I played out here this morning. Of the courses I was considering, this one looked interesting to me and I couldn't pass up a killer $15 GN hot deal at 8:06! It didn't included a cart, but I enjoyed wa... Continue »

I played out here this morning. Of the courses I was considering, this one looked interesting to me and I couldn't pass up a killer $15 GN hot deal at 8:06! It didn't included a cart, but I enjoyed walking because it kept me warm on a cold, foggy morning. It did take everything in me to resist trying out a Golf Board rental here, which is $25. Didn't seem like the right time to give it a go. I joined up with another single as the second ones out behind another twosome in carts. Pace was nice at just under 3.5 hours.

The course was in great shape. Tee boxes, fairways and rough are all lush and green with consistent coverage throughout. Fairways seem to drain well, so there weren't many soggy/mushy spots. The greens were soft and rolling smooth at medium speeds. They punched about a month ago and are pretty much healed. The back nine greens showed more remnants of the punch than the front, but it didn't affect anything. The bunkers were mixed. There was a maintenance guy going around and fluffing them up with the tractor, but he didn't seem to be doing them all. One I found was just firm and muddy. The other was damp, but good.

This course is a hidden gem in my opinion, especially for the value I got today. Even though I couldn't fully enjoy the scenery with the dense fog, I could tell how pretty it was. Hilly and tree-lined, but mostly forgiving off the tee and around greens. There are some tough forced carries to contend with. Nick's older review detailed some of the changes they've made to a handful of holes in order to soften the layout a bit. The guy I played with is a regular here and didn't seem to care for some changes. Another guy I played with later seemed in favor of some of them, so I guess it depends who you talk to. It seems locals either don't want to go out of the way to play here or they just don't like the design because it is too challenging. I guess those are the people who are keeping Portland weird because I really liked this course and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it based on my experience!