There are over 80 bunkers throughout the course, and many of them are deep and will test your ability to get up and down. My favorite part of the course is the fact that there are really no homes, and the atmosphere is really relaxing. The course offers large greens with lots of ridges so placement on the greens are key. I was greeted by hitting the first two green in regulation and three putting. The one problem that I ran into on the course was that their flags are not colored to indicate pin position and the GPS in the cart was going to the center of the green each time; that made judging distance a challenge.

Some notable holes on the front nine include the par 5 seventh which offer a large fairway split by a gigantic waste bunker. Staying left of the bunker will significantly shorten your approach to the green, allowing the long hitters to go for it in two. Don’t miss left on your approach to this green as a large slope will roll you into the pine needles. The par 4 eighth is a short uphill par 4 offering the long hitters a great birdie opportunity.

The back nine opens with a great par 4 with a straightforward and open tee shot. The approach shot required you to fly a small creek, however with some fairway in front the green the shot is not too intimidating. The par 4 twelfth is a slight dog leg right with a fairway that is significantly elevated above the green. Distance control on the approach shot to this green is key as two deep bunkers are eager to gobble up any poor approach shots. The pare 5 eighteenth is easily the signature hole for this course. With a lake along the left and trees on the right a good tee shot is key to this 3 shot par 5. The pond on the left continues in front of the green and onto the right of the green. A truly beautiful and challenging finishing hole.

One thing to note about this course is that the restaurant makes a killer breakfast burrito, one of the best I have ever had. This burrito is the one reason that I can drag my wife out to golf at this course. If you are willing to take the trip over to Port Orchard from Seattle, Trophy Lake is one of the best courses under Oki Golf ownership.

Check out all my photos of this course.

We played the course on sunny and crisp autumn day and the course conditions couldn’t have been any better.  Despite having received a lot of rainfall in the previous week or so the course was very dry.  Being that it is a new course, the drainage that they installed is top of the line.  As a side note you can feel all the gravel that resides under the grass when you stick your tee into the ground.  The course offers a challenging layout with very large undulating greens.  If you haven’t played the course before be sure to pay attention to the pin placements as a misplaced shot onto the green will leave a lot of work with the putter.  The greens played pretty quick, especially considering that it is winter golf in the northwest (for those that don’t know, due to all the rainfall in the winter in Washington the golf course greens tend to be pretty soft and slow).  My playing partner commented on how challenging the greens must be in the summer. 

The practice facilities at the course are fantastic.  The course offers a large range with plenty of targets.  The only downfall that we saw of the range was that the target flags were not clearly marked for distance.  The practice green is very large and undulating and the on course greens are the same way.  There is also a full chipping green with its own bunker.  At the time we played the course they were still using a trailer for a pro shop, but there are plans in the works to build a nice full service club house.

I was more than pleased when on the first tee the starter informed us that all the wild grass and rock areas surrounding the holes are treated as ground under repair and you get a free drop.  I was told that this is due to the large amount of rocks in these areas and they are trying to avoid people banging up their equipment.  The course instantly became driver friendly.  The course itself plays more like a links style course.  You won’t find the usual amount of large trees lining the fairway as you do with most northwest courses.  While you may not be punished with penalty shots for off-target drives, you will encounter a lot of blind approach shots.  It is important to pick out a good aiming target as there are a lot of tough pin locations on the course.

There were a few holes on the course that stood out in our mind above the rest.  The 3rd is relatively short par 4 with a very large and deep bunker along the left of the fairway.  If you can avoid the bunker you are left with a short shot into a slightly uphill green.  The green is protected by another intimidating bunker on the right, so choose your approach shot wisely.  The par 5 fifth is the #1 handicap hole on the course, and while it doesn’t look intimidating off the tee, once you get around the green you will know why.  The green is surrounded by bunkers and all the slope of the green funnels into the bunkers.  When we played this hole the pin was back center and it was like playing on a putt-putt course, I had two puts come up on the low side of the hole and roll 15-20 feet into the sand.  The par 3 fourteenth is also a great hole.  There is water on the right which wraps all the way along the back of the green.  There is also a bunker on the left, which actually looks friendly when all the water is staring you in the face.  The course offers a great variety of holes that will challenge any player. 

Overall we really enjoyed the course.  We have heard that pace of play can be a problem especially on busy weekends.  That surprised me considering how many marshals there were on the course and how easy it was to locate off target tee shots.  You will soon be seeing this course on our top 10 list, and it warranted a return trip a couple of weeks later.  If you are willing to make an hour drive from Seattle, The Home Course is well worth the travel time.

If you are visiting the course for the first time, pay attention to the dress code.  Denim is not allowed on the course or at the practice facilities, so don’t forget to wear your khaki pants/shorts or have your rain pants handy.  While these two courses are outstanding they aren’t for those golfers with a small checkbook.  The pristine service and layout comes at a price and for some it is above what they are willing to pay for a round. If you are looking for a more affordable way to play these courses be sure to check out the Oki Golf Players card where you can receive discounted golf at all the Oki courses.  If you want to take in the views without the price of a round of golf, stop by the Calcutta Grill for lunch or dinner.  The patio offers the same outstanding views that you get on the course.  Newcastle is also one of the top wedding and special event destination in the Seattle area as well, so if the wedding bells are ringing be sure to check them out. 

Here are the course details:

Coal Creek

The signature course at Newcastle, Coal Creek offers unparalleled views from almost every hole on the course.  Coal Creek is the longer of the two courses and stretches over 7,000 yards from the back tees.  The course also offers a variety of elevation changes that will challenge the golfer to select the correct line and club off the tee box.  The course is lined with native grasses that will grab off line tee-shots and make it very challenging to even find your ball. 

A few of the highlight holes on the course include the opening hole par 5.  This monster offers some of the best views on the course and stretches 621 yards from the back tees with a creek running in front of the green.  Holes  9 and 18 are both uphill par 4’s that offer a great view of the massive Newcastle clubhouse.  These holes also share a green that is undulating and quick (as a side note I did run a putt past the hole and off the green on #18).  The seventh hole has a massively elevated green guarded by a creek and a nice waterfall along the right side of the green.  The par 5 seventeenth is a risk-reward par 5 that can be reached in two, but with a large creek guarding the front of the green and no room for error on the approach, you better be pretty accurate with a wood or long iron.

The course can play quite difficult, so be sure to choose the right tee box for your game.  Also make sure to grab one of the yardage books at the start of your round.  They are free and they can be a life saver when it comes to selecting what club to hit or where to lay up at.  I really enjoy Coal Creek and think that it has a lot of challenges to offer golfers.  Many think that it is a little over priced, but if you can get in on the Oki card or are visiting the area, you can’t pass up what this course has to offer.

China Creek

I really enjoyed the layout of China Creek, perhaps it was because I was able to play as the first person off by myself in 2 ½ hours, but even without the speedy round this is a great course.  I know that some of the members would disagree with me, but as far as layout goes I actually like China Creek a little more than Coal Creek.  China Creek is a very woman friendly course, having been ranked as a “Top 50 Course in the U.S.” by Golf for Women magazine.  It is significantly shorter than Coal Creek stretching 6632 from the tips. 

While there are basically no homes on Coal Creek, China Creek has homes lining most holes on the front nine.  The course also offers a variety of blind approach and tee shots, so be sure to grab a yardage book so you know where to aim.  Trees also line most of the holes on China Creek, giving you more a vintage Northwest golf feel.

An opening par 5 gives golfers a straightforward fairly wide open hole to get your feet wet.  Hole 2 is a beautiful par 3 with an elevated tee box and trees guarding the right side.  Hole 3 offer a short par 4 with a blind tee shot, make sure you select your line correctly as you can run out of room in a hurry on this left to right sloping fairway.  The par 5 eighth hole is a long hole with a ridge running across the center of the fairway.  A long tee shot will put you just over the ridge and give you a good look at this green. 

The par 5 tenth offers you the best views on the course and also give you your best scoring change on any par 5 on the course. The fourteenth hole is a nice uphill par 4 with trees surrounding the green.  Due to the uphill nature of this hole, club selection is key. The fifteenth is a nice little par 3 that holds a special place in my memory due to the deer that visited me while I was putting.  An uphill tee shot over a large ravine will take you back.

With a nice and challenging layout, China Creek is a great option for your weekend escape.

I must admit that I fell into the latter category. For some reason I just wasn’t feeling this course. The wind was in full effect the day that I played, which is always seems to taint your opinion of a course. However, it wasn’t the wind that bugged me about the course, it was the condition of the course itself. The greens were in decent shape; however there seemed to be plenty of weeds and dandelions to go around. Also being a master planned community there were plenty of houses lining some of the holes on the course.

Despite the flaws mentioned above it isn’t often that you get to play a desert layout in Washington state and this course does offer a pretty good value with green fees only running about $40 on the weekends. The course opens with a very short and straight forward par 4 which given the right wind conditions is drivable. However, a nice long iron off the tee will leave a short wedge into this green. The par 5 third has a slightly uphill tee shot that played directly into the wind during our round. The green is tiered so make sure that you are on the right level. The par 4 fourth is a big dog leg right. Longer hitter can cut the corner on this hole and leave themselves with a very short approach. The only water of the day will come into play on the par 4 ninth. A good long iron or fairway metal should take the water out of play on this hole.

The back nine opens with an uphill par 4 that plays much longer than it looks. Be sure to take enough club on your approach shot to this green or you may be left scratching your head on how you came up short. The par 5 twelfth is a big dog leg left where taking the right line off the tee is of the utmost importance. The rest of the back nine plays pretty straight forward until you get the par 5 eighteenth. This is another hole where if you take the right line you can put yourself in good shape. We had a little wind at our backs and I took an aggressive line and ended up having a wedge for my second shot into this par 5.

As mentioned this was not one of my favorite courses but I can see how it may be a course that you have to play more than once to enjoy. The sand in the desert is very soft and if spend too much time in it you will find yourself washing sand out of your ears for the rest of the week. It is very hard to hit a solid shot out of the desert on this course so accuracy is a must for a low score at this course. If you are looking for a desert golf experience without going to the southwest than this may be the course for you.

Check out all my photos of this course.

Harbour Pointe offers two distinctly different nines that will challenge golfers of all skill level.  The front nine requires a lot of target play with water on most every hole and a lot of homes lining the holes.  The back nine offers more undulation with a lot of elevated greens.  The course also offers a full practice facility with a more than adequate range (it was also very busy when I was there). 

I happened to play the course on one of the few dry days we have during the Seattle winter.  The course was pretty saturated when I played which made it play a lot longer than the yardage on the scorecard. 

The front nine makes you choose your shots wisely with lots of water waiting to snag any of your offline shots.  Both par 5’s on the front nine can be reached by long hitters, but not without the risk of getting wet.  The par 3 seventh is a picturesque hole surrounded by water with a long green.  I actually forgot to take a picture of this great hole and had to run back real quick and grab a shot.  The 8th holes is a risk reward Par 4 that can be reached by a truly long hitter, however a nice long iron off the tee will leave you in good position.  The front nine provides a nice layout with a lot of diversity in the holes.

I started my round on the backside; due to a frost delay the backside was wide open.  As mentioned there are a lot of elevated greens on the backside so club selection is key.  If you are visiting the course for the first time like me be sure to have your camera ready on hole 11.  A downhill par 4 with breath taking viewing of the Puget Sound this is a hole for the memory books.  The back nine is full of undulation with a lot of elevated and downhill approach shots.  Be sure to choose your clubs wisely on this side or you may not find a green.  If you are walking the course, the back nine is definitely the harder nine to walk, but nothing too overwhelming.  

I enjoyed my round at Harbour Pointe and look forward to making a return trip once the conditions are a little drier.  The course also offers a full restaurant and bar to meet all your after round needs. 

Check out all my photos of this course.

Stretching over 7,000 yards from the back tees the course is sure to challenge your game.  The design of the course makes you fell as if the holes were cut straight out of the woods, and the Olympic Mountains can be seen on a variety of holes on the front nine.  One of the nice things about the course is that while there are a lot of trees it does not feel suffocating.  Often times heavily wooded courses offer golfers little forgiveness for an offline shot, however Gold Mountain offers golfers plenty of landing area for tee shots. 

We played the course on a nice sunny day in December and while it was cold, the playing conditions were perfect.  Despite torrential rain fall throughout the week leading up to the round the course was in pristine condition.  With lush fairways and greens as well as beautifully manicured tee boxes, one couldn’t ask for better course conditions.  We played from the back tees and the course played quite long.  Be sure to pick your tee box wisely, as I wouldn’t advise playing the back tees unless you are prepared to hit a number of long irons during your round.  We played the back tees and it was a very demanding round. 

The course opens with a long par 4, testing your length right from the start.  Despite the length the opening hole offers a fairly generous landing area so you can grip it and rip it on the first hole.  The par 4 fourth is one of the shorter par 4’s on the course; however it has a drastically elevated green that will requite you to take at least one extra club.   This nicely designed hole offers golfers with good distance control a nice chance to score.

One of my favorite views of the day came on the tee box of the Par 5 sixth hole.  This is a nicely designed hole that runs uphill for the first half of the hole and then falls off downhill for the approach to the green.  Unless you are a very long hitter the hole will force you to play a blind second shot over the holes ridge.  The 9th hole is a long par 5 that takes you back towards the clubhouse.  From the tips this hole measures 621 yards and plays as a definite 3 shot hole.  The holes slopes downward towards the green, which is guarded on the right and behind by water; so be careful when laying up near the green as the downhill approach also tends to funnel shots towards the water.

The par 4 tenth is a short and open par 4, giving golfers a great opportunity to put a low number on their scorecard.  If you are playing from the back tees you had better watch out for the par 3 twelfth, the hole stretches 251 and will take a great shot to put it on the green.  The other par 3 on the back nine is a beautiful hole with an elevated tee box and large pond that you must carry.  The seventeenth is a long par 4 that offers a great view from its highly elevated tee box, two good shots are needed on this hole to have a chance at birdie as the green is guarded by trees on the right and a marsh area short left.  The finishing hole is a short par 4 with bunkers guarding the long hitters from going after the green.  If you are walking the course you may need to conserve some energy as it is a long trek back up to the clubhouse from the 18th green.

The Olympic course at Gold Mountain is a fantastic layout that will challenge any golfer.  If you have never been out to Bremerton I would suggest taking the ferry across and enjoying the nice ride across the water.  Gold Mountain also offers a full restaurant and well stocked pro shop, so be sure to stop by and grab a bite to eat after your round.

Check out all my photos of this course.

Looking at the scorecard the layout hardly looks intimidating, however with the combination of doglegs and elevation changes club selection will play a large role in your ability to score.  The course is just under 6,000 yards from the back tees, and for the long hitter every par 5 on the course can be reached in two.  With that being said, one must decide whether to grip it and rip it or play for position off the tee.  The opening hole provides a leftward sloping hill on the right side of the hole and can save you from your early push to the right.  Be wary if you do end up on the slope, as many shots are lost into the trees on the left of green from this sloping lie. 

The third hole will greet you with your first risk reward decision.  Sitting at just 284 yards from the tips and 258 from the white tees the hole can be reached off the box.  If you do choose to rip it off the tee there is water on the right and trees on the left waiting to gobble up your ball.  A good tee shot on this hole cold set the tone for your round.  The par 3 5th offers a large green with a large deep bunker guarding the front right.  There is a very slight tier to this green and it is quite large, so an off target shot, even if on the green, is by no means a guaranteed par.  If you are hungry near the turn be sure to stop at the snack shack after hole #8, as the turn will not take you back by the clubhouse.  As a side note the snack shack has a great breakfast burrito.

The back 9 opens with a very short, very easy par 3.  There used to be a tree that guarded the left half of the green, but that has now been removed and the approach to this short par 3 is wide open.  The 12th hole offers a great view from an elevated green. This par 5 will take a long tee shot to allow the long hitter to reach it in two as there is a hazard that runs in front of this slightly elevated green.  A lay up to around 100 yards on this hole is a good decision.  While the 12th is a straightforward hole it always seems to give me fits. 

 

The back 9 at Echo Falls is only a par 34, with four par 3’s and two par 5’.  The only complaint about the back 9 is the large number of par 3’s that greet players.  I am not a big fan of a course having 4 Par 3’s on any set of 9 holes; but the challenge of the two finishing holes makes up for it.  The 17th hole is one of the hardest holes in the area.  This long par 4 stretches 460 yards from the tips and offers an intimidating tee-shot.  With water right and trees on the left you need a long straight shot to have less than a wood into this green.  You are hardly done after your tee shot as the lake runs the length of the front right of the green.  Any errant approach shot into this green will be sure to get wet.   The 18th hole has a stunning view with an island green leading back to the clubhouse.  This par 3 is just over 150 yards, but club selection is key.  A miss in any direction will leave you reaching for another ball out of your bag. 

If playing the course for the first time you may want to consider getting a cart.  While you can walk the course, it is setup in such a way that there are long walks between holes; and the walk up the hill from 11 to 12 can leaving you searching for breath.  One thing to keep in mind with the course is that due to its short length you will find that rounds can be a little slow.  You tend to run into a lot of people who wait to hit their second shots into reachable par 5’s.  Overall I enjoy the course and especially its proximity to the Seattle-Metro area.  It offers the golfer a chance to get away and play without have to drive a great distance.

Echo Falls is a great venue and has a restaurant that is more than capable of hosting your after round bite to eat or your next special event.    The dining area can seat up to 200 and hosts a number of weddings and special events throughout the year. As is the case with most Oki courses the management does a wonderful job of hosting tournaments (hence the reason it is hard to get a tee-time in the summer).   Within easy driving distance from both Seattle and Bellevue, Echo Falls is a great choice for your weekend round.

The first course that I played was Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Richland, WA. This course was recommended to me by one of my playing partners in the Seattle, and I appreciated the recommendation. According to their website the course received a four star rating by Gold Digest magazine. While I am not sure I would rate this course as one of my favorite in the Northwest I did enjoy the design and my round. Due to a tournament that day I teed off with some of the regulars as part of a 7:30 am shotgun. It was very cold and quite windy for most of the round.

The course stretches just slightly over 7,000 yards from the tips and just over 5,500 from the front tees. The wind was a challenge for most of the day and after chatting with my playing partners I was told that the wind is regularly pretty strong at the course. It seemed like the course has a pretty large group of regulars that play a lot of golf on the course. I was told by one of my playing partners that the course was originally intended to me an upscale private course when it was first build, but due to a lack of membership the course was sold and became public.

The course opens with two straight forward par 4′s where a tee shot down the left side of the fairway will leave an ideal approach and take tees and bunkers right out of play. The par 5 third provides the first real challenge of the day. It plays at just over 600 from the tips, with water left to challenge that driver early in your round. The saving grace is that there is plenty of room to miss right and I was told the wind does tend to assist this tee shot. The par 4 eighth is a nice slight dogleg left with a tiered green to greet your approach shots. For the long hitters the line off the tee is key to hitting the fairway on this hole. The par 5 ninth was named to the Northwest Dream 18 holes. With a tee shot off an elevated box and homes right a nice stroke down the right side is key. However, with a large slope on the left a slight pull should roll back down into the left rough. The green is slightly elevated with water protecting the entire right side of the green, making an errant approach get gobbled up. I attempted to reach this green in two and hit the back wall of the water, making me wish I had pulled out the 7 iron instead of the 3 wood.

The back nine opens with two par 4′s the second of which is driveable with the wind at your back. I took a 3 wood off the tee and chased the ball up onto the front fringe, providing the group in front of us with a nice surprise. The par 3 twelfth is supposed to be one of the largest greens in the northwest, but plays as a pretty straight forward par 3 from an elevated tee box. The rest of the back nine played fairly typical with the par 4 eighteenth providing a nice finished hole

There were a lot of homes surrounding the course, however I didn’t feel that too many of them came into play. After playing so many rounds in the Seattle area where courses are draped by large mature trees I found Canyon Lakes to be a more open course off the tee. The course provided a nice mix of holes with a fairly challenging layout. The greens played pretty quick, which I have to think could be attributed to the windy conditions. I would imagine that the greens can get pretty slick in the summer time. I wold imagine that without wind the course would not be overly challenging, however the wind will make this course play a lot trickier.

If you are planning a Tri-Cities golf outing I would recommend that you take the time to play a round at Canyon Lakes.

Check out all my photos of this course.

Bellevue Golf Course is a favorite for those living in the Seattle-Metro area.  For a municipal course it offers a variety of challenges and smooth easy rolling greens.  The course is surrounded by tall mature trees that make driving accuracy imperative.  Even though the course is a little tight you can get away with not hitting driver all day if you like.  The golf course stretches just over 6,000 from the back tees and just under 5,000 from the front tees.  None of the holes are overly intimidating; if your tee shots are offline, you will run into a lot of longer approach shots or even some punch-outs.   

As mentioned earlier, this is a very busy golf course so be sure to make your tee-time well in advance.  The course is not only busy during prime time hours but gets a lot of business at twilight so make sure to call ahead before heading down to the course for your evening summer round.   The greens at Bellevue are typically in very good condition and roll quite true.  The course offers a large putting green accompanied by a rather small chipping area.  The driving range at Bellevue also tends to see a lot of action, however it does leave a little to be desired.  The range only stretches about 200 yards; so long hitters will have to keep their drivers in the bag.  While I have not personally taken lessons at the Bellevue, I have heard good things about the teaching pros at the course, and the prices are pretty affordable. 

The course also boasts an improved pro shop with a good selection of merchandise.  Bellevue also has a full restaurant with several large televisions so that you can take in all the sports action.   Bellevue Golf Course is a good municipal course that offers golfers a short but challenging layout.  A local favorite for a number of years, the course is as good now as it ever was.  We look forward to continued improvements to the course now that it is under the ownership of Premier Golf Centers.

If you haven’t seen photos of Chambers Bay be sure to check out my pics as well as the ones on their website. Chambers Bay is an all links golf course, and the first of its kind I have played. With a fantastic coastal setting it is a course that you may thinks was located in the UK if you didn’t know you were only a few miles south of Seattle. The course is carved out of an old sand and gravel pit, and the dunes provide the perfect setting for a great links course. The grass at Chambers Bay is fescue and if you haven’t played on it before, it differs greatly from your everyday golf course. The fairways are cut tight and allow for a large amount of roll and the greens play as fescue should, tough to hold an approach shot and slow on putts.

If you are making your first visit to Chambers Bay be sure to inquire about their caddy services as their inside knowledge about the course will save you at  east 3-5 strokes. Additionally Chambers Bay is a walking only course, so if you don’t take kindly to carrying your bag or pushing a cart you will be thanking your lucky stars that you shelled out the extra cash for a caddy. My dad got a caddy and I didn’t, but I can tell you that I was able to glean enough knowledge out of his caddy to save me a few strokes. Our caddy happened to be one of their veterans who has caddied at least 300 rounds at the course, mind you the course has only been open since June. His knowledge of the course would make any tour pro happy.

The course itself is a great layout and will challenge players of all calibers. The course can stretch to over 7,800 yards from the tips, but believe me the 6,500 from the sand tees will play as the longest 6,500 yards you have ever seen. The front nine is by far the harder nine with an opening par 4 that will put your game to the test right away and set the pace for your round. The fairways at Chambers Bay are fairly open as long as you play the wind and the slope correctly. However if you miss the fairway you will find that you are punished by the acres and acres of wast bunkers that await you. If you have never played on fescue greens I suggest that you spend some time on the practice green as they are unique. I struggled on the greens all day despite playing great from tee to green.

Chambers Bay is definitely on my replay list, especially before it starts to gain more popularity and the fees move up along with that popularity. I can’t wait to see the pros get out and play the course and see how difficult the USGA has the course playing. Our caddy informed us that they are going to let the wild grass along the fairways grow so that it should be shin to knee high by the time the open is played. If you are every making your way up to Seattle this course has to be on your list.

Check out all my photos of this course.