed Mickelson for second place, two strokes behind.

“It was trending in the wrong direction for Nick,” Thurmond recalls thinking, as he watched the final round on TV. Taylor’s second shot to the par-4 15th landed in the short rough, 35 feet from the pin. That’s when he hit the shot of the tournament, and perhaps his life, holing out his chip shot for a birdie. It was yet another moment of wedge wizardry — and done right in front of perhaps the game’s most famous short game master.

“Looking back, that chip was incredible,” Thurmond says. “Winning any tournament is just extremely hard. You’re never safe. Even with a big lead, three up with three to play, you have to finish. There’s no clock to run out. You have to move the ball forward and put it in the hole.”

“Nick played better than I did,’’ Mickelson told the media afterward.

“He holed a couple great shots.

That eagle on six, the putts he made on four, five and seven. He just really played some great golf.”

Taylor said that hole-out “mentally calmed me down.” He then went on to birdie the tough, par-3 17th. That released the stress of dealing with the oceanside par-5 18th.

“Nick played better than I did,’’ Mickelson told the media afterward. “He holed a couple great shots. That eagle on six, the putts he made on four, five and seven. He just really played some great golf.”

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T

aylor won the 2007 Canadian Amateur Championship at age 18. He’s been the world No. 1 amateur. He was the highest-finishing amateur at the 2009 U.S. Open, finishing 36th. He won the Ben Hogan Award (top collegiate player) in 2010. He tied for 16th at the 2019 Players Championship.

And, now, he has two victories on the PGA Tour.

“Lots of doors opened — bigger tournaments, majors I want to play in,” he says. “The Presidents Cup. And, it would be a huge honor to represent my country at the Olympics.’’

As big as his stare-down victory over Mickelson was, it would be better that it doesn’t become the defining moment of his career.

Taylor’s in his prime. He wants to win more. He wants to be competitive in majors. He wants to be among the best of his generation.

“We talk a lot about that,” Thurmond says. “For me, he’s a top-50 player in the world. He has been successful. He’s a veteran. What he’s done is very hard to do. I think he can get to the next level where he’s grouped with those who play regularly in the World Golf Championships, play in the Presidents Cup and compete and be a factor in the majors.”

Taylor wants all that and doesn’t see any reason why he can’t have it. He’s a more consistent player and believes he keeps improving. The victories will come.

“Hopefully,” he adds, “there’s not a sixyear gap until the next one.” cascadegolfer.com

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SAVE SOME GREEN PUTTING FAMILY FIRST

BY BRIAN BEAKY • CG EDITOR

M

ore than ever, we’ve found ourselves wanting to support the smaller, family-owned tracks throughout the Puget Sound region — those without the big corporate dollars to keep them afloat during these challenging times.

We’re not saying you should ignore the fancier courses — far from it, in fact — but, instead, mix in some love for the little guy between trips to Chambers Bay, Washington National or Gold Mountain.

In this issue, we’ve picked two of our family-owned favorites, and tossed in City-owned and Premier-managed Bellevue Municipal as well, to give you a full trifecta of Eastside delights. Put at least one golf trip on your schedule before summer is finished — but when you come home, don’t forget the courses that need us.

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Mount Si Golf Course • Snoqualmie

1

Mount Si Golf Course SNOQUALMIE

As the theme song of “Cheers” used to say, “Wouldn’t you like to get away?” These days, we all would.

Well, at Snoqualmie’s Mount Si Golf Course, you can get away – from the surprisingly crowded courses on the I-5 corridor, from the stress of trying to work from home while also keeping your kids from spending all day watching YouTube, from the high greens fees of many urban courses, even from the soul-crushing scores that make you wonder why you ever picked up this ridiculous game in the first place.

Mount Si doesn’t just want you … it welcomes you. From the ease of booking tee times online through mtsigolf.com – 365 days a year – to the second you pass through the perimeter fence designed to keep the local deer and elk population from eating the greens, to the moment you stand before your ball on the first tee, looking down a tree-lined fairway and notice that you can’t hear so much as a single car engine, you’ll be overcome by one thought … “I’m gonna enjoy this.”

And, you know what? You’re right. Whether it’s the course design itself, or just the extra state of relaxation and focus that the setting allows, we’ve never shot a bad round at Mount Si. Literally – never.

Now, that’s not to say it’s a pushover.

Trees are everywhere, many of the fairways are narrow, and some – most notably the par5 seventh – require you to make some tough

decisions. When we say that we’ve never put up a bad score at Mount Si, we’re not necessarily speaking for everyone in our foursome.

Spray that ball around too much and you’ll spend plenty of time hacking sideways out of thick underbrush.

But, for every time you curse a mistake, there will be a time like the one we recently experienced on the par-4 sixth, when we headed towards the green – backdropped by Mount Si in what is certainly the course’s signature image – only to find our way blocked by a deer who had chosen that moment to graze on the thick, green fringe. We stared at each other for a moment, the deer and the three of us. (The deer, having seen our approach shots, clearly assessed that we were not a threat.) Then, he casually headed off into the woods, and we proceeded to stroke our putts with the knowledge that we had just experienced something we’d remember a long time.

Really, Mount Si isn’t so much a “great round of golf” as it is a four-hour moment of zen. And, doesn’t a little piece of mind sound pretty good right now?

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Snoqualmie Falls Golf Course SNOQUALMIE

Neither Mount Si nor Snoqualmie Falls Golf Course are the most celebrated course in town — that, of course, would be The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, home to the PGA TOUR Champions Tour’s Boeing Classic.

But, unless you have the means to fork over a membership fee and monthly dues (or a wellplaced buddy on the inside), you’re not likely to get much closer to those fairways than the ropes that line the course on tournament week.

The fact is, though, that the scenic views and relaxing atmosphere that help make Snoqualmie Ridge one of the favorite courses of Champions Tour players are the same views and atmosphere you can find at the community’s public courses — only, at a mere fraction of the price.

In fact, we almost always book a round at one or the other on days when we drive up to Snoqualmie Ridge to watch Boom-Boom and the gang. We’ve also spent plenty of sunny summer days playing 36 at Mount Si and Snoqualmie Falls, one of the only places in the state where you can squeeze in 36 holes at two different tracks, spend less than $100 and be back home for dinner.

While not the longest (just 5,900 yards from the tips) or most difficult (66.7 rating, 107 slope), Snoqualmie Falls is a fun and scenic course, one that’s laid back in a way that more courses should be. No one’s going to send you away for having an untucked shirt, or because you left your golf shoes in the other car and have to play in sneakers. Far to the contrary, general manager John Groshell and his staff (including son, Jeff, one of the course’s PGA teaching pros) go out of their way to make every player feel like family, and ensure that everyone walks onto the first tee feeling relaxed and confident.

Its par-4s are short (none over 400 yards), but the par-5s are all business, with the shortest measuring a reasonable 490 yards. Of course, daring players can pull driver on nearly every hole if they so choose — most of those par4s are of the straight-and-narrow variety, so if you’re confident in your ability to keep your ball out of the trees, then by all means, fire away.

Many golfers remember Snoqualmie Falls cascadegolfer.com

Snoqualmie Falls Golf Course • Snoqualmie

fondly as the first place they broke 90, or 80, or the first course at which they made multiple birdies in a round. The point is, it’s fun, and stress-free … exactly how you want to end a long day of golf.

It’s best played in the summer or fall, when the Snoqualmie River is at its ebb, providing just enough scenery without flooding the fairways.

Tee off after 3 p.m. and, for just $32, the num-

ber of holes you play is limited only by the time the sun finally slips below the horizon.

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3

Bellevue Golf Course BELLEVUE

In 1968, the city of Bellevue hired David W. Kent to construct an 18-hole course for the then-relatively quiet Eastside community. Flash forward 52 years, and Bellevue Golf Course now sits merely a par-5 or two from the Microsoft main campus and has become a favorite spot for programmers and sales reps looking for a midday respite.

Bellevue is managed by Premier Golf, which runs Seattle’s Jackson Park, Jefferson Park, West Seattle and Interbay, plus others in Everett, Maple Valley and Olympia, as well as Bellevue’s own Crossroads Par-3. That allows Bellevue golfers to benefit from the Premier Golf Card, a free loyalty rewards program which grants discounts on greens fees and clubhouse amenities at each of its 11 tracks.

Many, if not most, of the golfers on Bellevue’s fairways are Premier Golf Card holders, there to take advantage of good rates on a round that will test you, but not break you. And, at its busiest

Bellevue Golf Course • Bellevue

times, there can certainly be a lot of golfers on the course — smart players roll in at twilight or even late twilight hours, allowing them to take advantage of rates under $30 and fairways that are a little less crowded than at peak times of the day.

Long hitters have plenty of chances to put low numbers on the scorecard — land your drive on the left side of the 485-yard, par-5 second and you’ll have a mostly clear approach to the green should you decide to go for it, while the 306yard, par-13th is a tempting tease for a big hitter with a power draw.

At the par-4 14th, it’s not the length that will get you, but the retention pond that lines the left side of the fairway. Big hitters have to either try a dangerous fade over the water to a narrow landing area, or swallow their pride and lay up short.

Played well, it can make your round with a birdie — played poorly, you’ll rue a missed opportunity to score.

And, for those of us just happy to keep our balls on the fairway? While trees line nearly every fairway, with a couple of exceptions, there’s plenty of room to start a shot off left and bring it back to the short stuff — good news for any golfer with a tendency to miss right … which, statistics say, is most of us.

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63

P R ESENTED BY

Road Rules Image courtesy vecteezy.com

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By Brian Beaky

n this issue, we lay out three incredible road trips that will take you all over the state. In addition, we asked readers to cite their favorite trips as well,

and they extended our journeys past the Evergreen State borders to Bandon Dunes, Central Oregon, Coeur d’Alene, Western Montana, Whistler and other top-notch locales.

Every good road trip, though, starts with a good set of guidelines. So, wher-

ever you decide to go this summer, make sure to follow a few rules of the road — “Road Rules,” we’ll call them — that will make sure your trip goes smoothly:

1

Choose Your Companions ... Wisely

Whether you’re taking a long day trip, or launching yourself head-first into one of our epic, week-long adventures, you’re going to spend a lot of time with your traveling companions, at least some of it confined in a vehicle. As such, it’s important to take their safety just as seriously as you’d take your own. Certainly, if you can quarantine before the trip, that’s great, but if not, do temperature checks, try to social distance on the golf course, and wear your damn masks. Yes, it stinks that we have to take all of these steps, but it sure beats getting COVID — or, worse, giving it to someone else.

2 Know Your Limits Any long road trip is a commitment — be sure you have the energy, stamina (and financial resources) to get through whatever adventure you’re planning. You don’t want to find yourself skipping a round of golf, or having to pull off the road for a rest, because you bit off more than you can chew. Figure out what is realistically doable for you and your group, and then go make it happen.

3 Have a Plan ... But Be Flexible Obviously, you’re going to want to make sure that your must-play rounds are booked ahead of time, along with any necessary hotel reservations. But, rather than pre-plan every minute of your trip, leave some wiggle room to account for the unexpected. You may fall in love with a course and want to play it a second time. You may get a great dinner or activity recommendation from a local, or decide to stop in at a winery along the way. Use our seven-day adventures here as suggestions, not mandates. The best parts of any adventure are the parts that you never saw coming — leave room in your schedule to let the magic happen.

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4

Pack Appropriately

Truthfully, we could probably write a whole article just about the things you should always bring with you on a road trip — sunblock, a portable phone charger (it only takes one time getting lost in Eastern Washington with a dead phone to learn this lesson), a good mix of music, etc. Just be sure you’re not packing a giant suitcase — there’s only so much room in one car, and the people, food, and golf clubs have priority. If it doesn’t fit around that, you’re out of luck.

5

Fuel Up

Sure, the car needs gas, but on any road trip, so will you. Have everybody pitch in and pack a cooler or grocery bag with easy-to-eat items like fruit, granola bars, and whatever snacks you prefer. Include plenty of water, plus other beverages to enjoy at your destination (some Michelob ULTRA, perhaps?). Not only will you save money, but you’ll also find out who’s willing to go above and beyond — a friend of mine once showed up at my house for an early-morning departure with hot, homemade breakfast sandwiches. You can bet he was included the next time we hit the road.

6

Plan a Good Playlist

You may love your music, but not everybody is going to want to rock out to hair metal, channel their inner gangsta rapper or explore the fringes of the modern-day indie scene day after day after day. That said, music is an essential part of a road trip — not only does it set the mood, it can fill the quiet moments that will inevitably happen on a long drive. Let everyone bring a few tunes to spin, or load up the iPod with universally liked hit-makers like Tom Petty or Pearl Jam.

7

Have Fun

You may play terrible, one of your companions may say or do something that gets under your skin, everyone else might want to eat at McDonald’s while you’d prefer to check out the local favorite spot ... it’s OK. Remember, the alternative is to be back at home, stressing about work, doing chores and envying the activities being enjoyed by all of your friends on social media. Take it all in stride, and not only will you make an unforgettable memory — you’ll probably play better, too. cascadegolfer.com