Just Fore Fun

zinzua hills golf course, fossil, oregon

written by Bob Woodward


Mention golf and most Oregonians will conjure up images of the state’s impressive woodland and seaside eighteen-hole courses known regionally and worldwide.

But there’s another side to Oregon golf, and it’s closer to Caddyshack than caddies when it comes to relaxed dress codes and overall informal­ity. These are the dozens of par-three and executive courses, with a few par-four holes added in for flavor, across the state that are open to those who love golf but who may be short on time, money, skills or any com­bination thereof. These are courses where you don’t have to lug around a hefty bag full of a wide assortment of clubs. They measure between 800 and 3,200 yards in length, with most holes 60 to 300 yards. Green fees, meanwhile, cost between $5 and $20 per round, less than what you’d pay in tips or to wet your whistle at most courses.

Character begins at Kinzua Hills Golf Club near the town of Fossil in Eastern Oregon.

The town where the club lies is officially a ghost town, deserted. An annual influx of avid golfers, however, bring living spirits back every year. They park their motor homes, campers or tents near the first hole for a few weeks, even months at a time.

Constructed in the 1930s as a recreation asset for employees at the Kinzua Corporation logging company, the course eventually fell into dis­use and disrepair and became the home field for a semi-pro baseball team. Revived for golf in 1951, it was eventually sold to a group of avid golfers known as the Kinzua Hills Golf Association.

There’s no clubhouse pro, club rentals or driving range at Kinzua. The course is, as it always has been, composed of six holes. It costs $5 per six, and you pay simply by slipping the money into a drop box on the first tee. There’s an old story that cows and rattlesnakes once held the right-of-way. Course manager Don York laughs at the notion, though he’d never heard that before. “But if I see a rattler out there, I’m going after it with a golf club,” he reckons. “Me and rattlers don’t get along.”

Though wildlife didn’t pose a problem when he first played Kinzua, Bend High School teacher and former Bend mayor Steve Stenkamp fondly recalls an experience there fifteen years ago.

“A friend and I made a pilgrimage up there, put our five bucks in the box for six holes of play and off we went,” says Stenkamp. “When we fin­ished that six, we decided to play another six. So we teed off, planning to pay when we got back. We hadn’t walked more than thirty yards down the first fairway when the course maintenance man at the time—a gent well into his eighties—came out and accused us of thievery for not paying before playing. It took some time to convince him that we were going to pay. Nevertheless, he followed us for the six holes and made sure we put money in the box at the end of the round.”

Leaving the rural confines of Wheeler County, those interested in the combination of golf with craft beer, a tasty meal, a movie, an outdoor con­cert or a dip in a soothing soaking pool at the end of a rigorous round of pitch-and-putt golf should consider playing one of two three-par, nine-hole “pub” courses at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale.

A former county work farm was converted to a lodging and dining property with the distinctive McMenamins’ flair, Edgefield’s golf experi­ence is the sport at its most civilized. Make a shot, have a quaff. Repeat as needed per nine holes.

When it comes to downing a celebratory drink, perhaps a mint ju­lep might be the appropriate choice at the Bayou Golf Course in McMinnville. Built in 1964, the course could have received its name from its lush tree-canopied, Natchez-like setting along the banks of the South Yamhill River or its antebellum clubhouse set on a hill above the course like a Gone With the Wind replica.

In truth, the course name comes from the fact that the course floods once a year, transforming it into a bayou. The floodwaters recede quickly, leaving a challenging nine.

Going south, as in the southern Oregon Coast, Bandon is the home to several of the best eighteen-hole courses in North America and, as many golf writers claim, in the world.

Instead of fighting corporate jetters for tee times at the nearby world-famous resorts, consider playing at Bandon Face Rock Golf Course. Nestled into the countryside next to the Inn of the Face Rock, the course is 2,222 yards long with a par of thirty-two. It is reminiscent of dozens of small-town links courses in Scotland and Ireland—rough hewn, cut through sandy soil, breezy but not far from libations at the inn after drop­ping a quadruple bogey.

For those who want a feel of what golf was like in the 1920s, Bandon Face Rock offers “Hickory Golf.” That’s play with hickory shaft clubs, such as those used by the greats Bobby Jones and Gene Sarazen in their hey­day. Consider dressing in the formal “plus-fours”—white business shirt and tie, tweed jacket and slicking down your hair—before embarking on your round of hickory golf.

Heading north along the coast, try the Bay Breeze Golf Club in Tillamook. At the intersection of Highway 101 and Latimer Road, the course is adjacent to the famous Tillamook cheese factory.

Production water from the factory issues into a man-made stream and eventually flows into the Wilson River. En route, the stream cuts through the Bay Breeze course so frequently that players have to hit over water six times in any round. One of the greens is—save for a sliver of connecting land—essentially a rare Oregon island green.

If nine holes aren’t on the agenda when visiting Bay Breeze, there’s a covered driving range and a manicured eighteen-hole putting course.

Heading even farther north along the coast, Highlands Golf Club in Gearhart is laid out so it meanders through sand dunes with views out over the Pacific Ocean on several holes. Highlands is a classic links course with four par-fours to augment five three-par holes.

This is a classic walk-up-and-play course. It’s also one where it’s good to know how to shape shots and play out of the sand to score decently.

Away from the coast and over the Cascades, just outside of Klamath Falls, is Round Lake Golf Club—notable for its location within an RV park. That’s right. Pull in, hook up and then go play nine.

All of the nearly 1,700-yard, par-thirty course is nestled in a pine forest and is designed “for middle- and older-aged folks,” says Round Lake pro Chuck Michielsen. More than likely, these golfers will be traveling in their own overnight lodging accommodations.

A couple of hours north and into different terrain, Desert Peaks Golf Course on the mesa due west of downtown Madras arguably has one of the most spectacular views of any course in Oregon. To the south, the view encompasses the snow-capped Three Sisters. Swinging north are the white peaks of Mt. Washington and Mt. Jefferson.

Often referred to as “a local track anyone can play,” Desert Peaks is noted for its Friday evening couples tournaments, and the annual “Duffers and Dolls Tournament” held every June. This event dates back to the early 1960s.

Back over the Cascades along I-5 in Southern Oregon, Red Mountain Golf Course in Grants Pass is named for a nearby peak. This was a par-three course until 2005, when five holes were lengthened into par-fours.

Red Mountain is noted as being testy, especially its eighth hole, which is dubbed the “Volcano.” It has a steep-sided, bowl-like caldera shape that confounds even the best golfers.

“It’s a really tight, short hole with no room for error, and people either love it or hate it,” notes course owner Brad Vandehey. “The eighth hole is a real test of nerves.”

Just a few exits north of Grants Pass and not far off I-5, Laurel Hill Golf Course near Gold Hill has been open for thirty-seven years. The attraction is the narrow pine-lined fairways and small greens. In short, it’s tough golf.

Laurel Hill is proof indeed that you don’t have to play a full eighteen at a long course to experience the game at its toughest. Thankfully the clubhouse snack bar is well stocked with beverages for post-round liquid rounds.

No matter which course you play, keep close to mind the words of ac­tor—and avid golfer—Sean Connery who said, in the book Good Golf Guide To Scotland, that all golfers are “certifiable: the mutterings to no one in particular, with a whine in the voice that loving parents would not permit in their own children; the numbing disbelief at the lack of justice; glazed eyes, somehow hissing ‘what luck’ through clenched lips and teeth; not to mention the calisthenics on the course in search of that elusive swing.”

Kinzua Hills Golf Club
Location: Fossil
Holes: 6
Length: 1,463 yards
Cost: $5
541.763.2074

McMenamins Edgefield
Location: Troutdale
Holes: East course 12 | West course 20
Length: East course 670 yards | West course 1,200 yards
Cost: East course $12 | West course $18
mcmenamins.com

Bayou Golf Course
Location: McMinnville
Holes: 9
Length: 3,103 yards
Cost: $17.50 ($14.50 seniors)
bayougolfcourse.com

Red Mountain Golf Course
Location: Grants Pass
Holes: 9
Length: 2,000 yards
Cost: $12 ($11 seniors)
oregongolf.com

Bandon Rock Face Club
Location: Bandon
Holes: 9
Length: 2,200 yards
Cost: $18
bandonfacerockgolfcourse.com

Round Lake Golf Course
Location: Klamath Falls
Holes: 9
Length: 1,670 yards
Cost: $10
oregongolf.com

Highlands Golf Course
Location: Gearhart
Holes: 9
Length: 1,794 yards
Cost: $14
highlandsgolfgearhart.com

Bay Breeze Golf Course
Location: Tillamook
Holes: 9
Length: 1,942 yards
Cost: $15 ($12 seniors)
gotillamook.com

Laurel Hill Golf Course
Location: Gold Hill
Holes: 9
Length: 1,900 yards
Cost: $12
laurelhillgolf.com

Top 11 Oregon Little Gems

Tokatee Golf Club
McKenzie Bridge
18 holes | Blue tees: 6,245 yards | Par 72
tokatee.com

Bandon Crossings Golf Course
Bandon
18 holes | Blue tees: 6,170 yards | Par 72/71
bandoncrossings.com

Sandpines Golf Links
Florence
18 holes | Blue tees: 6,602 yards | Par: 72
sandpines.com

Meadow Lakes Golf Course
Prineville
18 holes| Blue tees: 5,849 yards | Par 72
meadowlakesgc.com

Chehalem Glenn Golf Course
Newberg
18 holes | Blue tees: 6,572 yards | Par 72
chehalemglenn.com

Manzanita Golf Course
Manzanita
9 holes | 2,192 yards | Par 32
503.368.5744

Alpine Meadows Golf Course
Enterprise
9 holes | Blue tees: 3,078 yards | Par 36
alpinemeadowsgolfcourse.com

Salmon Run
Brookings
Club: 5,392 yards | Par 72/71
salmonrun.net

Wildhorse Golf Club
Pendleton
18 holes | Blue tees: 6,335 yards | Par 72
wildhorsegolfclub.com

Quail Point Golf Course
Medford
9 holes | Blue tees: 3,034 yards | Par 35
quailpointgolf.com

Indian Creek Golf Course
Hood River
18 holes | White tees: 5,413 yards | Par 72
indiancreekgolf.com

Top 10 Oregon Golf Courses 

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
Bandon
18 holes | Green tees: 6,221 yards | Par 72
bandondunesgolf.com

Pacific Dunes
Bandon
18 holes | Green tees: 6,142 yards | Par 71
bandondunesgolf.com

Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club
Portland
18 holes: | Blue tees: 6,386 yards | Par 71
pumpkinridge.com

Pronghorn Club, Jack Nicklaus Signature Course
Bend
18 holes | Rust tees: 6,533 yards | Par 72
pronghornclub.com

Crosswater
Sunriver
18 holes | Blue tees: 6,811 yards | Par 72
crosswater.com

Eugene Golf & Country Club
Eugene
18 holes | Blue tees: 6,854 yards | Par 72
eugenecountryclub.com

The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club, South Course
Portland
18 holes | Blue tees: 6,809 yards | Par 72
reservegolf.com

Glaze Meadow Golf Course
Black Butte Ranch
Blue tees: 6,506 yards | Par 72
blackbutteranch.com

Tetherow Golf Club
Bend
18 holes | Tan tees: 6,111 yards | Par 72
tetherow.com

Trysting Tree Golf Club
Corvallis
18 holes | Blue tees: 6,674 yards | Par 72
trystingtree.com

 

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  1. says: Kim Moore

    Just returned from a short vacation on the coast. We mainly stayed in Manzanita. I wanted to provide some feedback on one of your "little gems," the Manzanita Golf Course. Two middle aged couples on a weekday getaway. Each hole was unique with little quirks. The length was great for two of us (38 handicappers).

    The course wasn't far from the charming town, and it was a fun practice course. The real hidden gem was Manzanita. Very fun and quirky. Good restaurants, a good wine bar, coffee shops, etc. We stayed at one of the cabins of The Houses on Manzanita beach (www.VacationRentalsManzanita.com) and loved it. Right on the beach, couldn't be beat.

    We will be back for both those hidden gems.