• Aspen Lakes Golf Course - Sisters, OR

• Bandon Crossings - Bandon, OR

• Bandon Dunes - Bandon, OR

• Bandon Preserve - Bandon, OR

• Bandon Trails - Bandon, OR

• Bend Golf & Country Club - Bend, OR

• Black Butte Golf Course - Sisters, OR

• Brasada Ranch - Bend, OR

• Columbia Edgewater - Portland, OR

• Coos Golf Club - Coos Bay, OR

• Crosswater - Sunriver, OR

• Eugene Country Club - Eugene, OR

• Heron Lakes - Blue - Portland, OR

• Juniper Golf Course - Redmond, OR

• Langdon Farms Golf Club - Aurora, OR

• Meadow Lakes Golf Course - Prineville, OR

• Mount Hood Resort - Welches, OR

• Old MacDonald - Bandon, OR

• Pacific Dunes - Bandon, OR

• Portland Golf Club - Portland, OR

• Pronghorn - Fazio Course - Bend, OR

• Pronghorn - Nicklaus Course - Bend, OR

• Pumpkin Ridge - Ghost Creek - North Plains, OR

• Pumpkin Ridge - Witch Hollow - North Plains, OR

• Running Y Ranch - Klamath Falls, OR

• Sheep Ranch - Bandon, OR

• Silvies Valley Ranch - Seneca, OR

• Sunriver - Meadows - Bend, OR

• Sunriver - Woodlands - Bend, OR

• Tetherow - Bend, OR

• The Old Back Nine - Bend, OR

• The Reserve Vineyards - Aloha, OR

• Waverley Country Club - Portland, OR

• Widgi Creek - Bend, OR

Aspen Lakes is one of the finer public courses in Oregon.  Designed by William Overdorf, Aspen Lakes winds 7,302 yards through the Central Oregon Woods.  The course's most notable feature, as evidenced in just about every photograph, is it's red cinder bunkers.  It was explained to me that this was crushed lava rack.  It was a little more dense than your typical bunker, but not that difficult to play out of.  

Located in the quaint town of Sisters OR, the course has been featured on many "Best of" lists and is often regarded as a hidden gem in Central OR.  I found the course to be a lot of fun and turned in a solid round of 76 with the highlight being a string of 3 birdies in a row.  Yeah birdies!! 3 in a row!!

Standing along the Oregon coast and looking over miles of expansive gorse bushes, Mike Keiser realized that this was the site where he was going to bring the links of the British Isles to America.  Numerous golf experts told Mike that he was crazy to build a course in such a remote location.  However, Mr Keiser decided to take the calculated risk and build something great.  He succeeded.  Bandon Dunes has become one of the most sought after golf destinations of it's time.  From the pro shop staff to the resort's "Bunker Bar" everything about Bandon Dunes is all about the golf.  The full story can be read in the fantastic book Dream Golf by Stephen Goodwin.

Bandon Dunes was the 1st of the 5 courses to be built on the property.  It was designed by Scotland's own David McLay Kidd and the course opened to the public in 1999 to rave reviews.  The course is perched on a bluff above the Pacific Ocean and rolls through beautiful and native dunes.  The ever present winds add a unique dynamic to the course, allowing it to be played in many different ways.  With forgiving landing areas off of the tee, Bandon Dunes is probably the most score friendly course at the resort. When given the opportunity to play only one course twice during our visit, our group selected Bandon Dunes.

This is perhaps the most fun you will have playing golf in 40 MPH winds and sideways rain inside America.

Bandon Preserve is the only par 3 course you will find on pjkoenig.com.  it also happens to be the best par 3 course that I have played... and the most expensive ($100).  It consists of 13 par 3's measuring 1609 yards from the back tees.  At approximately $.06 per yard, that makes Bandon Preserve one the most expensive golf courses in the world.  Pebble Beach is about $.07 per yard.  

The good news about the revenue generated from the Preserve is that any of the net profits are donated to the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance, the philanthropic arm of Bandon Dunes.  The WRCA strengthens economic stability, community assets, and the environment by supporting working landscapes and seascapes.  Learn more here.

Opening in 2012, Bandon Preserve is the 5th course at Bandon Dunes and was Designed by Coore and Crenshaw.  Just about each one of these holes could serve as a signature par 3 for most of the courses in America, but for Bandon Dunes, it serves as a great place to settle bets or warm up for a round on one of the 4 other courses.

One of the unique features about the Preserve is that "larger groups" are welcome.  Our group of golf buddies played as an eightsome, which had its pros and cons.  On one hand, you get to play with all of your buddies and can come up with some great gambling scenarios, on the other hand, who wants to watch 7 other golfers play their shots when your birdie putt beckons?

Golfers are also encouraged to putt to the 109 yard 13th hole from the tee.  Sure enough, I knocked it down the slope with the flat stick and it rolled right up on the green.  The only golf hole that I have played where I 3 putted for a 3.  Overall, the Bandon Preserve is a great and fun addition to the Bandon Family.

Bandon Trails is the 3rd course to be built at Bandon Dunes. It was designed by the fantastic twosome of Coore and Crenshaw. Like others at the resort, it opened to outstanding reviews in 2005. Golf Odyssey called Bandon Trails the best place on the planet for golf. While this may be a little overkill, the course is certainly a delight to play. I heard several of the caddies regard Bandon Trails as the resort's best course, despite it's consistent ranking behind it's 3 siblings in the Golf Digest rankings.

Bend Golf & Country Club was established in 1925 as a nine hole golf course and added the second 9 in 1974.  Bend CC is the oldest private course in the golf rich region of central Oregon.  The course offers a very traditional country club feel winding through the area's Ponderosa pines.  The course is beautifully maintained and holds your interest for all 18 holes.

I teed it up with local member Jared Macedo.  Who has been playing golf seriously for 1 year.  In that one year, he has broken 70, made an ace, and an albatross.  I'd say he's used up all of his golf karma for 10 or so years.  

For almost 40 years the Big Meadow course at Black Butte Ranch has been a staple of Central Oregon Golf.  Designed by Robert Muir Graves, the course stretches 7,002 yards below the North Sister's peak.  The classic design has stood the test of time.  On my round here, I bobbed above and below par all day coming out on 18 with a very nice 73... courtesy of a hot putter.

The other 18 at Black Butte Ranch is the Glaze Meadow course.  It was recently redesigned by John Fought to the tune of $3.75 million in 2012 and has rapidly become a staple for Central Oregon golf.  

Set amongst the slopes of Powell Butte, Brasada Ranch offers some outstanding views of the Cascade Mountains and a mighty fine place to hit your ball around.  Designed by Peter Jacobsen and Jim Hardy, the course provides plenty of elevated tee boxes with great views.

Brasada is a great course to get aggressive from the tees as the fairways are fairly generous.  Your approach shots will be key to scoring well.  Let's just say that I had a tough day with both and was at least a couple shots off the course record of 64.  The joke of the day was cleverly changing Brasada to Brosado.  As in, "Hey, nice shot, Brosado!"

Columbia Edgewater was established in 1924 and was actually the 7th 18 hole golf course in Portland, OR.  Arthur Vernon Macan was one of the premier golf architects at the time and was hired to design the course.  He has also done other work with Seattle Golf Club, Inglewood Golf Club, Marin Drive Golf Club as well as others.

Tragically, the clubhouse would burn down due to the great Christmas tree fire of 1979.  However, the course would rebuild and bounce back strong.  Today Columbia Edgewater plays host to many of the Pacific Northwes's premier golf events and has most recently hosted the LPGA Safeway Classic in 2013. 

Coming in at #9 on Golf Digest's best in state rankings is the deliciously good Crosswater designed by Robert E. Cupp and John Fought.  The course gets it's name for obvious reasons as you will cross over water (or go into) on many of the holes.  Crosswater hosted the JELD-WEN Tradition, a Senior major championship from 2007-2010 and was also the host course for the PGA Professional National Championship in 2001, 2007, and 2013.  When the course first opened in 1995, it was the longest course in the United States at 7,683 yards.

I warmed up in the mist on the range and headed off #1 at my 7:30am tee time.  Crosswater immediately challenges the golfer with many different types of shots as it navigates the wetlands.  The course is meticulously maintained and the greens were rolling true and fast.  Given it's length, the course is also relatively forgiving off of the tee and I found the cross water only once.  

My favorite hole on the course was the 687 yard 12th hole.  With water down the entire left hand side of the hole it requires 3 great shots and provides great views along the way.  Even though, my putter had gone cold after a nice birdie on #5, I managed to enjoy myself immensely and ball struck my way to a nice 77.

Deep in the heart of Oregon Duck country, you will find the highly regarded Eugene Country Club.  The club was incorporated in 1912 and it was Chandler Egan that originally laid out the design.  Improvements over the years by Robert Trent Jones have turned the course into one of Oregon's finest.  Eugene Country Club has hosted a number of championships over the years.  The latest being the 2016 Men's and Women's NCAA Championships.

I would find myself on a rainy first tee in November of 2016.  The best part about teeing off in the rain is that the fair weather golfers are at home and you have got a wide open golf course to enjoy.  The bad part about teeing off in the rain, is the rain.  Fortunately for me, the rain would stop on the 5th hole and stay away until the 18th hole.  Just in time for me to find a couple of birdies in the sun.  

Located just outside of Portland, Langdon Farms Golf Club is easily one of the Portland area's best golf courses.  Designed by John Fought and Bob Cupp the course plays to a par 71 at 6,935 yards from the back tees.  As one arrives at the course, they will be greeted with a "Public Only" sign and the course can be described as a links style layout that is a lot of fun to play.  In the fall, the tall pampas grass bushes provide a fantastic backdrop to a well designed golf course.

My favorite stretch of golf at Langdon Farms is on holes 6-9.  The 6th is a short par 3 that provides plenty of options for interesting play around the green or rewards a well struck tee shot with a birdie.  Then you have the reachable par 5 7th hole, that provides the golfer with some great strategic choices and another chance for a birdie.  The 8th hole toughens things up a bit with a longer par 4 that features an approach over an old red barn.  The back 9 finishes strong with another tough par 4 that finishes by a barn shaped clubhouse and shares a double green with the 18th hole.  I would find the water hazard guarding these 2 holes 4 times in my 2 rounds.

Armed with a unicorn mask and a thirst for birdies, our threesome took on the course.  Just a couple of birdies and 18 holes later, 2 members headed to the airport and I headed back out for another 18 at the bargain replay rate of $15.  Langdon Farms is indeed a great place for 36 holes.

Full Gallery Here

Mike planted his 4th course at Bandon Dunes and named it Old MacDonald.  The name is a tribute to Charles Blair Macdonald. For the non golf nerds reading this, CB Macdonald is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and is considered the Father of American Golf.  His most notable work is the National Golf Links of America... a bucket lister for any golf enthusiast.

Designed by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina of Renaissance Golf Design, Old Macdonald opened in 2010 surrounding great anticipation.  Mike, Tom, and Jim would meet that anticipation head on and turned out another gem at Bandon.   Like all of the courses at Bandon, many different options are presented to the golfer on each shot.  This may be even more true at Old Mac as it incorporates many of the features one would find at courses of the British Isles.

The first thing I noticed about the course was how the tee boxes and green complexes flow and blend into each other.  The greens are also absolutely huge and cover 63 acres on the property.  For comparison, a "typical" american course only uses about 8-10 acres for their greens.  Our caddie informed us that the green on the 8th hole was the largest green in America.  As an ode to the green sizes, I 4 putted twice.

The story of Pacific Dunes starts out on the evening of Sept 19th 1999.  Mike Keiser was on the 18th fairway of Bandon Dunes when he saw smoke in the sky.  A fire had started on the property and was headed towards Bandon Dunes.  The irrigation was turned on to soak the fairways, and the maintenance crew took to dozers and and excavators to build a fire wall.  By the next morning, the fires had subsided and the crew had managed to successfully protect their golf course.  Not only had they protected the 1st course at Bandon Dunes but they had made headway for the second one.  The fire had cleared the property of the wild gorse that would have needed to be removed in order for construction to begin on Pacific Dunes.  The fire effectively saved Owner, Mike Keiser, hundreds of thousands of dollars in construction costs.

"If Bandon Dunes was Pebble Beach, then we were going to try to do something different.  We were going to be Cypress Point." - Tom Doak on the building of Pacific Dunes.  In conjunction with Jim Urbina, Tom's efforts were a success and together they built a course that the majority golf brains believe to be the premier course on the property.  Consistently ranked in the top 10 greatest public access courses, Pacific Dunes is a ton of fun to play.

Pacific Dunes was also the site of the 2nd leg of my Solo 36 hole Thanksgiving Day extravaganza in 2014.  After finishing my round up at Bandon Trails, I headed to Pacific Dunes.  It was still raining heavily, but the winds had subsided and I continued my solid play from the previous round.  I was literally the only person on the golf course at the time, the lone Thanksgiving warrior!!  I took advantage of the brisk pace and shot a smooth 74.

While on a trip to attend a  Con Bro Chill concert in Portland we managed to set up a round at the legendary Portland Golf Club courtesy of Akbar Chisti of Seamus Golf.  Given the lower amount of play the course receives, we were able to play as a fivesome.  Rounding out this gang was Sarah Moodie, Joe Garvey, Sean Ogle of Breaking Eighty, and myself.

Portland Golf Club was established in 1914 and the land was selected due to it's close proximity to the railroad line because not everybody had a car back in 1914.  Over 40 years after opening, Ben Hogan would capture his first major championship at the 1946 PGA Championship.  In 1946, the PGA Championship was match play and consisted of 12 rounds of golf over the course of 7 days.  The Legendary Hogan won 6 & 4 over Ed Oliver claiming $3,500 in prize money.  

A year later in 1947, and after a 10 year hiatus due to World War II, the Ryder Cup would return to form at Portland Golf Club.   Playing captain, Ben Hogan, led the United States to an 11-1 victory.  This score remains the largest margin of victory in Ryder Cup history to this day.

While the course has been phased out of major championship rotation, it is still an absolute joy to play.  Our modern fivesome had a fantastic time walking in the footsteps of golf's legends.

Tom Fazio's private side of the property at Pronghorn is a visual treat for the golfer.  Fazio has a true eye for design and there isn't a hole on the course that isn't aesthetically pleasing.  With plenty of playable area and large greens, I found the course to be much more player friendly than the neighboring Nicklaus course.  The course winds it's way through the high desert terrain and the second oldest Juniper forest in the entire world.  Some of the trees are actually several thousand years old.  The ghost trees you will see in many of the photos are Junipers that have passed their prime.  Source: Paul the caddie.

While blasting dynamite to build the 8th hole, construction crews ran into a fantastic surprise.  In attempts to create a chasm beneath the hole, they uncovered a petrified lava tube running beneath the hole.  Players now hit their tee shots over it as they take on the 187 yard par 3.  For golfer's looking to play a golf hole over actual lava, this is as close as you can get in real life.

The driver got a little wild for me on this perfectly sunny day in Bend.  However, i was able to keep it respectable with some good iron shots and a couple of putts to keep it going.  The highlight of the day was stuffing a wedge and making a finishing hole birdie on 18.

Pronghorn Golf Club in Bend, Oregon is the only golf community in the Western United States to feature side by side Tom Fazio and Jack Nicklaus designed golf courses.  The course takes its name from the deerlike species that live here in Smith Rock State Park.  

Stretching to 7,381 yards in the high desert landscape, the course will challenge your course management skills while demanding well struck golf shots on each hole.  The course's signature hole is #13 and features an approach over water with bunkers in the back and a waterfall off to the side.  Not only a good hole to look at, but a fun one to play.

We took on the Nicklaus course on a near perfect day,  The highlight real started and ended on the very first hole with a nice birdie.  The Juniper trees and views of the Cascade mountains helped to ease the pain of a rough scoring day.

Featuring both a private (Witch Hollow) and a public (Ghost Creek) offering, Pumpkin Ridge is a gem of a golf facility.  A 20 year old Tiger Woods won his 3rd consecutive US Amateur on the Witch Hollow Course in 1996.  

I played Ghost Creek, a 6,839 yard par 71, in a rather muddy outing.  Despite being substantially soaked, the course held it's own and the greens played very nice.  I also found the bunkering and sand at Pumpkin Ridge to be well done.

After making a couple putts on the day, I had one final chance to even the score with par on 18.  Wide Left!!  While It is no US Amateur, settling for a tap in 72 is always fine be me. 

UPDATE: I returned for one of the very first Eighty Club events which was held at Ghost Creek. As I lined up another putt for 72 on the 18th green, Sean Ogle exclaimed, “Free membership into the 80 Club if you make that putt.” This putt was not a tap in, int was about 30 feet. I think you already know what happened…. draino! To join the Eighty Club yourself, click here.

The Witch Hollow course at Pumpkin Ridge is best known for making golf history in 1996 when Tiger Woods defeated Steve Scott in extra holes on the 10th to earn his 3rd consecutive US Amateur title.  This is still a feat that I believe will never be repeated.  A plaque on the tee honors the site of Tiger Woods' last golf shots as an amateur golfer.

For my round here, there were certainly less galleries (and less interested Nike CEO's).  However, I was fortunate enough to tee it up with golf resource sensation Sean Ogle, the mastermind behind breakingeighty.com.  This was Sean's first round as a newly minted member of Pumpkin Ridge.  Sean gave it a pretty good run that was foiled down the stretch.  He ended up with a pretty nice 83 for his inaugural round as a member.

The private Witch Hollow course is in fantastic condition and really starts to take off on about the 3rd hole.  Witch Hollow provides reasonable room off of the tee, but still providing a great atmosphere as it winds through the forest.  My favorite hole on the property is the fantastic 6th hole, a tough dogleg left that requires a solid tee shot and requires a demanding second.  The 14th hole is a close runner up with a very gettable par 5 surrounded by water.

Running Y Ranch opened 1997 as Arnold Palmer's only signature design in OR.  The course is also a member of Arnold's "Sweet 16" and a Golf Digest top 100 public course.  The Ranch was also owned by Roy Disney back in the 1970's.  With a number of options off the tee, I went with a combo situation that put me at around 6,800 yards and I put one down the middle off of the 1st tee.  

The first 5 holes at Running Y Ranch are as good as you will get for a $60 green fee.  Taking a tour around the wetlands, you have a great opener, 2 more great par 4's, a reachable par 5, and one of the most scenic 160 yard shots in Oregon on #5.  The course takes a turn into the woodlands before navigating into Payne Canyon on the back nine.

The highlight of the day was on the 17th hole when I would witness the appearance of the mysterious "golf elf."  Facing a 30 footer from the fringe I hit a great putt that hit the pin and then hit the edge of the cup and stayed out.  What happened next can only be describe as... "a little golf elf reached out of the hole and pulled my ball back into the cup for birdie."  Love that golf elf.

For the full writeup on Silivies Valley Ranch please check out this special edition on the golf blog. WARNING: Features GOAT caddies.

The Sunriver Resort boasts 3 18 hole layouts.  The Meadows course was designed by John Fought and combines the vibe from the Woodlands and Crosswater courses.  When the course is not winding it's way through the forest, you will find yourself bordering the Sunriver on 7 holes.

I teed off in the late afternoon for my 2nd 18 of the day.  With absolutely no one in front of me, I birdied the first hole and took off racing.  It would take 12 holes for me to make my 1st bogie and I was threatening to break 70 on the par 71 layout.  At 1 under par and after a poor tee shot on the par 3 16th, it looked as if the opportunity might slip away.  That's when things got nasty and I chipped in my 2nd shot for birdie on 16.  Fueled by the turn of events, I drained a breaking 20 footer on 17 for birdie to get to -3.  After safely finding the green on 18, I had a relatively easy time finding the bottom of the cup for 68! 

Every time I find my way into the 60's, It feels like a small golf miracle has occurred.  This was indeed one of my miraculous rounds of golf.

The Woodlands Course at Sunriver Resort was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.  The par 72 layout makes it's way through the dense forests of Ponderosa and Lodgepole Pines.  The course is known for it's excellent conditioning and is a favorite of many local Bend golfers.

After skulling my drive on the 1st tee, I hit my 2nd shot directly into one of those Ponderosa Pines.  The Pine responded by sending it 100 yards backward towards the tee.  Although it would appear that I was in for a long day, I managed to put together a pretty nice 74, after opening with a double bogey.

Situated on the Cascade Peaks and minutes from downtown Bend lies Tetherow Golf Club.  Designed by David McLay Kidd the the 7,300 yard layout is visually striking and challenging.  The course opened in 2008 to the title of "Best New Golf Course" amongst other awards.  Let's just say, Tetherow had been on my list of "must plays" for quite some time.

On a fine day in August of 2015, I teed it up with the reigning club champion, Taylor Garbutt.  Every single hole held my attention and called for me to pull out the camera.  The most notable is the stretch of holes from 3-6 known as Kidd's corner.  I was also immensely looking forward to the noteworthy par 3, 17th hole...  It did not disappoint.  

The course is challenging and is quick to punish golfers for errant or slightly misplaced shots. There are definitely preferred spots to miss and it is important to know where they are.  Once you reach the green, you will find the complexes are extremely varied and sloped, I played several putts and chips with a great deal of imagination and had a lot of fun with them.  7 birdies and too many bogies later we emerged on the 18th green.   A fantastic and fun challenge of golf.

One of the most enjoyable short tracks that I have encountered in my travels. Featuring a golf hole along the train tracks, the Old Back Nine brings the steam. At only 2,952 yards from the back tees, the course makes up for it’s size with tightly tree lined fairways. One of my favorite aspects of the course is the white picket fence that lines the majority of the golf course.

The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club opened for play in 1997.  The course has two championship courses and from 1998-2002 hosted Peter Jacobsen's Fred Meyer Challenge.  Jacobsen was able to get some big names to appear over the years and the fairways at the Reserve have been walked by legends like Nicklaus, Palmer, Watson, Mickelson, Couples, and many others.

Our foursome walked the fairways of North Course which was designed by Bob Cupp.  Cupp has also designed the nearby Crosswater Club and Pumpkin Ridge.  For our 2nd round of the day we would double up on Cupp and play Pumpkin Ridge.

Established in 1896, Waverley Country Club is the second oldest club west of the Mississippi (Tacoma Country Club takes the top spot).  The course is laid out on the banks of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon.  Waverley has also hosted 6 USGA Championships and the Blyth tournament, one of the earliest US International matches in golf history, in 1897.  Originally, the course was named Waverly but changed it's name to Waverley in 1912.  It is not entirely clear why, but an engraving error appears to be a likely culprit.

In 1993, Waverley was the site of the 46th US Junior Amateur Championship and what turned out to be an early chapter in the rise of Tiger Woods.  As a 15 year old, Tiger would birdie the final two holes to force a playoff.  Tiger would go on to defeat Ryan Armour on the first extra hole.  In Armour's previous match, he defeated a 95 pound 14 year old by the name of Charles Howell III.  Side note:  I think Charles still weighs 95 pounds to this day.

In an area saturated with well reviewed and nationally acclaimed courses, Widgi Creek does a great job at holding it's own.  Besides having a great name, Widgi is also a popular track with the locals and for my $40 after 3pm green fee it was well worth the price of admission.

Coming in just under 7,000 yards from the back tees, the course's main defense is it's tight tree lined fairways and multi-tiered greens.  I teed it up with a couple of local Bendonites (made up word for citizens of Bend) and we found some laughs and some birdies.  Pretty sure Calen's tee shot on the short par 4 18th lipped out for an ace, unfortunately, so did his eagle putt.  Next time.