• Aldarra Golf Club - Sammamish, WA

• Apple Tree Golf Resort - Yakima, WA

• Bear Mountain Golf Club - Chelan, WA

• Broadmoor Golf Club - Seattle, WA

• Canterwood Golf Club - Gig Harbor, WA

• Chambers Bay Golf Club - University Place, WA

• Desert Canyon Golf Club - Orondo, WA

• Fairwood Golf & Country Club - Renton, WA

• Gamble Sands - Brewster, WA

• Gold Mountain Golf Course - Bremerton, WA

• Lake Chelan Golf Club - Chelan, WA

• Lake Padden Golf Course - Bellingham, WA

• Loomis Trail Golf Club - Blaine, WA

• Meridian Valley Country Club - Kent, WA

• Palouse Ridge Golf Club - Pullman, WA

• Plateau Club - Sammamish, WA

• Prospector Golf Course - Cle Elum, WA

• QuickSands - Brewster, WA

• Rainier Golf & CC - Seattle, WA

• Royal Oaks Golf Course - Vancouver, WA

• Sahalee Country Club - Sammamish, WA

• Salish Cliffs Golf Club - Shelton, WA

• Seattle Golf Club - Seattle, WA

• Spokane Country Club - Spokane, WA

• Tacoma Country Club - Tacoma, WA

• TPC Snoqualmie Ridge - Snoqualmie, WA

• Trophy Lake Golf Club - Port Orchard, WA

• Tumble Creek Golf Course - Cle Elum, WA

• West Seattle Golf Club - West Seattle, WA

• Wine Valley Golf Club - Walla Walla, WA

The only course in Washington built by Mr Tom Fazio, Aldarra is one of, if not the, best course in the state.  Aldarra is built on the grounds of the old Boeing family farm and the only structures you will see on the course are remnants of the farm and the Boeing family home.  With very few rounds and an intense focus on maintenance, the course is in unbelievably excellent shape year round.  It is a truly immaculate golf facility.

“Aldarra is spectacular golf in a great setting – with no compromises” – Tom Fazio

I was fortunate enough to tee it up with Aldarra's Director of Golf, Fred Nadeau, an accomplished golfer, and a very fine host.  Even though each hole commanded both my camera and my golf skill, I managed to play pretty solid round of 77.  The round highlight happened on 18 when I rolled in a nice birdie putt "To win the Masters"  

Designed by John Steidel in 1992, Apple Tree's 6900 yards wind through Yakima Valley's 100 year old apple orchards.  After taking a brief detour on the back nine through a housing development, the course finds it's way back to the orchards and the course's signature hole.  It is the 17th hole that gives the course it's name and receives all of the attention.  

Hole #17 is a medium length par 3 that plays downhill to an island green shaped like an apple.  Other than the water, you will want to be wary of the apple leaf as it is actually a bunker.  I hit a poor tee shit into the drink and almost holed out my second attempt for a Freddy Couples style par.  Overall, a fun round of golf.

On a 36 hole trip to Gamble Sands over the US Open weekend, we decided to add Bear Mountain Ranch to the weekend plan.  It was a wise decision that was evident as soon as we stepped onto the property.  The staff was extremely friendly and the course was a lot of fun to play.  I particularly enjoyed the front nine that wraps around a mountain side with some stunning views overlooking Lake Chelan. 

I asked my friend John to give me his input on this course "Great start, good shoe selection, good halfway house, nice people, good breakfast sandwiches, no bears, good greens, fun elevation change holes."  If you are looking to add a course to a Gamble Sands trip, Bear Mountain Ranch is the perfect choice.

Broadmoor Golf Club was designed by A. Vernon Macan and opened to the public in 1927.  The opening tee ball still resides in the club house to this day.  Then Club President, Sam Hedges, hit a "220 yard screamer" right down the middle.  After that initial tee shot was struck, many greats have strolled Broadmoor's fairways.  Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and local favorite Freddie Couples have visited and played over the years.  The course has also hosted a number of high profile events including the Seattle Open in 1956, '61 and '63.  Paul Casey holds the course record with a 60 in the 1999 Pac 10 championships.

Consistently ranked in the top 10 best courses in the state of Washington, Canterwood delivers a fine test of golf.  Designed by Robert Muir Graves in 1988, the course plays almost 7200 yards from the back tees and has some of the nicest greens I have encountered in a while.    

I found several birdies and an eagle out here.  Unfortunately for my golf score, the eagle was a bald eagle.  He was taking a quick bath in the pond on #10.

Although Chambers Bay made history as the 1st course in the Pacific Northwest to host a US Open in 2010, the land itself also has an extensive history.  Since 1832, the course has been used as a paper mill, a sand and gravel mine, a bus barn, and even a sewage treatment facility.  in 2007, Robert Trent Jones Jr was asked to use the land to create a world class golf facility capable of hosting a US Major championship.  He delivered us Chamber's Bay.

At Chamber's Bay, every hole has a view of the stunning Puget Sound and the holes wind through the dramatic sand dunes remaining from the land's previous use as a rock quarry.  You can still see the sorting bins from the quarry to the right of the 18th tee and fairway.  

Robert Trent Jones Jr designed the course to be similar to the courses of the British Isles in several ways.  Perhaps my favorite links feature is that the course features no cart paths.  In typical links fashion, Chambers bay also features only fescue grasses and encourages creative shotmaking with it's sloped and incredibly fun to play green complexes.

Coming in at #6 on the pjkoenig Top 50, here are a couple of my favorite holes:

• The 15th hole is as signature as any hole can be, offering up the only tree on the property. One of my favorite par 3's.

• The 10th hole green is tucked between to massive sand dunes giving the hole a feel like nothing else on the course.

• The 5th hole "Freefall" offers a view of the entire course and provides a dramatic down hill tee shot.

• The 14th hole requires another a down hill tee shot giving the player strategic options surrounding a massive fairway bunker.

• The 17th hole has also been the cover shot for pjkoenig.com since the site's inception.

I don't care what the PGA Tour players complained about at the US Open, this course is a fantastic place to play golf.  

Desert Canyon lies in the middle of Washington and is well worth the drive.  Golfweek ranked Desert Canyon #7 on the best public courses in the state of Washington.  With the addition of several new outstanding courses, I would place it just outside the top 10.  The course is very scenic and fun to play.  The only potential downsides are that you are not permitted to walk the course and there is also high percentage of blind shots facing the golfer.

For my round on a smoke filled summer day, I had one of my best ball striking days in recent memory, hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation.  I was fortunate enough to face 15 birdie putts inside of 15 feet.  However, I was able to convert only 1, which was a 1' tap in.  That dang putter gets cold when the irons get hot.  36 strokes, 36 putts. for a 72.  Freaking golf!  

On the par 5 15th, I ran into one of my new favorite golf trees!  Although the tree has passed it's prime.  I photographed this beauty from just about every angle and we really hit it off.  I hope it shows in the photos.  You will also notice the smoke in the photos from nearby fires.  The course smelled of campfire and burning autumn leaves.

Gamble Sands is definitely one of the more special places you can play golf in Washington.  It took me about 3.5 hours to drive to Brewster from Seattle and it was well worth the drive.  Designed by David McLay Kidd, the course plays 7,169 from the back tees.  Kidd describes the golf holes as discovered, not constructed, and after playing the course, you will see why.  I particularly enjoyed how each tee box flows naturally from the previous green and is connected by tightly mown fairway.

The course plays particularly friendly and offers up many approach shots that slope towards hole locations.  With a little course knowledge you can give yourself a nice advantage.  From the tee, you will be also be tempted to get aggressive.  I found that if you stay conservative, the course still rewards you with a nice opportunity to approach the green.  I was able to card 5 birdies on my day and had a total blast.  Gamble sands easily moves into my top 50 all time favorites. Fun is at an all time high.

That was a Bull Snake who photo-bombed my birdie on #17.  Be sure to check him out in the full gallery.

There are 2 18 hole golf courses at Gold Mountain, the Olympic Course and the Cascade Course.  The Olympic Course receives most of the attention and has hosted a number of prestigious NCAA and USGA events.  Designed by John Harbottle III, the Olympic Course features tree lined fairways with plenty of elevation changes.  The course is relatively open off of the tee which makes it enjoyable for all skill levels.  The Cascade course is much more tame by comparison and features a more simple design through the trees.

Originally, I was only planning on playing 18 holes on a fine Sunday afternoon in February of 2015, but after carding a 74 on the Olympic Course, I pushed for a full day of 36 holes.  With the Cascade course to myself, I was on track to finish 18 in about 2 hours and sneak in right before sunset.  I found myself on the 18th tee needing a birdie on the par 5 finishing hole to break 70.  After two good shots, I pitched it to a foot and the 69 was mine.  My lowest stroke count for 36 holes ever by 1 shot. 143!!

Lake Padden Golf Course is woven through towering pines right next to Lake Padden in Bellingham, WA.  After some sleuthing, I was able to conclude that the course takes it's name from the nearby lake.  Lake Padden measures only 6,575 yards from the back tees, but I found it to play significantly longer.  Perhaps it was the dense forest air, perhaps I had just worn out my Taylor Made Tour Preferred golf ball.

Unfortunately, the putts didn't fall for me on this weekend afternoon in April of 2016, but the experience remained pleasant as I hit some good shots and the pace of play was brisk.  The course also has a great remote feel to it.  Almost every hole is surrounded by forest giving the course a serene feeling to it.

Loomis Trail is one of 2 golf courses at the Semiahmoo Golf Resort in northern Washington.  The course was designed by Graham Cooke in 1992 and represents one of the more difficult tests of golf in the state of Washington.  Loomis Trail's main defense is water that comes into play on just about every hole.  The holes on the perimeter of the course offer up the most character and have a great remote atmosphere.  The course also finishes strong with a difficult stretch starting on the long par 3 16th hole and ending with the scenic approach on 18.

Fortunately, I brought my ball striking skills for my round at Loomis and I was somehow able to avoid the water all day.  Even some well struck balls will find trouble at Loomis as some of my best drives were still perilously close to finding the wet stuff.  After holing out for par on 18, I tossed my worn out Taylor Made into the pond on 18.  After chasing my ball all day, the water finally got one.

Meridian Valley Country Club opened to the public in 1965 and was designed by Ted Robinson.  Even though the course is on the shorter side it is a great test of golf.  The course only measures 6,652 yards from the back tees but requires golfers to be on their games if they are looking to score.

For our round at Meridian Valley, my friend Adam and I teed it up with the Seattle news team!  The 1-2 combination of Emmy nominated David Rose and Aaron Levine joined us for a rockstar round of golf on what was supposed to be a rainy day.  Fortunately, the Seattle weather man was way off and it was sunny as could be.  The weather man did not join us on our round.

No course in the Seattle area provides better views of Lake Washington, Mt Rainier, The Cascade and Olympic Mountains, and the Seattle skyline than the Golf Club at Newcastle.  Designed by Robert E Cupp in conjunction with Freddie Couples, there are two 18 hole courses to play at Newcastle.  

The Coal Creek course is the more difficult and the more scenic of the two, providing views of Seattle on just about every hole.  The China Creek Course is also a great round of golf and provides plenty of well laid out holes, just without the views of the Seattle skyline.

The course also features an 18 hole grass putting course called the Rusty Putter which is a great place to settle some bets.  Be sure to head upstairs to the Wooly Toad after your round for some drinks and a view of Coal Creek's 9th and 18th greens.

Palouse Ridge is #7 on Golf Digest's best in state rankings.  The course plays home to the Washington State University Cougars and hosted the 2015 Men's PAC 12 Championships.  The course was specifically designed to test the country's best collegiate players and presents a firm but fair challenge.  Playing over 7,300 yards, the course offers a links style layout that works it's way through the local farmlands.

Fresh off a 3 day tournament in Montana and on my way back to Seattle, I popped in for a quick 18.  With pars on the 1st 9 holes and a birdie on #10, I was looking for my 2nd bogey free round ever.  That quickly came to an end on #13 when my par attempt hung up on the edge of the hole.  The good news is that I was able to pair up with a couple of great pros from Coeur d'Alene Golf Club on the back nine.

The Plateau club stretches to 7035 yards from the back tees and comes in with a course rating of 75.6 and slope of 144.  Built upon the Sammamish Plateau, the course was designed by Perry Dye and Masatsugu Saito.  The Plateau Club gives the golfer all it can handle with it's challenging greens and required precision off of the tee.  The front nine is cut through the forest and the back nine heads out into more of a suburban setting.

The golf gods were not with me on this sunny day in May of 2015.  I lipped out left and right, my balls trickled into hazards and bounced off of trees.  Even on a bad day, the course was still a lot of fun and a great challenge. 

Prospector Golf Course at Suncadia in Cle Elum is an Arnold Palmer design that opened in 2005.  Even though the course winds through the forest, I found it to be forgiving off of the tee.  The real challenge is with your approach shots.  A miss in the wrong spot and you will struggle to save par.  The signature hole is the par 4 10th, a downhill par 4 that really stands out visually from the rest of the course.  There are plenty of pictures of this beauty in the gallery.

Even with 20-30 mph winds, I still enjoyed my round on the Prospector Course.  I set a personal record for most birdie putts that lipped out in a single round with 6.  However, I did get one birdie to lip in.  I played a pretty consistent round and was able to rebound from a couple tough streaks with strings of solid pars.

Please click here for my exclusive panel discussion with a group of rowdy Gamble Sands golfers after the opening of the QuickSands course in 2021.

Rainier Golf & Country Club was founded in March of 1919, making it one of the oldest clubs in the Pacific Northwest.  However, it wasn't until 1921 that the course officially employed a Greenskeeper at the rate of $100 per month.  The grass was cut with a gang mower drawn by horses and the local rules permitted kicking the ball out of the horse tracks.  Not a horse print was to be found on my visit in 2016.

When the second nine opened in 1924, golfers were required to help clear the new fairways of rocks and were required to turn in a bucket of rocks before they were permitted to play.  The old "no rocks, no game" rule is no longer in play today.

The putter was ice cold on a warm day in August when I played Rainier Golf Club.  With 13 birdie attempts and 5 of those inside of 10 feet, I was unable to find the bottom of the cup once.  I would have to take joy in the smell of the fresh cut and 'rock free' fairways.  Mmmmm, golf.

Back in August of 1945, a group of local businessmen each plunked down $1000 to create the 1st nine at Royal Oaks Country Club, 7 years later a second nine would be added.  The course was built upon rocky land and some of the early members were known as "rock pickers" for their efforts to clean the fairways of rocks.  Today, the course is meticulously maintained.  Good luck finding any rocks to pick.

In an epic Saturday duel in April of 2016, I would go head to head with Joe Garvey in a tense match play event.  The reason for the tenseness was that this was a "loser buys dinner" type of match.  After I had grabbed an early lead, Joe would storm back to take a commanding 2 up position with 5 to play.  Fortunately for me, Joe would take several late missteps. and by the time he arrived on the 18th tee box, he would be 1 down. 

After 2 great shots into the 18th green, both Joe and I faced short birdie putts.  I was up first and left mine on the edge. After tapping in for par, Joe needed to make his putt to push the "loser buys dinner" bet.  As Joe would later describe it.  "When I hit that putt, I knew it was going in"  To my good fortune, Joe's judgement was slightly off and his ball slid by the hole.  I would later slide into the booth at Ringside Steakhouse for one of the finer meals I had eaten in a while, compliments of Joe Garvey.

In the Chinookan language, Sahalee means "high heavenly ground" and just east of Lake Sammamish in Washington, you will find just that at Sahalee Country Club.  Opening in 1969, the course was designed by Ted Robinson and features 3 nine hole layouts. Sahalee was redesigned by Rees Jones from 1996-1998.

The course is most well known for hosting the 1998 PGA Championship which was won by Vijary Singh.  Here is what some of the competitors had to say about the course while preparing for competition.

• Justin Leonard:   "Everybody heard there were a lot of trees, I don't think anybody imagined this many."

• Ernie Els: "Trees come into play everywhere and if you miss the fairway you're probably going to make bogey."

• Lee Janzen:  "I think the best way to prepare for this course would have been to go to a big city, like New York, and maybe play down Fifth Avenue."

• Davis Love III:   "Sahalee is going to be a test of golf that we haven't seen before."

Sahalee was scheduled to host the PGA Championship again in 2010 but the PGA reversed it's decision in 2005, after witnessing Whistling Straits set attendance records at the 2004 edition.  Sahalee would go on to host the 2010 US Senior Open and will host the 2016 Women's PGA Championship.

Salish Cliffs has been consistently ranked as a top 10 public course in the state of Washington.  The course is also considered one of the area's toughest.  With significant elevation change and tight fairways guarded by lush forests on many holes, you can easily lose a handful of Titleists.  

Unfortunately, the pictures in the gallery really don't do the course justice.  I teed it up in a pretty good rain that stayed consistent throughout the day and it was a struggle to get shots without water on the lens.  The course was still outstanding even in the rain and mud.  I managed to make some birdies and I had a great time with a couple of guys I was paired up with.  I will undoubtedly return on a sunnier day.

Salish Cliffs fact:  World's first Salmon Safe Certified Golf Course awarded by the steward partners.  Now the salmon can safely get their birdies just like the rest of us.

Seattle Golf Club is one of the oldest and finest golf clubs that I have had the privilege of visiting.  The course was established in 1900 with the original mission to "facilitate and encouragement the development of the noble game of golf."  That mission remains the same today.  The course was originally located in a cow pasture north of Gasworks Park and members needed to boat across Lake Union to reach the dirt path that led to the golf course.  in 1907, the course moved to it's current location with clubhouse views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

Seattle Golf Club was most recently redesigned by Arnold Palmer in 1996.  The course features relatively tight Douglas fir lined fairways and well manicured greens.  The design variety and elevation changes allow the course to separate itself from the majority of Pacific Northwest country clubs.  With the cherry blossoms in bloom, the course was a pleasure to photograph even on a somewhat rainy and windy day.  Our foursome found the course to be a great test of golf skill while providing an excellent atmosphere for a memorable round of golf.

Originally known as Spokane Country Club, the club was founded in 1898 and designed by Jim Barnes.  At that time, annual membership dues were $5 and greens consisted of little more than dirt and sand with tin cups for holes.  In 1946, the course hosted the very first US Women's Open won by the legendary Patty Berg.  The course was most recently redesigned by Robert Muir Graves in 1988 and another golf legend, Tom Watson, holds the course record at 11 under par.

in 2013, the club was ordered to pay $500,000 in a gender biased discrimination lawsuit.  According to the lawsuit, women were not given the same considerations when it came to tee times, events, and were denied access to certain areas of the club.  Spokane Country club was found guilty of violating the Washington Law Against Discrimination.  

After the lawsuit, Spokane Country Club filed for bankruptcy and was purchased by the Kalispel Tribe.  It is always sickening to here of discrimination in the game, however, this change has served as a fresh start.  Based on my experience, the management is working hard to create an environment in which everyone is welcome and treated equally.  

Founded in 1894, Tacoma Country Club is one of the oldest golf clubs west of the Mississippi River.  The course itself was designed by Stanley Thompson in 1905 with a significant bunker remodeling by John Harbottle III.  When the club first opened initiation fee was $2.50 and the monthly dues were a $.25.  That is one quarter a month, folks.

Not only does TPC Snoqualmie Ridge host the Boeing Classic each year, it also hosts some impressive views on a daily basis.  The course  is a Jack Nicklaus design that will give you all you can handle from the back tees with a distance of 7,264 yards and a course rating of 75.8.

Not being in the mood for a beating, we opted for a more modest challenge with the 6800 yard version.  In typical Nicklaus fashion, the course offers plenty of room off of the tee and challenges the player on the second shot.  I happily took my fade and went to work on a great day of golf.  The highlight of the day was a 60 foot putt on #3 that found it's way into the bottom of the hole for birdie.  The best stretch of holes on the course is undoubtedly #'s 10-14.  These 5 holes offer 2 long and tough par 4's, 2 great short par 4's and one of the most scenic par 3's in Washington.

Trophy Lake Golf Course winds it's way through the dense forest of the Kitsap Peninsula.  Measuring 7,206 from the back tees, the golf course offers a significant challenge to all levels of golfers.  Trophy lake was designed by John Fought, a 2 time winner on the PGA Tour and your 1977 US Amateur champion.  Fought is also responsible for the design of Pumpkin Ridge, Langdon Farms, Crosswater, and others.

With it's lush green surroundings and remote feel, Trophy Lake provides a tranquil environment for screaming four letter obscenities.  Not that I had anything to scream about as I navigated the course with a 1 under 71 on my first attempt on this very fine Memorial Day in 2015.  

Designed by the increasingly popular, Tom Doak, Tumble Creek Club sits in a class of it's own at Suncadia Resort.  Tumble Creek is the private club at the resort compared to the public Roperider and Prospector courses.

Subscribing to a minimalist architecture style, Tom Doak "found" himself most of the golf holes, without having to move a significant amount of earth to create the golf course.  With windy conditions usually present the course's 7,122 yards make it a formidable challenge.  

West Seattle Golf Course is a great municipal venue and probably one of the best values in the area.   The front nine plays relatively flat where the back nine is much more hilly and features amazing views of the Seattle skyline.  

The course was designed by H. Chandler Egan, who did some work on Pebble Beach and studied as an apprentice to the legendary Alister Mackenzie.  The course opened in 1940 and unfortunately, Mr Chandler Egan did not see West Seattle to it's opening day.  

The course has hosted a number of amateur and regional tournaments over the years.  To this day West Seattle golf course hosts the Seattle Amateur and has so for the past 20 years.

Perhaps the most ridiculous challenge of tournament golf on the west coast takes place every Halloween on West Seattle Golf Club. For The Devil’s Nas-Saw tournament the pins are tucked, the holes are mixed up and the tee boxes are pushed way back. As you can see in the picture above, we are talking 100 yards down a maintenance path back. If you are a scratch golfer, good luck breaking 85 at this wildly fun and spooky good competition.

Designed by Dan Hixson, Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, WA is a whale of a good time.  The course plays fast, firm, fair and fun.  Measuring 7600 yards from the back tees, the course has just about everything one could ask for in a golf course.

I took on Wine Valley while the wife was out wine tasting and thoroughly enjoyed myself as I headed out early on the 2015 Masters Sunday.  With Jordan Spieth on the cusp of winning his first major championship, I set out hunting some birdies of my own.  

After lipping out an eagle putt on the 7th hole, I was looking for redemption as I lined up a 20 foot eagle putt on #18 for a 72.  I struck the putt true and it bounded towards the center of the cup.  At the last moment, the wine and golf gods struck me down once again and the putt lipped out hard and came back at me.  73 would have to do on this fine Sunday.