Hard Courses in the Northwest?

[SubPar]

Has anyone played any of these? And how much fun can you have playing a course with a slope around 150?

MOST DIFFICULT 18-HOLE GOLF COURSES
IN OREGON & SW WASHINGTON




Rank
Course Rating /Slope
Yards

1
Bandon Dunes 76.7 /149
7,326

2
Crosswater Club 76.5 /145
7,683

3
The Nicklaus Course at Pronghorn 76.2 /151
7,379

4
The Fazio Course at Pronghorn 75.8 /148
7,447

5
Sandpines Golf Links 75.2 /131
7,173

6
Centennial Golf Club 75.0 /130
7,309

7
Chehalem Glenn 74.8 /154
7,054

8
Pumpkin Ridge - Witch Hollow 74.7 /139
7,017

9
The Reserve Vineyards - South 74.7 /132
7,170

10
The Nicklaus Course at Pronghorn 74.6 /148
7,039

11
Wildhorse Resort Golf Course 74.6 /131
7,060

12
Crosswater Club 74.6 /141
7,273

13
Diamond Woods Golf Club 74.5 /143
6,975

14
Sandpines Golf Links 74.4 /129
6,998

15
Aspen Lakes Golf Course 74.4 /139
7,302

16
Royal Oaks Country Club 74.3 /133
7,017

17
The Club at Brasada Canyon 74.3 /147
7,314

18
Eugene Country Club 74.2 /136
7,033

19
Redtail Golf Club 74.1 /136
7,107


SubPar

[Wine&Poker]

I've played more than half of these courses and can say, without question, that the most difficult course in the NW is Aldarra. I assume it was left off the list because of its ultra-private status but course beats every one of the courses on the list. Bandon Dunes shouldn't be the hardest course in the NW. It's a great course, but very playable.

As to how much fun: A lot!

[oregongolfguy]

I didn't think that aspen lakes was extremely tough...great course....

I think that Tetherow is one of the most brutal courses i've ever seen....7298yds...74.8/141

[SubPar]

I've played more than half of these courses and can say, without question, that the most difficult course in the NW is Aldarra. I assume it was left off the list because of its ultra-private status but course beats every one of the courses on the list. Bandon Dunes shouldn't be the hardest course in the NW. It's a great course, but very playable.

What are the fees like?

SubPar

[Wine&Poker]

Missed the notation about SW Washington and was thinking of a wider area. Aldarra is just east of Seattle. The list is built on a weird area as we Portlanders can make it to Seattle courses faster than to eastern OR courses, but I should have noted the lack of Seattle-area courses like Chambers Bay on the list.

The prices for these range quite a bit from course to course and from season to season (Bandon Dunes ranges from $75 - $200 depending on the time of year). Plenty on this list that can be played for under $50 even during the summer if you pick the right day of week and time of day. Some of these courses are private, but you can probably play comparable courses nearby. Witch Hollow at Pumpkin Ridge, for example is private. Pumpkin Ridge's other course, Ghost Creek, is public and will be hosting the LPGA Safeway Classic later this month. I played Witch on Saturday but play Ghost almost every week. Witch is tighter but plays shorter. Ghost is wider but plays longer. Not that much difference in difficulty. (Ghost during the heart of the season is $150, or you can buy a players card for $150 which includes a free round and then discounts the other rounds down to $65 and lower - $20 during the winter).

Again, outside of the range, but only a few miles north of Oregon so I'll include it is the new Wine Valley Golf Course in Walla Walla, WA. Opened in May. I played it the 2nd weekend it was open, and while it had some maturing to do, I was very impressed. From the back, it plays 7360 yds, 75.5/130. Palouse Ridge just opened near WSU. Haven't played it yet, but next time a wine trip pulls me to Walla Walla, I'll head up there. From the back, 7308 yds, 75.9/140.

[Wine&Poker]

By the way, winter golf in Oregon can definitely be an option. It can be a bit of a crap shoot, but in 09, I played every weekend Jan 1 - March 31 with 5 days at Bandon in January in 65-70 degree temps, clear skies, and no wind (well, most of the time). Snow isn't going to be an issue and a lot of the better courses are now built on so much sand and rocks that they drain pretty well.