Best courses in Bellingham, WA?

[shicky66]

Hey guys,

 

I'm moving up to Bellingham to start school at WWU and I'm looking into getting a membership at a nearby golf course. Which courses are the best in Bellingham? Also, which are the best for the money?

 

Ideally the course would be well-maintained, have good greens, an interesting layout, and a practice facility with a range, chipping/pitching green and a putting green. I plan on playing in the winter, so I also don't want to be a member at a course that turns into a swamp after rainfall.

 

I've looked into Sudden Valley, Shuksan, Lake Padden, North Bellingham Golf Course, and Bellingham G&CC. Sudden Valley is the cheapest option by far at $700 per year for young adults for unlimited golf/range privileges, and the others are about $1500 per year (1000 for unlimited weekday).

 

I plan on going to each of them before making a decision, but I just wondered if anyone on here had any recommendations/advice.

 

Thanks!

[ryu123]

Sudden Valley: a tale of two nines. Front nine flat, back goes up in the hills. Drainage less than ideal in the winter & spring. Since it's at a higher elevation, subject to snow more often than other courses.

 

Shuksan: fun, very good routing. Not an easy walk, especially when hot & humid. Drainage not good in winter & spring, especially holes 1, 9, 10 fairway, 17, 18.

 

Lake Padden: great parkland course, with elevation changes & challenging greens. Swampy fairways in the off-season. Inexpensive.

 

North Bellingham: wide fairways allow for windy conditions, raised / undulating greens that shed rain & walkable. Although promoted as 'Scottish Links Style', does not play as a links course, because it's not generally firm or fast, & not easy to run the ball up along the ground onto the greens. Very good drainage all year.

 

Homestead Farms: this Lynden course has a good routing, only marred by the fact it's set in a housing development. Conditions & drainage suspect.

 

Loomis Trail & Semiahmoo: very good courses. Loomis is a bit tougher & drier in the winter/ spring. Houses can come into play, especially at Semiahmoo. Semi-private; pricier than the other publics.

 

Grandview: flat, right by the west side of I-5. Overpriced & dull.

 

Dakota Creek: in Custer, an 'executive' course (many short par 4s) with narrow holes that go up into the hills. Small greens.

 

Raspberry Ridge: 9 hole, par 34. Good value with decent drainage in rainy season.

 

Haven't played the Country Club (Bellingham G&CC) so can't comment.

 

Given your criteria, my pick would be North Bellingham. It has multiple membership levels that help a customer tailor their budget to the amount of play. Can often play the ball down even in the winter & spring.

 

Go Vikings!

[kaschreiber]

Second to North Bell and basically everything Ryu just said

[lhahn]

Never played Sudden or Bellingham Country Club but have played the rest.

 

According to your criteria I would rank them as

1. North Bellingham. By far the best drainage in the area. Course has a good, interesting layout and is tough from the tips especially when the wind is up, which is often.

2. Semiahmoo/Loomis. I may be mistaken but I think membership gets you onto both courses. I slightly prefer Semi but both courses are nice. Drainage is decent.

 

The rest don't fit your fall/winter requirements considering how much rain we get up here. Shuksan has gone downhill recently. Homestead and Lake Padd are good in summer but not in the rain.

[duffer987]

If you want to play year round, it has to be North Bellingham.

That said, if you are living near campus, then Lake Padden is an awesome choice. You don't have to bother with hopping on I5 and going up the Guide, heck you could put a 1/2 bag over your shoulder and bike up to Padden.

Back in the day, those were our 1 and 1a choices when we came down.

 

For a small town, I really like Bellingham, it has the typical checker-outers all west coast towns have, but plenty of good spots for a pint or a meal and you can easily get up to Vancouver or down to Seattle if a band is touring or you want to go watch some live sports, plus all the general PNW* outdoorsy awesomeness.

 

Have fun!

 

*Yes Texas is a bit sh1t ;-)

[CKalma]

I agree with North Bellingham meeting your needs. The only thing negative i would say is the wind blows there even when it isnt windy anywhere else. It can get soggy in places but not like a lot of the other courses. The range is okay. Mats only and it maxes out at around 280ish, but it is covered so you can practice in the rain. The putting green is great and the chipping area is sufficient.

 

Im not 100% sure but I recall the owners of Semiahmoo Resort were looking to sell or sold Loomis Trail already and may no longer be combining the membership.

 

Semiahmoo is a great course, challenging and every hole is different. The range isnt great, mats only and the setup is kind of odd. Putting green is small. Chipping green is sufficient.

 

I havent played Loomis Trail in years so I wont comment except I have heard several people say they prefer Loomis Trail over Semiahmoo.

 

Lake Padden is also fun, challenging and all the holes unique. I dont feel its as well kept as Semiahmoo but i think the range is better and both the putting and chipping area are large and great for practice. The downside being it is surrounded by trees and will get very soggy and takes longer for it to dry out with all the shade.

 

Sudden valley is only good in the summer. The front nine is out in the open and the back nine is in the trees. It tends to be soggy for longer. I dont remember warming up here so cant comment on that.

 

Shuksan is a fun course.... I would say the course is really setup for the summer 4 man scramble tournaments and thats about it. The range sucks...it is literally hittng golf balls off a mat down a large hill

 

Bellingham Golf and CC is an awesome course. Very well manicured and a great layout. You can barely tell you're next to a freeway minus the first hole. I dont remember the range or putting green. Well worth the money.

 

I mainly play Homestead in Lynden. As others have said in the winter/spring its nearly unplayable. They really need to work on drainage.

[Boney]

Most of the year, the range at North Bellingham is off grass, at least during the week. I'm not sure what criteria they use to decide whether to set it up in the covered area off mats, or off grass. At least the mats have a tall,springy grass area to hit off, so you don't get the jarring impact of hitting off a solid rubber mat with fuzz.

 

I like Padden, but I tend to lose a lot of balls there -- the trees are close on almost every hole, and I'm a 10 handicap that can be a bit wild off the tee.

 

Bellingham Golf & Country Club has a small "irons only" range off mats near the center of the course -- not very convenient. I've only played it a few times, and never in winter, but it's a fun course.

 

I play at North Bellingham the most, especially in the winter. Loomis Trail is my favorite if it's not too wet, but it was just sold to the Lummi tribe, so things are changing. I also like Shuksan a lot, there are many dramatic elevated tees, although the recent redesign I think diminished it, and it's quite soggy until well into spring. Note that the scorecard at Shuksan overstates the yardage quite a bit on several holes (#9 and #13 especially).

 

Avalon's another good course nearby, 27 holes of solid golf usually in good condition, better drainage than average.

 

Before buying any year-long memberships, I'd try a bunch of them to see what you like. Most have player's card type deals that give you free rounds and discounts and pay for themselves very quickly.