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Destination: Three Picks for Northwest Golf
However, seeing a family of foxes on the West Seattle Golf Course or deer near the fairways of Kayak Point and Gold Mountain takes the sting out of a fat chip shot or a three-putt.
The above mentioned courses are some of the best in the Seattle area.
Here's what you can look forward to: (Prices and hours subject to change)
West Seattle Municipal Golf Course
Address: 4470 35th Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA (20-minute drive from downtown Seattle.)
This course offers spectacular view of Elliott Bay and the Duwamish Waterway. Designed by H. Chandler Egan, the 130-acre site sprawls across a picturesque hillside. Old growth madronas, maples and evergreens extend through the front nine. The layout involves gullies, creeks, drainage ditches, and thick-grass fairways.
Top holes include the 4th, a 503-yard par-5 that starts with a blind drive over a fairway hillock. The 12th hole has become a challenging 515-yarder with Longfellow Creek at the base of its tee.
And yes, there is a family of foxes living on this urban course. Keep your eyes peeled for the foxes on the 10th and 18th holes.
Kayak Point Golf Course
Address: 15711 Marine Dr. Stanwood, WA (45 miles North of Seattle).
This 227-acre reserve is one of the Northwest's premier public courses. In 1996, Golf Digest gave Kayak Point four-star status.
On a recent golf outing, I spotted a pair of eagles gliding above the 1st hole, tree-squeezed fairway. Other wildlife on the course: hawks, deer, squirrels and beavers.
With its heavily wooded and hilly terrain, Kayak Point provides a challenging test for golfers. Winds off Puget Sound can skew shots hit above the timberline.
Among the best holes is the 2nd, a 549-yard par-5 that winds to the right off a pond-fronted tee. The home hole is a grueling uphill, 418-yard par-4 that requires a 250-yard drive from the back tees to cross a ravine. Shot-blocking firs line the right side of the fairway. After finishing this hole, you are ready to stagger into the clubhouse for a cold one.
Gold Mountain Golf Course
Address: 7263 West Belfair Valley Road, Bremerton, WA (approx. one hour or more from Seattle).
Cascade Course: This popular course occupies well-treed terrain that ranges from flat to moderately rolling. Golfers will encounter 30-plus bunkers, two ponds, and some large trees.
Top holes include the 5th, a 423-yard-par-4 with a tree-lined, up-and-down fairway leading to a green that tilts rightward to a sand trap.
Olympic Course: This is one of the best Northwest courses to open in recent years. Many angles, slopes and rolling hills define the greens. There are also water hazards and bunkers of all shapes and sizes.
On a recent golf outing, I saw deer munching on tender grass near the 1st hole tee box!
There are many interesting holes, including the top-rated 8th, 467-yard par-4 with a good-sized landing area with a creek and a pond on the right. The last 170 yards are narrow and uphill, while the final 110 yards are lined along the right by a pond.
It is a steep hike from the 9th green to the 10th tee, and it's worth getting a cart just to scale this one stretch.
The 10th, a 466-yard par4, has water right of its raised tee and then bends uphill to the right. At the 175-yard mark, the left-sloping hole winds left and dumps to a skinny, two tiered green protected by a pot bunker left.
This course can be torture, but you'll love every minute of it.
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There is a wild and wooly side of golf in the Seattle area. In fact, it has been said many times that eagles appear in trees more often than on scorecards.
