Gearhart: Anyone play it since they cut down all the interior trees?

[shihtappens]

I love this course, the clubhouse, great staff and wonderful food & beer. It's a links course, but in the 30's they planted trees along the fairway edges and so, it could not pass the links snob sniff test. OK, I get it - fast, springy, rumpled fairways built on dunes, salt spray from the Pacific Ocean hanging perpetually in the shorepine-scented air - air btw, that is often moving sideways at 40 miles per - not good enuf for TRUE links, because trees do not a links course make.

Now they have cut them down -- they were dying (according to the website) anyway, having reached the end of their salt-stunted life span.

I want to try to get there this winter, but until then - any reports?

[breakingeighty]

Curious to know what you find. I just played Astoria Country Club last week, and was blown away - totally exceeded my expectations.  That said, I drove by Gearhart and have been wondering if it's worth playing - been on my list for awhile now.

[shihtappens]

@breakingeighty -- Yeh, and Astoria has been on my list since I played Gearhart Golf Links. I've played three rounds @ GGL - one of them was one of those "on" days when everything clicked and that always enhances the memory. But, notwithstanding my one ON day there (an 81, from the back tees in rain-sleet-snow, but no wind), it is a unique and appealing place. I am intrigued by what they did with the trees now and will report back. Hoping to go in late Feb for a week or so.

I played GGL once with the food + bev mgr at the McMenamins there, who used to be an assistant pro at Astoria and he preferred Gearhart, which he also ranked well ahead of The Highlands and Seaside (nearby 9-holers). He parred Gearhart the day we played - managing a sizable hangover/late night of work. :-)

Good luck on your Top 100 quest. What whales have you landed so far? I have played Bandon Trails and Pacific Dunes and want to play them all (incl the Sheep Ranch) eventually. Have played Chambers Bay 3X and going again in March. (I am fast becoming a links fanatic.) My other notable is Banff Springs - though it's seldom on Top lists anymore. Gold Mountain and The Home Course in Tacoma region are great too, as is Washington National up in Seattle. I hope to play Salish Cliffs and Capilano (Vancouver) this summer.

Working on a trip to Ireland, likely around Galway...

[breakingeighty]

@shihtappens Thanks for the thoughts on Gearhart - going to have to make it more of a priority now! Also kind of cool it's the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi.

So far I've played:

-The Golf Club at Black Rock

-Blackwolf Run (River)

-Whistling Straits

-Arcadia Bluffs

-Oakland Hills (South)

-Olympic Club (Lake)

-And all the Bandon Courses

Arcadia Bluffs and Black Rock were probably my two favorites. And just a couple weeks ago I played Diamante Dunes down in Cabo which Golf Digest has at #55 in the world. Pretty cool to play a links course with cacti :)

Will prob play Chambers Bay in the spring!

[shihtappens]

Arcadia looks wonderful. Hilly. (Like Chambers Bay.) An associate in Spokane is always talking about Black Rock and I might get there this summer. You played Pronghorn in Bend?