First round of 2024 after a LONG break from regulation golf was a new course to this now Oregonian, the municipal Eastmoreland GC in Portland, OR. Great little club (reminds me of Balboa Park GC in San Diego) with an old-school course, cozy little clubhouse, and very modest amenities. Played 3/31 on an 11AM tee-time with unreal weather; 68 degrees and a slight cooling breeze.

Tee boxes: Fairly chewed up as you'd expect for a muni that gets THIS much play. Lots of tee boxes didn't have a place to stand level and the white tees were so beat up on most holes that there was more dirt than grass. That being said, it didn't affect play much.

Fairways: Considering it had only been sunny for 48 hours to this point after a fair amount of rain, the fairways were in good shape. The dampness and goose poop stopped the ball from rolling any, but hitting surfaces were good for the most part. Areas under tree canopies were understandably muddy and gross, but you know what you are getting on a course that sits just below sea level with poor drainage.

Rough: The rough here was just as penal as Torrey. It ate up balls left and right, and with d%mn or often muddy ground underneath, hitting a shot out of it was nearly impossible.

Sand: Was only in one bunker and as expected, it was wet, compact, and so challenging to hit out of, it may as well have been wet cement.

Greens: The highlight today. They were surprisingly tricky for a course like this. Quicker as the day progressed and all in all, not very easy to read. Beautiful color and had it not been for goose poop, the roll would have been great.

ETC: Pace of play was not awful at 4.75 hours with no waiting, just full tee sheet and lots of shorter par 4's. The front nine is parkland-style similar to Bayonet/Blackhorse in Monterey, the back nine looks like a completely different course reminding me of Goose Creek with the routing and hole layout. Fun times.

Day 4, rd 5, last round before we hit the road. Tues 3/27 810 tee time, 4:45 rd. course in great shape... probably the best of the bunch (or Trails). Greens the smoothest on the resort, true, a little bumpy, slow 10. Been a while since I played this one... But it is really fun. climbing the hill on 3 after teeing off past the ghost tree, and seeing the reveal of the 14 holes on that side of the hill is a spectacle to behold. Had a great time.

Day 3, round 4, Mon 3/26 11:30 time, 5 hr round. Forecast said clear, got about 2 1/2 hrs of rain, at times pretty heavy. 1-3 club wind at times... but most of the course is sheltered due to the forest. This is my 2nd favorite track, and it was in the best shape (tied with old mac). Greens withstood the water great... rolled mostly true, a slow 10. This course does suffer from divot hell on some landing areas, and there are nets there to prove it. but generally, the course is in great shape. fwiw, this course is way better than spyglass, to give you an idea of my opinion, and I love spy. If I had a choice in its current conditions, I would play this, pac and old mac if it wasn't my first time.

Day 2, round 3, 2nd round of 36, Sun 3/24, 1:10 tee time, 5 hr round... weather pleasant the whole round; sunny most of the round. A little colder towards the end. No rain. Mild wind. These greens were better than BD and SR, but still a little bumpy. Slow: a slow 10. This course has amazing views. It's a favorite for some, its 5th out of the 5 for me... but still a great course.

Day 2, round 2, 1st of 36 today, Sunday 3/24 7:40 tee time, after yesterday's rains, today was a sunscreen day, with intermittent clouds, and maybe 20 min of rain. Greens bumpy and slow, a slow 9 on the stimp might be generous. But much better than bandon. But 4th worst on the resort. This is the most visually awesome of the 5, due to the ever present ocean, and abundance of holes on the cliff. It's also the shortest, no bunkers, and if the wind is down, the easiest... which for us today, it was mild. I love this course, it's a lot of fun. Course in good shape, other than the aforementioned greens. Great counter service food for breakfast and lunch. Only my second round here, and it was a lot of fun.

Made the trip for the first time in 2 years with the NCGA group. I think my 5th or 6th time up here. Sat 3/23, 12:20pm, 4:45 round. This was the first round. It rained for most of the day before, and all night and morning. We teed off in pretty heavy rain at 12:20, but it only lasted 3 holes. People that teed off at 8 got it the whole round, and it was heavy. This is my favorite track, but it was in the worst shape. Greens are horrible. Standing water and muddy on greens built to endure rain. Every green was suffering... bare spots all over... it was auto 2 putt day. I bet even the next day when it didn't rain, the standing water areas were probably casual water. 5 or 6 of the greens looked recently punched in an effort to fix them. The rest of the course was in decent shape. You'd think they'd take more attention to maintenance, given the status of the resort. The problem is too much play, not a good maintenance plan. Heard they haven't punched in years.... don't know how true that is.. but... hope they figure out before the next us amateur in 18 months.

Played for 1st time in late November, about 9 a.m. temps in the high 40's to start, mid 50's to finish and the wind was nearly non-existent. No driving range, but a net/shed to sort of loosen up. Visually beautiful course. Right near the ocean, though no real views, but true links style golf with tight, comfortable fairways, rolling mounds and pretty fast given the amount of rain this area gets. Not a long course, and that's probably a good thing because it is a pretty small footprint for the entire course and oncoming golfers from other holes are definitely in the line of fire for wayward shots. Keep an eye out for them and just wait a few seconds for them to clear to be sure no one is in danger.

It is a shot making course with small and beautiful greens which rolled exactly as they should on the Pacific coast. Bunkers, tee boxes and greens were perfect for looks and play. Greens are tricky and even though I had a good ball striking day I misread a bunch of makable birdie putts inside 10 feet. The rough (not the first cut, which is green and lush) is a little weird in that the locals call it "long grass" and you aren't supposed to drive near it with carts; yet most of the "long grass" was cut or chewed down to ground level on this day, with small patches of longer, wispy stuff. A bit confusing to a newcomer.

Lots of memorable holes and the 18th, played from the 2nd to longest tee this day, is 588 yards as opposed to the 640 yards from the tips, is one of them. A great hole ending with an uphill 3rd to a very small green near the hotel. The place is filled with friendly and helpful staff members, bars and food spots - including a great bar/grill tucked into the weather sheltering dunes near the 9th hole, well away from the clubhouse. The entire property is a lot of fun. Would highly recommend and will return. The summer months must be awesome here. Definitely check it out.

Got to enjoy playing the Big Meadow course at Black Butte again in Oregon this past week for an informal work trip that allowed some time for fun. This course is everything you would imagine from a central Oregon facility with its perfectly lush conditions, its massive tree-lined and narrow fairways, and its exhilarating views and challenge.

Fairways are in pristine shape with every blade of grass healthy and vibrant, while the rough is thick and varied in its penal nature. The tee boxes are all flat and perfectly manicured, while the bunkers are in very good shape as well. The greens? Simply fantastic. We got consistent speeds and true lines throughout the entire day. A true feast for the golf purist.

The course starts off flat and somewhat open the first hole before winding into the Oregon forest and throwing all sorts of twists and turns at you, also including some subtle but distinct elevations on various holes. Tee shots are inviting but also daunting with sharp corners and no shortage of balls needing to be saved from just off the fairways but also right out of someone's backyard. Yes, there are plenty of homes surrounding the fairways here, but they're not intrusive. They simply add to the experience.

We had top-notch service from start to finish - both with the warmup facilities (including a tremendous driving range with an epic of view of the Black Butte itself) and cart service throughout the round. This place is a true gem and I can't wait to play here again ... hopefully next year!

Was looking forward to playing golf in Oregon for a few years. Gleefully did so on the Glaze course at Black Butte Ranch last Thursday 7/20. First off worth mentioning is the length of driving time from the entrance to the Glaze Meadow course. Glaze GC is to the left coming in off Rt 20 and you need a security code or pass to get into this part of the resort, from there it is 10-15min at 25 mph winding through the forest past some of the 1200 houses. The Big Meadow course is to the right and much closer to the entrance. (5min) With more of the rental condos nearby.
A 3:45 tee time on a day over 90 degrees in Sisters I kept my score under the temperature. Reopened from renovation in 2012 and last reviewed by Nickesquire and dconnally in 2014. The course playing great in summer condition fast with roll-out and tight lies in the short grass. The rough manageable and the bunkers well kept with fluffy dry sand.
The greens were terrific. A few ball marks and a few patches of brown on a few back 9 holes. Rolled great med-fast held shots properly, released others. Very fair.
Beverage cart was out and made the last call early for me on #1 but the snack bar was open at the turn for another cold one. Slow pace in front yielded to much faster back 9 as some groups dropped out. 4.5 overall 2.75 / 1.75 back as 2-some.
I felt course played very fairly and has matured into a gem of what I'd describe as in the mountains with many views and through woods playing. No extreme elevation changes. Black Butte being the nearest and the three Sisters of the Cascades to the west view.
Glaze course has the "better" reputation among-st the golf purists and the pro-shop at Big Meadow mentioned the greens right now maybe a touch better at Glaze. I practiced in the morning at Big Meadow D-range and putted there very good shape imo. It also has a real grass putting course adjacent to the pro shop newly opened.
Lots of new and improved at the resort. This May a $20m banquet hall, meeting lodge, restaurant opened with mountain views over the lake and meadows. Wildflowers in bloom.
Check out the resort as a vacation destination. The golfers in the family can sneak out and get some golf in and rest of the family has plenty to keep them happy too.
Anxious to go back and play the Meadow course too.
It's just fun! (Birdies on #2 & 4 will do that!)

This 3 nine mountain course was only open for the season for a short time when we played it last weekend. The Thistle & Pine Cone 9's were beautifully green and lush. Fairways and greens were understandably slow after winter snow and early spring rain. The clubhouse and local restaurant (Mallards) were just waking up as well. Conditions were not summer-resort style yet and scoring was good until you miss a fairway into the long, long rough or trees. Take your medicine and bump it ahead into the fairway. I played it once before (same nines, I think), and noticed that the tee shots look far more difficult than they play. Don't be intimidated out of driver based on the view from the tee. The fairways have generous landing spots. I loved every minute of playing this place. The views, water features, animals all around the course made it particularly enjoyable. As the weather warms, the fairways get fast and the greens rolled, this will be a prime mountain golf destination for north-central Oregon.

Course was in pretty good shape considering that most of April was rain with a bit of snow mixed in! Greens were firm and true, fairways a bit muddy and rough was very lush but playable. As always, pace of play was pretty good at around 4 hours for the round. Starters at HLGC are terrific and really keep the groups moving. Course has an abundance of wildlife so you get a bit of nature walk along with your round of golf.

Old Mac often gets tepid reviews when compared to the other courses at Bandon. It certainly does not have as many ocean views as SR, Bandon, or Pac Dunes. But aside from that metric, it checks all the other boxes. Most importantly, it’s a fun golf course. The greens are huge and have wonderful shapes, mounds and contours—but nothing unfair. All of the courses are in very good shape, but I thought Old Mac’s greens were the best of the bunch. Loved this course.