Portland area public golf?

[duckhook33]

Hi all,

 

So I'm from NYC and my wife and I are thinking of relocating to Portland OR for retirement.  We've visited (only in the summer so obviously I've only seen it during the best weather!). and we both really like the feel and scale of the city.  Anyway as an avid golfer, I was wondering how the golf scene is out there, specifically public/muni golf?

 

Are there nice public courses in and around Portland?  What's the pricing like?  Do any offer memberships with unlimited/discounted play? 

 

How is the vibe, are singles generally welcomed by the courses and other players? Are the courses walkable with push carts for the most part (I much prefer to walk than ride). Also, I know Portland has a good mass transit system - are any courses accessible via mass transit, without needing a car?

 

Lastly... since I've heard so much about the grey and rainy wintertime weather in the Portland area, I was wondering if golfers in this area generally are able to golf 12 months a year, or does it just get too wet/miserable/cold to play for large stretches in the winter?  Also, are there public courses in driving distance that are perhaps east of Portland and outside the rainy area, where I'd be able to go play in the winter if I was willing to drive a bit?

[Rbsiedsc]

Welcome to the PNW. We have several local public courses. I frequent Forest hills (west of Portland) and being a single there is fine. Same goes for Meriweather national and McKay creek (9 hole). Wildwood off of hwy 30 to the west is an awesome 18 hole course. Red Tail (Beaverton) is public but very busy and takes 6+ hours to play a round at time.

 

In Portland proper there is Heron lakes which has 2 18s. Eastmoreland (Accessible via the MAX Train system, has a range)). Rose City (not the greatest). In Oregon City to the south is Stone Ridge. Pumpkin ridge has a public course but depending on time will run you $100+. 

 

As for the others depending when you play you can get pretty good deals.

 

For golfing year round you totally can. It gets mucky due to the clay soil but its doable.

[Kernel]

4 hours ago, duckhook33 said:

Hi all,

 

So I'm from NYC and my wife and I are thinking of relocating to Portland OR for retirement.  We've visited (only in the summer so obviously I've only seen it during the best weather!). and we both really like the feel and scale of the city.  Anyway as an avid golfer, I was wondering how the golf scene is out there, specifically public/muni golf?

 

Are there nice public courses in and around Portland?  What's the pricing like?  Do any offer memberships with unlimited/discounted play? 

 

How is the vibe, are singles generally welcomed by the courses and other players? Are the courses walkable with push carts for the most part (I much prefer to walk than ride). Also, I know Portland has a good mass transit system - are any courses accessible via mass transit, without needing a car?

 

Lastly... since I've heard so much about the grey and rainy wintertime weather in the Portland area, I was wondering if golfers in this area generally are able to golf 12 months a year, or does it just get too wet/miserable/cold to play for large stretches in the winter?  Also, are there public courses in driving distance that are perhaps east of Portland and outside the rainy area, where I'd be able to go play in the winter if I was willing to drive a bit?

I'm in Portland and play year round, often as a single. I've never had an issue playing as a single on any of the public courses. As for year round, you will have to accept less than ideal conditions and invest in some rain gear, but it is very doable. 

 

I bounce around between a half dozen or so courses:

• Langdon Farms - the best winter course in the area. It stays in good condition year round. Very busy and it borders two highways, so road noise is a nuisance. I find the layout . . . ok. But it is always in great condition. 
• Reserve - two 18 hole layouts. Both are interesting and very well maintained. Only average as far as winter drainage. 
• Pumpkin Ridge - my favorite public course, but plays wet in the winter. Most expensive - summer rounds are about $150 iir. 
• Stone Creek - good winter drainage. Good course save 2-3 crap holes on the back 
• Heron Lakes - two 18s, but Great Blue is the only one worth playing, imo. Conditioning falls below the above options, but still good. 

Prices at all of these vary tremendously based on the time of the year. 

Light rail would get you to the doorstep of Eastmoreland, a city muni. It is exceedingly tight and a swamp in the winter. 

[Seamus_MacDuff]

Plenty of good public/muni courses in Portland the surrounding 'burbs.  Eastmoreland and the two Heron Lakes courses are the best of the City of Portland muni courses.  All three of those courses are very good, and each have hosted the USGA Publinx Championship over the years.  I'm at a private course so not familiar with current rates or vibe for singles, but I think those munis are $40 - $60, depending on the season.  Great values!  The Eastmoreland clubhouse is situated about 50 yards from a light rail stop, so it doesn't get more convenient than that.  Heron Lakes is close-ish to a light rail stop, but you'd still have a 1/4 mile or so walk.  The munis are going to be wet/muddy underfoot during the winter months, but absolutely playable 12 months a year.  

 

Higher end publics in the 'burbs include The Reserve ($70-$110 depending on the season), Stone Creek ($50-$80), Langdon Farms ($70-$110) and Pumpkin Ridge ($100 - $150).  None of those offer annual passes, though Langdon Farms and Pumpkin Ridge sell modestly priced annual passes that discount your greens fees.  Stone Creek and especially Langdon Farms are reasonably dry during the winter months.  I don't believe any of these courses are convenient to public transit at all.

 

Push carts are the norm out here.  Much more popular than power carts, with the exception of perhaps Pumpkin Ridge.

[spud3]

+1 on Seamus and Kernel's posts above.

 

Never an issue playing as a single on any of the public courses.  Langdon has their Farm Card, which costs about $130 annually and gets significant discounts to greens fees.  Pumpkin also has a Pumpkin Pass, which costs $150 and gets significant discounts as well.  I'm not a huge fan of the layout there, and IMO it's nearly unplayable from November thru March, due to drainage issues.  It's also quite a drive from the east side, if that's where you're thinking of locating.

 

Heron Lakes/Eastmoreland/Rose City are all similarly challenging to play in the winter, as they are munis and suffer from low maintenance budgets.  HL and Eastmo are great layouts, very walkable and reasonably priced.  There is also a frequent player card available thru the local parks & rec.  MAX train stop very close to Eastmo, and there is a MAX terminal about a mile from HL (too far to walk, IMO). 

 

Langdon is by far the best draining course in the region.  Stone Creek is a not-too-distant second, but both are around a 30-40 min drive, depending on traffic, time of day, etc.  Both are very walkable.  Neither are accessed by transit.

 

Public golf in PDX is good to excellent 9-10 months of the year.  The other 2 or 3 months is an exercise in how much rain/mud/cold you are willing to suit up for.

 

One huge advantage of living here is that you are about 4.5 hours drive from Bandon...

Edited February 21 by spud3

[duckhook33]

Awesome info, much appreciated!  Was recently watching No Laying Up series in Oregon and in the first episode they played Eastmoreland, looked awesome and felt like exactly the type of local's course I'd play here around NYC and in the NJ suburbs. 

[spud3]

Eastmoreland ("Eastmo") was built in 1917, designed by H Chandler Egan.  Second oldest course in Oregon.  The layout is wonderful and challenging, mainly due to the tight driving alleys and small, sloped greens.  Once the rains stop in June or so and the course dries out fully, it's a great track.  Lots of big old trees (maple, oak, fir, alder, sequoia).  I would think it would be very similar to what you have in NY.  Most of the greens allow run-up approach shots, as those courses built in the early 20th century often do, when that's primarily how the game was played back then.

 

The back nine routes around the Rhododendron Gardens, with a small lake, and the wildlife is excellent, especially the birds there.  Regularly see osprey, bald eagles, red tailed hawks, kingfishers and a huge variety of waterfowl.  It's a classic course in a really cool place.

[mallrat]

The course I work at (many here know which one) had 120 golfers on Thurs and 105 yesterday, if that answers any year round golf questions. 
 

I know you are retiring but something to look at might be marshaling or being a starter. We have one starter who probably plays 200-225 rounds a year. He gets to sneak off in front of play a good bit and goes around us in the mornings. Gets to do it all for free. 
 

Heading east you are looking mainly at Bend which has amazing summers but not really year round golf. 
 

Hope this helps, many of us in the PNW love this area and are very proud of it. Public golf (and golf in general) in Portland is good but not great. There are a wide variety of layouts with the majority being fun. Nothing that is going to be in the top 100 or anything but I think that allows prices to stay fairly reasonable. As for times you can’t golf in Portland you have Chambers Bay a 3 hr drive one way and Bandon 4 1/2 hrs the other way. Then in the summer you have Bend (3 hrs) and that has a couple top 100 style course (Pronghorn, Crosswater and Brasada) along with possibly the most controversial course in the country in Tetherow. Then you have the hidden gem in Tokatee or some privates that aren’t super hard to get on that are really fun (Eugene and Royal Oaks being my favorites in the area).

 

Hope this helps. 

[ZephyrS4]

You forgot about the nutria out at Eastmoreland…..lol…..weird things! I played most of my golf at Eastmoreland and Wildwood. Like most have said…..Eastmoreland is a cool, classic layout in a great neighborhood. Wildwood is just flat out fun, and in a very cool, scenic location. Had a couple buddies that worked out there through the years. Spent a lot of time out there playing for free, and drinking tons of PBR……man, those were the days!

[spud3]

I will say that Wildwood is a decent layout, but not really walkable.  Did it once, never again.

[MilesVJackson]

15 hours ago, spud3 said:

I will say that Wildwood is a decent layout, but not really walkable.  Did it once, never again.

 

hmm...our regular group walks wildwood all the time, and we're in our mid/late 60s.  for the op: wildwood is a bit of a hike, but give it a try with your push cart!

[ZephyrS4]

I walked it a lot, but I was young and in shape then……lol

[Rbsiedsc]

Ya wildwood is a treck but it’s not awful. 

[teckneeklyperfect]

A sister course to the above mentioned McCay Creek is Evergreen GC in Mt. Angel. 45 min or so south of Portland  depending on traffic.  Nice course, 9 holes,  drains so much better than it used to . 

[highbombs77]

If you prefer to play with other people, a lot of the courses have what we call men's club where they reserve tee times on specific days (usually 2 days a week) and you sign up to play with a group.  usually put in $10-25 toward a prize pool for the round.  Heron lakes, eastmoreland, rose city, and stone creek all have active clubs.  The clubs run year round.  handicaps run from scratch to 20+ at most of them.