Portland area private clubs

[njlam]

That being said, if Pumpkin had PGC/CECC level drainage and was located near Lake Oswego, there would be a waiting list at $100k initiation…

Edited August 17, 2022 by njlam

[mallrat]

4 hours ago, doc52 said:

I agree on Pumpkin having better courses than some of the more private clubs. I generally don't agree with Golf Digest rankings, but for 2022 course rankings by state Witch Hollow is ranked higher than Waverley and PGC. Ghost Creek is ranked higher than PGC, which I 100 percent agree with.

 

I'd probably join out there if it wasn't a 30 minute commute without traffic (217 to 26 isn't something I want to volunteer for with traffic). What were your negative experiences?

Some kind of normal stuff but never played a round under 5 hrs including 3 of 6 and 1 over 7. Winter conditions get too swampy but that can and is being addressed as I understand it, just takes time. And ditto for me, I’m in Tualatin/Sherwood area, that drive would kill me. 

[spud3]

A few years back, I had their Ghost Card for a couple seasons, which brought the green fees into semi-tolerable levels.  Was never really taken by the design (never got to play Witch Hollow), and was really annoyed with the poor drainage conditions, even stretching into May and June.

 

Hoping that they are making efforts to improve the drainage, but it's still a long hike out there (I'm located in inner SE Portland).  Not worth it IMO.

[doc52]

9 hours ago, spud3 said:

A few years back, I had their Ghost Card for a couple seasons, which brought the green fees into semi-tolerable levels.  Was never really taken by the design (never got to play Witch Hollow), and was really annoyed with the poor drainage conditions, even stretching into May and June.

 

Hoping that they are making efforts to improve the drainage, but it's still a long hike out there (I'm located in inner SE Portland).  Not worth it IMO.

I played a few rounds on Ghost this winter/spring and the turf conditions were light years better than previous winters. They put some money in the fairways for LIV (12 of the 18 holes were on Ghost).

[bundyloco]

CECC prices as of the Portland Classic LPGA event Sept 2022. The list is comparing a limited special they run during the event vs. regular dues.

[Live Free7]

On 7/11/2022 at 4:19 PM, Stan J said:

I am considering Arrowhead based on proximity. Does anyone know what their current initiation fee and monthly fees are?

A little late to the conversation....but I've been at Arrowhead for the past 2 years.  Was at WVCC for almost 20 prior to that.  Arrowhead is a great experience, course layout is enjoyable,  not quite as nice as WVCC (which is one of my favorites in the Portland area) but the greens are probably better at Arrowhead.

Initiation was running 2500 to 3500 with Monthly dues around $355 a month.  WVCC is at 15,000 and $650 per month.  Food is consistently very good, and reasonable.

Good luck in your search!

[golferTX]

hey there,

 

Curious if anyone still checks this thread?

 

Just moved back to the area after being gone for 15+ yrs. My wife and I are 40...

 

Anyone have latest initiation figures for Oswego Lake, OGC or Waverly or Portland GC? I assume still waiting lists at all of those...maybe not Oregon GC.  

[Seamus_MacDuff]

No private club in the Portland area currently has a waiting list.  I believe Oswego Lake is $58k.  Not exactly sure on Waverly or Portland, but I believe Waverly is in the $90k neighborhood and Portland near $80k.  Would assume Oregon GC is still in the $25k - $30k range.  

[mallrat]

On 5/16/2024 at 8:49 AM, Seamus_MacDuff said:

No private club in the Portland area currently has a waiting list.  I believe Oswego Lake is $58k.  Not exactly sure on Waverly or Portland, but I believe Waverly is in the $90k neighborhood and Portland near $80k.  Would assume Oregon GC is still in the $25k - $30k range.  

I thought I heard PGC & Waverly were in the $60-70 range. 
 

FWIW, I have no idea why anyone would join that course. 

[Seamus_MacDuff]

17 hours ago, mallrat said:

I thought I heard PGC & Waverly were in the $60-70 range. 
 

FWIW, I have no idea why anyone would join that course. 

Which one?  I’m not a big fan of Portland Golf Club, as I don’t think the course is all that interesting, but Waverly is wonderful….easily the best in the Portland area. Beautiful setting, superb set of greens, interesting golf holes. 

[mallrat]

19 hours ago, Seamus_MacDuff said:

Which one?  I’m not a big fan of Portland Golf Club, as I don’t think the course is all that interesting, but Waverly is wonderful….easily the best in the Portland area. Beautiful setting, superb set of greens, interesting golf holes. 

May bad, Oregon Golf Club. Played that course twice and that’s once too many. 

[njlam]

The initiation at PGC is now $72K and there is a small wait list.

The club just completed a comprehensive course renovation and all the changes/modifications/improvements to the course have been welcomed by the membership.

 

[rrheisler]

Bumping this thread.

 

It is looking increasingly likely that we are going to be relocating from rural NH out in the Portland area. My daughter is a ski racer, and so we're likely going to be on the eastern side of things for ease of access over to Mt Hood.

 

With that in mind -- my current club out here is just under $5K annually. Between what I spend in the pro shop and food/recovery beverages, annual spend is north of five figures.

 

What should I be looking at?

[Seamus_MacDuff]

Your options are limited on the east side. Persimmon will unquestionably be the closest to the mountain, and would likely be closest to your budget, but it’s an awkward course that drains poorly. If they have an initiation fee, it’s marginal. 
 

You should check into Riverside CC as well, though it’ll be somewhat more than Persimmon. Much better golf course, though not as close to the mountain. 
 

Columbia Edgewater is the best club on the east side. Dues in the neighborhood of $10k per year and initiation near $20k. 

[rrheisler]

9 hours ago, Seamus_MacDuff said:

Your options are limited on the east side. Persimmon will unquestionably be the closest to the mountain, and would likely be closest to your budget, but it’s an awkward course that drains poorly. If they have an initiation fee, it’s marginal. 
 

You should check into Riverside CC as well, though it’ll be somewhat more than Persimmon. Much better golf course, though not as close to the mountain. 
 

Columbia Edgewater is the best club on the east side. Dues in the neighborhood of $10k per year and initiation near $20k. 

 

Ah, thanks. Used to playing in, shall we say, soft conditions at the current place sometimes. Squishy, even.

 

Although my golf is important...getting into good school districts and then the kiddo into a ski program is the priority, first. If that means I have to spend more for golf...well, so be it. I also shouldn't have to be spending $500/month on home heating oil and another thousand on firewood to heat a log cabin anymore...

[njlam]

may be harder to find a good school district on the east side than a golf club...

[mallrat]

On 2/27/2025 at 4:34 AM, rrheisler said:

Bumping this thread.

 

It is looking increasingly likely that we are going to be relocating from rural NH out in the Portland area. My daughter is a ski racer, and so we're likely going to be on the eastern side of things for ease of access over to Mt Hood.

 

With that in mind -- my current club out here is just under $5K annually. Between what I spend in the pro shop and food/recovery beverages, annual spend is north of five figures.

 

What should I be looking at?

Not to discourage you at all but have you looked at Bend? Cost of living is higher and the pay scale is lower but if you have a job where you can swing it. Mt Bachelor has a pretty serious ski racing program and Bend Country Club sounds like it would be right up your alley. 
 

Multnomah Athletic Club is a gym in downtown Oregon that has a yr round program including indoor conditioning programs. On the East Side skiing and golf are kind of opposites there. As said Persimmon is a good bet but kind of a funky track. Oregon City has some decent schools and is not that far from the mountain. Also have Stone Creek (a public track) or you could go the back roads to Willamette Valley Country Club in 10-15 minutes. 
 

If school is most important, look into reasonable drives to Central Catholic High School. 
 

Hope this helps

[rrheisler]

On 2/28/2025 at 6:51 PM, mallrat said:

Not to discourage you at all but have you looked at Bend? Cost of living is higher and the pay scale is lower but if you have a job where you can swing it. Mt Bachelor has a pretty serious ski racing program and Bend Country Club sounds like it would be right up your alley. 
 

Multnomah Athletic Club is a gym in downtown Oregon that has a yr round program including indoor conditioning programs. On the East Side skiing and golf are kind of opposites there. As said Persimmon is a good bet but kind of a funky track. Oregon City has some decent schools and is not that far from the mountain. Also have Stone Creek (a public track) or you could go the back roads to Willamette Valley Country Club in 10-15 minutes. 
 

If school is most important, look into reasonable drives to Central Catholic High School. 
 

Hope this helps

 

The Director of Household Operations (aka the Mrs) will be the one with the job relo, and HQ is on the east side of Portland. So as much as we love Bend...that ain't happening.

 

As for school districts...considering that we're used to paying for private school back here...nothing would shock me anymore.

[njlam]

I think the Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC) has a junior ski team and a bus that takes the team to Mt Hood every weekend in season.

If you joined the MAC (not hard) you may not need to confine yourself to the east side for golf and/or schools. The west side has many more options.

The most important consideration when moving to the Portland area is to avoid Multnomah County.

[spud3]

As a general rule, public high schools are better on the West side of town (Lincoln, Ida Wells) and there are more private options (Riverdale, St Marys, Catlin Gabel) or South (Lake Oswego, Lakeridge, West Linn).  All of these have ski teams and shuttle buses to the mountain.  My daughter was on the ski team at Cleveland (SE Portland) and they would regularly buddy-up with another school's bus for trips.

 

Depending on how far east your wife's job is located, you can still live closer to the better schools, as her commute from the West side would be going opposite the normal rush hour traffic. Unless Hwy's 26 and 217 are involved, which both suck massively both ways all day long.  Property values are accordingly higher in the areas mentioned above.

[njlam]

FWIW, Riversdale, Lake Oswego, Lakeridge, West Linn are all public schools on the west side of town.

As @rrheisler is coming from the east coast, he should be prepared for a degree of culture shock when it comes to education. Oregon does not prioritize education and our public schools are some of the worst in the country. While Oregonians celebrate not having a sales tax, the inevitable shortfalls in funding for education is not surprising.

I am not saying this to be controversial (not a criticism, just an observation), but merely to contrast our poor school systems with our vast resources in public (and private) golf courses. It will be much easier to find a place to play than to find a school to educate your kid(s).

 

If I were moving to the area, aside from avoiding Multnomah County, I would decide if you can afford private school and if you have financial resources left, decide which side of town you want to live, and then consider what is available. Most of the private schools should have a ski team option, so that may take care of itself.

Edited March 4 by njlam

[rrheisler]

Appreciate the info, y'all.

 

Some more background: we're currently in rural New Hampshire. As in, I live in a log cabin with six acres of land on a dirt road with a total of five houses on my side of the street for a mile. We've paid for private school for our daughter the entire time we've been here. We're used to the lack of public school infrastructure, the no sales/income tax (and the subsequent property taxes that go along side it), etc.

 

She's also an extremely competitive ski racer; currently races for Stratton Mountain, and her dream is to go to one of the mountain academies for high school. Outside of the absolute heartburn that price tag is (think: $300K for high school before talking about any of the ski equipment or travel required)...she's on that track. She also swims, participates in the youth triathlon we put on out here. She just needs to start riding horses to hit expensive white girl sport bingo. (If any of you put her on that path, I will find you.)

 

We currently daily commute the mountain (every weekend and holiday day from December 1 to March 31); it's just under an hour each way for us. Reaching the limit of what I'd prefer to do every day on out that way. But she's going to be racing, and she's going to be there for four months out of the year.

 

It's all a fire hose. We initially thought we'd be looking at Denver / SLC but it is sounding increasingly likely it will be PDX.

[njlam]

If your kid is truly skiing at an elite level and she expect to continue post-HS (college/WC/Olympics), I would  suggest considering home or online schooling, live on the east side for your wife's commute/proximity to Rt 26 (the road to MT Hood) and try to join Riverside or Columbia Edgewater for golf.

In Portland, there are some pockets of athletic excellence (for example saber fencing) where  families have moved to the area to access the excellent coaching resources. Many of these families have turned to on-line/home schooling, not only because of the lack of scholastic options, but for the flexibility that on-line/home school provides for junior athletes.

[rrheisler]

8 hours ago, njlam said:

If your kid is truly skiing at an elite level and she expect to continue post-HS (college/WC/Olympics), I would  suggest considering home or online schooling, live on the east side for your wife's commute/proximity to Rt 26 (the road to MT Hood) and try to join Riverside or Columbia Edgewater for golf.

In Portland, there are some pockets of athletic excellence (for example saber fencing) where  families have moved to the area to access the excellent coaching resources. Many of these families have turned to on-line/home schooling, not only because of the lack of scholastic options, but for the flexibility that on-line/home school provides for junior athletes.

 

Yeah, I mean, the conversations my wife and I have had is that her 529 is likely for mountain high school, and then the most likely outcomes from there are NCAA or FIS. Literally got a recruiting mail piece from Burke Mountain Academy (notably, Mikaela Shiffrin's old stomping grounds) yesterday. Sent a picture of it to my wife with "it begins" as the message.

 

Like, we've started looking at some of the communities further out on 26 as a baseline. Work for her would be near Cleveland HS as a landmark (hooray, something I recognize only thanks to this thread). I am remote...which means I work from anywhere, which of course means I work from everywhere. Offices include a golf cart, the bar at the current club, a chairlift at the mountain, the lodge, occasionally a cubicle, my basement...always an adventure.

[njlam]

FYI, 529s can only be used for $10K/year for private HS, so it won't get you very far for BMA or any of the Portland area private schools. In my experience, Jesuit HS is the one that gives junior athletes the most flexibility. Unfortunately, JHS is on the west side of town.

[rrheisler]

5 hours ago, njlam said:

FYI, 529s can only be used for $10K/year for private HS, so it won't get you very far for BMA or any of the Portland area private schools. In my experience, Jesuit HS is the one that gives junior athletes the most flexibility. Unfortunately, JHS is on the west side of town.

 

This thread is proving to be an infinite wealth of knowledge. Thank you...

[wooseph]

Hey, I'm a member out at Oregon Golf Club in West Linn. Very polarizing on these forums, but as a young family we've really enjoyed our time there. A great membership, incredible teaching staff, on the Mt. Hood side of town. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the area- I was a Realtor for 13 years (I decided to work full time launching a golf company this year) so I have a ton of experience helping people navigate what you are thinking about doing. Best of luck! 

[mallrat]

2 hours ago, wooseph said:

Hey, I'm a member out at Oregon Golf Club in West Linn. Very polarizing on these forums, but as a young family we've really enjoyed our time there. A great membership, incredible teaching staff, on the Mt. Hood side of town. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the area- I was a Realtor for 13 years (I decided to work full time launching a golf company this year) so I have a ton of experience helping people navigate what you are thinking about doing. Best of luck! 

We have 2 friends that used to be members out there. They loved the experience and all that went with it. No offense, I hate the course, but they loved everything else. They were proud of the course so never let them know my feelings. 

[wooseph]

I

8 hours ago, mallrat said:

We have 2 friends that used to be members out there. They loved the experience and all that went with it. No offense, I hate the course, but they loved everything else. They were proud of the course so never let them know my feelings. 

I find that the majority of the people I talk with that hate OGC never adjusted to hitting off uneven lies or hate the walk. I don't walk every round by any means, but we have Evans Scholar caddies during the summers now and it isn't impossible by any stretch. A few holes are admittedly stupid (looking at you, 9) but the rest range from fine to great. If you've got the money, go to PGC, Waverly, or Columbia. I toured and have played all of those, and we chose OGC because it felt most like a second home. I think the best "hidden gem" is Arrowhead, but just too far out in the sticks to make sense.

One plus is that your handicap really travels. I'm an OGC 7 which means I shoot 75 whenever I go to Langdon or Stone Creek. Different strokes for different folks!

[njlam]

If it snowed more in the Portland area, OGC could double as a ski resort.