All You Can Eat

Willows Run, Eagle's Talon
Willows Run, Eagle’s Talon
WILLOWS RUN GOLF COMPLEX

Redmond | willowsrun.com

Some courses have more than 18 holes, some have par-3 courses, some have putting courses … in the state of Washington, at least, only Willows Run has it all.

New to the game, short on time, or just want to work on your iron play and short game? Play Heron Links, Willows’ nine-hole par-3 course, with tee boxes ranging from 86-170 yards. Looking to play a course that doesn’t require you to mash the ball 280 yards, but still provides plenty of challenge? Hit Coyote Creek, which at just 6,300 yards from the tips may not seem like much, but with water in play on nearly every hole (in the form of creeks, streams and ponds, sometimes hidden from view) boasts a 70.8 rating identical to the blue tees at famously tough White Horse.

And if it’s a tougher challenge you’re looking for, then play Eagle’s Talon, which is longer and tighter than Coyote Creek, but still fair enough to give the thousands of mid- and high-handicappers who flock to Willows year-round a chance.

Of course, maybe you just want a fun day out with the family, exposing your kids to golf in the hopes that they’ll one day share your lifetime love of the game — in that case, Willows’ putting course, Discovery Trail (formerly Rainbow Run) will fit the bill, taking you through natural tunnels, under bridges and around rock walls. Willows is also expanding its clubhouse and dining facilities later this year, which will make it a destination not just for golf, but for meals and weddings, too.

Rates start at just $27 in the summer, peaking at $60 for a non-member on a weekend. If you’re planning to play 36 at Willows, we recommend an early tee time at Eagle’s Talon (the slightly pricier of the two championship courses) to take advantage of early-bird rates that are just $41 for non-members on weekends, followed by an afternoon tee time at Coyote Creek. For cost (under $100, combined, before tax) and convenience (just 10 minutes east of I-405 in Redmond), you can’t do better.

Gold Mountain, Olympic Course (photo by Rob Perry / robperry.com)
Gold Mountain, Olympic Course (photo by Rob Perry / robperry.com)
GOLD MOUNTAIN GOLF CLUB

Bremerton | goldmountaingolf.com

There’s really no place that better expresses what Western Washington golf is, and can be, than Gold Mountain. Particularly the Olympic Course, on which designer John Harbottle (whose Palouse Ridge is for the east side of the state what the Olympic is for the west) took an odd patch of land and turned it into a course that many golfers think belongs at the top of Washington’s “best public courses” list.

Indeed, it’s never ranked lower than fourth in our bi-annual official rankings, and is the only course ever to place in the top-six with a greens fee under $99 — summer rates top out around $70-$75, but drop to $30-$40 after 3 p.m., making it Washington’s best value by far.

It was a staple of ‘90s teen movies to have a quiet, nerdy girl, who suddenly takes off her glasses, straightens her hair, puts on a dress and — voila! — is revealed to be an incredible beauty that, somehow, everyone has overlooked. That’s kind of what it’s like to step onto the Cascade course — you came for the Olympic but, hey, this is pretty good, too! Reachable par-5s bookend your round, giving even shorter hitters a decent chance to start and/or end your round with a birdie, while the holes between display many of the same features as the Olympic — rolling terrain, tree-lined fairways and excellent maintenance.

What the Olympic adds to that equation is drama — whether blasting for the green on the downhill, par-5 sixth; playing a long approach over the water on the par-5 ninth; hitting a downhill shot at the 200-yard, par-3 12th; or finishing with Washington’s best closing stretch, almost every hole is one you remember long after your round. Ask 100 golfers for their favorite hole on the Olympic, and you’ll hear at least eight or nine different answers.

Finishing on the Olympic, too, brings your round to a close at the 18th, which plays either 255 or 271 yards, depending on whether you play the whites or blues, across nothing but trouble to the green below. It’s reachable even for shorter hitters, and the layup shot is no piece of cake, so you might as well go for it. That’s what these 36-hole days are all about, anyway — casting worries to the wind, putting a club in your hand, and having the time of your life.

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