22 minute read
Cascade Golfer Short Game
SHORT GAME • 1
B.C.’s Ames aiming for three-peat at 20th Boeing Classic — Tour legend Langer may appear
The Boeing Classic, which will be held for the 20th time at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, has the potential to make Champions Tour history this August 8-10.
Stephen Ames has won the Boeing glass world trophy the past two years, coming from seven strokes down a year ago to win by one. No one has ever won the tournament three consecutive times. If he wins, it would be the 11th time we’ve had a three-peat in Champions Tour history.
Interestingly enough, Ames comes into the 2025 season with a chance to do it twice, at both Boeing and the Mitsubishi Electric Classic. Not to be outdone, two other veteran three-peaters, Steve Stricker (Sanford International) and Padraig Harrington (Dick’s Open), will both attempt to win their fourth straight title at a single event this season.
The 61-year-old Ames, who lives just up the road in Vancouver, B.C., joined the 50-plus Champions Tour in 2014 but did not win his first event until 2017. Overall, he has won nine events, including seven over the past two seasons. He’s among the hottest sticks on this Tour.
As always, Ames will share the headlines with hometown favorite Freddie Couples, not to mention four-time major champion Ernie “Big Easy” Els (who finished second to Ames in Snoqualmie a year ago), if he feels fit enough to play. There’s also Steven Alker, who has been a dominant force on the Tour with two Charles Schwab Cup season titles over the past three years. He finished in a tie for second behind Ames here last season.
Couples is fresh off his memorable 2025 Masters where he holed-out from 191 yards on the par-5 14th — his senior shot heard ‘round the world.
The 78-player field will likely include indefatigable Bernhard Langer, the all-time Champions Tour winner with 47 victories. Langer, the owner of two Boeing titles, will turn 69 on August 27.
The tournament — which will be held here until at least 2029 — brings pros, sponsors, sports celebrities, and guests together for charity functions, raising more than $10 million for the Benaroya Research Institute and other local philanthropic endeavors.
Every year, weather permitting, Boeing offers its own version of a “shotgun” start Friday with a plane flyover through the Cascade Mountain valley above the 18th hole. Another Boeing plane comes ceremoniously through the valley again as the final putt drops to close the tournament, tipping a wing to the champion and the fans.
The players compete for a $2.3 million purse, as one player “Ames” for the $330,000 first-place check for a third time.
Visit boeingclassic.com for tournament updates, tickets and to volunteer.
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SHORT GAME • 2
Meadow Park to host all-new Northwest Golf Skills Fest on June 28 – bring a smile and your short game
The all-new Northwest Golf Skills Fest June 28 — a day of music, food and drink for hackers and scratch players alike, is surely something you will have never experienced anywhere.
An amazing Skills Challenge along with an 18-hole Putting Championship, mix in a fantastic driving range, a few vendors and some food and beverage fun — it’s the perfect way to enjoy the game and summer sun with your friends, family or solo.
No stress, just fun, festive and full of prizes and high fives. But if you are looking for some competition, the 16 contests in the skills challenge on the Meadow Park Williams 9, will be like Disneyland for golfers.
Cascade Golfer will take over the short course in Lakewood along with their massive putting green, turning it into a golf festival of skills, sights and sounds.
Each contestant will make a loop around the course and compete at 16 different stations. At each stop they will showcase their skills in hitting fairways, putting, chipping, bunker play and par 3 attempts. There will be 59-plus shots using nearly every club in your bag.
In addition to awarding a champ on each hole, our Skills Fest will also crown several winners in multiple challenges and divisions. This includes a golf stay-and-play package to Mexico for the golfer that wins it all! We will award golf product and twosomes for each contest – over 50 prizes.
If you have what it takes or are looking for fun in the sun with your friends — we’ve got you covered. Entry fee is $95 for the Skills Challenge and $25 for the Putting Championship, which includes a cool swag bag. Or just come hang out.
Go to CascadeGolfer.com to register.
THE SKINNY ON THE PUTTING CHAMPIONSHIP AND SKILLS CHALLENGE
• The Skills Challenge will consist of 16 different stations where golfers will hit 3-4 shots per stop.
• You earn points at each station depending on the results of your shots.
• The Putting Championship is 18 holes — all on the practice green there — low score wins.
YOU HIT 59-PLUS SHOTS AT THE SKILLS CHALLENGE
• Four Closest-to-the-Pins: Par-3s from 100-190 yards, each player hits four shots from each station – playing from the tees that suit your division.
• Straight Drive: Women, Juniors and Super Seniors will play different tees ranging from 160-280 yards. Each contestant hits four tee shots at two different locations.
• Six-Foot Putt: All players try to save par with this knee-knocker.
• 10-Foot Putt: Each contestant will get four runs at a 10-foot putt.
• Lag Putt: Pick your line and dial in your speed – take four putts trying to leave a tap in.
• Texas Wedge: For those with chipping yips, this is for you – four shots from off the green with the flatstick.
• Bump-and-Run Chip: Four attempts to show your Scottish skills at the pin.
• Short Chip Shot: The bread and butter for us all. Take four and check it close.
• Bunker Shot One and Two: Six total sandy swings in two locations.
• Stinger Straight Drive Shot: Each of you take four whacks to hit it straight as a string between 140-200 yards.
• Two-Foot Putt: Coffee is for closers here. Make it and take it back two feet and so on — putt until you miss. Each contestant will get one putt.
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SHORT GAME • 3
Cle Elum’s Suncadia defines Cascade Mountain hospitality
It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since a helicopter carrying Arnold Palmer landed on the practice range at the Suncadia Resort ahead of the Prospector Course’s official opening. There to schmooze with the media, the King answered questions for an hour or more, saying what a thrill it had been to build a course in so beautiful a place.
Palmer had worked in the Evergreen State before, of course, designing the excellent Semiahmoo in Blaine in 1986. At Suncadia, his layout was typical of the man — full of fun shots and delightful holes that moved through a pine forest and made the most of the site’s natural features, the round closing with a brilliant par-5 that curved left and finished on an angled green where approach shots that were pulled or hit with a hint of hook-spin ended up wet.
None of his courses were especially easy, but neither did they take a lump of flesh and spit it out. You might make a birdie or two on a Palmer course, but hopefully not make worse than a double-bogey. The King had fun playing golf and so should you. And while that may not have attracted the top-100 chasers who sought demanding golf and ‘resistance to scoring,’ it made an awful lot of golfers very glad they played the game.
Prospector is like that. It makes you happy rather than angry. And while the 18th is certainly a fine way to bring the round to an end, the course’s most pictured hole is surely the 10th. A spectacular 408-yard par-4 played from an elevated tee toward a fairway bordered by a large bunker on the left and two wrinkly bunkers on the right that are surrounded by mounds and set into a hillside which, because the hole bends to the left, look as it they are right in front of you.
The incredible view from the tee with the forest and Cascade Range in the background is overwhelming but you must focus on your task of avoiding the fairways bunkers then finding the narrow, diagonally slanting green with two more large bunkers to the right of the putting surface.
The 10th is one of the highlights in a round full of them — it’s no surprise the course gets a 90 percent approval rating on GolfPass. And there are plenty more memorable moments on Suncadia’s other resort course — Rope Rider, which opened six years after Prospector and was designed by Peter Jacobsen and Jim Hardy.
Named for the coal miners who balanced on coal cars that sunk deep into the earth at Roslyn Mines nine and 10, Rope Rider is made up of three loops of six holes, meaning you have the option of playing six, 12 or 18.
Following the round, enjoy a glass of Proprietary Red, Red Blend or any of Swiftwater Cellars’ other delicious wines in the winery that must serve as one of the finest clubhouses in the country. From the verandah, you’ll see Tipple Hill, a 100-foot slag heap that looks an awful lot better than it sounds.
Together, the two courses record roughly 40,000 rounds a year, each doing about half that number. A lot of sand was recently put down on both courses to improve their drainage and keep the playing surfaces firm and dry.
This year, Kittitas County residents can play the course for $125 each from Monday to Thursday, and the resort is also offering a $219 36-hole special.
And speaking of doing something special, how about scheduling a Pamper and Putt stay/play package at the resort, 80 miles west of Seattle on I-90 and where your room comes with a round of golf and a 50-minute spa session — check the website for available dates or give the resort a ring on (866) 904-6300.
As with any resort of this size (the resort covers 6,400 acres of which 4,400 is permanent open space, and the Lodge has 254 guest rooms) there are plenty of dining options. Enjoy Hoist House where you’ll eat one of the finest steaks you ever had, The Fireside Lounge, The Source Plates and Pours, the Stovehouse, Coal House Market, Mulligans, and the Cascades Food Truck and Bar where a permanently-parked food truck serves up favorites.
There’s a lot to see, do, and eat at Suncadia, but you’ll have the most fun at the resort’s two superb public golf courses which you’ll play and likely rank among your favorites.
Suncadia.com is a wonderful tool to craft your experience there this summer.
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SHORT GAME • 4
Summer Special for the CG Players Card features 11 courses and a bucket of balls, for less than $20 a round
At a time when golf course green fees (and everything else) continue to spike, everyone is looking to play golf without breaking the bank. If less than $20 a round is your style, the Cascade Golfer Players Card is the deal of deals. Eleven rounds for just $219 — a discount of over $500 — at awesome courses throughout western and central Washington. And the CG Summer Special is even better: $80 off, plus a NW Golfers Playbook.
The 2025 Players Card Summer Special now gets you on the course for around a dollar a hole. This is the 14th edition featuring: Port Ludlow, Apple Tree, Sun Country, Horn Rapids, Eagles Pride, Desert Aire, Whidbey, Camaloch, High Cedars, LakeLand Village and Highlander. Plus, range balls at the Puetz Driving Range in North Seattle. Lastly, you’ll get a NW Golfers Playbook and Golf Show tickets at Will Call in 2026.
Play any of the 11 individually this summer, fall or winter, they are all good through the season/end of 2025. Or grab a buddy and head out for a 36-hole day. Maybe you’re looking for a multi-day road trip? Many pair up for a great back-to-back. Or use them at your leisure knowing using just four or five of the rounds can have you in the black. The number of Players Cards is very limited − at the time of printing less than 50 remain.
Log on to CascadeGolfer.com and get your card today. See you at the 19th hole!
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SHORT GAME • 5
Point Roberts G&CC comes full circle and reopens with its international flair
The golf course located in the northwest corner of the Point Roberts exclave reopened this year on April 18 after years of adversity, which saw it open and close like a swinging saloon door. The tee sheet for reopening day was full, according to General Manager Tracy Evans, with 99 percent of times taken by Canadian golfers who looked for colored balls hidden in the trees and rough that won them free rounds or cart rentals.
You might know the course as Bald Eagle, but it has reverted back to its former name of Point Roberts Golf & Country Club, a move that returns its sense of place. After originally opening in 2001, it closed in 2016, when the former owners experienced financial difficulties. After reopening in 2018 (following significant renovation under new ownership), the course was forced to close again due to Covid, when neither Canadians nor Americans could enter Point Roberts. It suffered a third closure in 2023.
Now, at last, it seems stable with a new owner — Vancouver businessman Jack Li — who is a member at suburban Vancouver’s excellent Point Grey GC, which Brad Ziemer of britishcolumbiagolf.org says Li sees as a model for the Point Roberts course.
Originally designed by Canadian architect Wayne Carleton, who oversaw the 2018 renovation as well, Point Roberts G&CC is surprisingly respectable for such an out of the way destination, and after a couple more years of rehabilitation, it might conceivably threaten for a spot in our biennial Top 10 public course rankings. Indeed, Golf Digest rated it one of the 10 best new public courses in the country the year it opened.
Though technically in Washington State, all but a thousand or so Washingtonians need to go through two border crossings to get there (into British Columbia then back into the U.S.), which might prevent enough voters from playing it. However, with a weekday green fee of just $60 and $70 on the weekends, we absolutely recommend you go at least once.
Superintendent Rick Hoole, who maintained the playing surfaces by himself during Covid, was joined by a 30-man crew (volunteers and newly-appointed staff) in the months preceding the April reopening, and together, they returned the course (whose nines have been flipped) to tip-top shape.
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SHORT GAME • 6
Swinomish Casino and Lodge offers the complete getaway package to enjoy golfing and gaming in picturesque Anacortes
Nestled on the splendid Fidalgo Island in Anacortes, the Swinomish Casino and Lodge offers a unique blend of gaming, lodging, dining, and recreation, making it a worthy destination in your golf travels. Swinomish is easily accessible, a couple hours’ drive from Seattle and just under an hour from Bellingham. The resort features 98 well-appointed guest rooms, each offering a view of Padilla Bay, the Swinomish Channel, the San Juan Islands, or Mount Baker. Accommodations include deluxe bay view rooms, which provide all the views you could want and all the modern amenities you expect. Room rates vary depending on the season and room type.
For golfers, Swinomish stay-and-play packages offer a seamless experience, combining overnight accommodations with rounds at the Swinomish Golf Links. Packages offer convenience and a solid value, allowing guests to enjoy both the comforts of the lodge and the challenges of the course.
Swinomish Golf Links
The Swinomish Golf Links is a rustic and playable 18-hole, par-71 course designed by Rod Turner, which opened in 1945. The course stretches to a manageable 6,177 yards from the back tees, featuring open, tree-lined fairways and panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.
Green fees vary by season and time of day. During the off-season (October to March), weekday rates for 18 holes are $32, with weekend rates at $38. Seniors, military personnel, and juniors (17 and under) receive discounted rates, with juniors playing free when accompanied by a paying adult. Twilight rates are also offered in the afternoon.
The course features elevation changes and strategic challenges, with notable holes offering both scenic beauty and a test of skill. The Swinomish Golf Links Performance Center provides golf instruction for all skill levels, custom fitting sessions, and a pro shop stocked with top-tier merchandise.
Food and drink
13moons Restaurant is Swinomish’s fine-dining option, offering a menu inspired by the Pacific Northwest. Featured dishes include Alder wood-grilled seafood and meats in an elegant setting adorned with Swinomish Native tribal art.
13moons’ chef, Daniel Norman, has worked for the Swinomish tribe since 2005. He’s well-versed in the local fishery, and over the years has learned to identify the freshest seafood and native indigenous ingredients in preparing the most distinctive seafood dishes in the northwest Washington region.
Swinomish Sports Bar & Grill is a tavern-casual spot ideal for watching games in which you have a stake in the outcome (it’s next door to the BetRivers Sportsbook). Foodwise, it offers a range of all the bar grub you love: burgers, pasta, and seafood, complemented by a peerless selection of microbrews and cocktails.
Carver’s Café offers classic American cuisine in a setting surrounded by walls of historical Swinomish photos and hand-carved décor by tribal members. The menu includes starters, soups, sandwiches, salads, burgers, classic entrées, breakfast, and desserts.
At Swin Pizzeria, you can glom a slice of a classic favorite or build your own 16-incher with your favorite toppings.
For a bit of burger bliss, visit the world-famous Fatburger near the casino floor.
Casino and gaming
The Swinomish Casino features more than 600 slot machines and the whole range of table games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat and poker, catering to both novice and experienced players. The gaming area is designed to provide a comfortable and exciting environment for all guests.
Located adjacent to the Swinomish Sports Bar & Grill is the BetRivers Sportsbook. Name a sport on which BetRivers won’t let you get a bet down. Good luck. Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NHL, the NBA, the WBA, horseracing, NCAA, NASCAR and mixed martial arts all test your betting acumen.
A 30-foot video wall, eight self-service kiosks, and a full-service counter for in-person betting.
Nifty option: Build and scan your bets online via QR codes at kiosks.
Easy to get there
Reaching the Swinomish Casino and Lodge is straightforward. From Seattle, take I-5 north to Highway 20 West, leading directly to Anacortes. From Bellingham, travel south on I-5, then west on Highway 20. The resort is conveniently located just off the highway.
Whether you’re seeking a weekend escape, a respite from city life, or everything fun this place has to offer — dining, drinking, gaming and golf — Swinomish Casino and Lodge is the complete package.
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SHORT GAME • 7
Duke’s Seafood Junior Golf Scholarship Winner Bryson Chang is beyond impressive
When Jin Chang contacted us early last year to nominate his then-seven/now-eight-year-old son Bryson for the Duke’s Junior Scholarship, we took a brief glance at the young golfer’s resume and immediately thought “Yep, there’s a future winner.”
Jin gave us more than enough information, stats, and results for us to make the award right then and there, but we had other very impressive junior golfers lined up, so it would have to wait. When it came time to celebrate Bryson, the story would surely write itself as he had already achieved so much.
Well, that was early last year. Now, 18 months later, we have a year’s worth of new tournament results and accomplishments to report and, suffice to say, we are not short of material.
In 2024, Bryson, who attends Northshore Christian Academy in Everett, tied for ninth in the U.S. Kids’ Golf (USKG) World Championship. That’s WORLD Championship! In local tournaments, played in Seattle, Tacoma, Tri-Cities, Portland and the Central Valley in Oregon, he finished first 15 times. That’s 15! He was second five times and took third on three occasions. In USKG regional events, he finished in the top five twice and, at statewide tournaments, he won once and was runner-up twice.
In the Chambers Bay Stroke Series, he was three times a winner, and in Washington Junior Golf Association (WJGA) Sub-District No. 1 tournaments, he likewise won three times. In the one event he played on the prestigious Hurricane Junior Tour, he came in second.
At the time of writing, Bryson had only competed in one tournament in 2025 – a USKG event in Arizona where he finished second.
To build a record like that, your ball-striking, short-game and putting all must be pretty good, obviously, but Bryson actually rates his mindset and preparation as the best parts of his game.
“I think I’m good at setting up a game plan,” he says. “It all depends on the course, the set-up, the wind, etc.”
There can’t be many eight-year-olds devising game plans ahead of a tournament round, but it’s probably a part of what set Bryson’s two great golfing heroes — Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy — apart from their competition at a similar age.
Bryson thinks the scholarship money will go towards a new set of irons, and says he likes McIlroy best of all. Yes, he watched his hero claim his first Green Jacket at the Masters in April and says he got a little emotional when the final putt dropped.
“I was really happy because it was the moment that he achieved a Grand Slam,” says Bryson, who fully intends to play Augusta National one day.
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SHORT GAME • 8
2025 Northwest Golfers Playbook available now — over 120 offers at 98 locations
Spring is here and we are starting to get our first real nice nibbles of sunshine. The 2025 Northwest Golfers Playbook will help keep things warm and your wallet thicker — golf is not cheap, but we got ya with this passport of savings.
Several of Washington’s top 15 courses are included in the 2025 edition (Gamble Sands, Wine Valley, Suncadia, Apple Tree, White Horse, The Home Course and Port Ludlow) as well as many of your local favorites — more than we can list here.
Golf’s popularity — indoors and out — continues to soar. Several new indoor facilities jumped into the book last year, and more again in 2025. Backspins in Sedro Wooley, Iron Eagle in Monroe, Stadium in Tacoma and Pinseeker in Bremerton all have something to incentivize you to give them each a go.
You will find 2-for-1s, 4-for-3s, percentage discounts, free carts, lessons, range balls, twosome and foursome offers, simulator time specials, food and beverage perks and more. Plus of course, Puetz Golf, where you get $10 off, along with several other invites from their four locations.
With more than 120 pages of golf deals, you simply need to use a few coupons and be “in the black.”
Purchase a book online for $44.95 — use the code SaveTen to save another $10 off. Whether you’re staying close to home or hitting the road, keep this beauty in your golf bag and reap the rewards all year.
Pick one up at NWGolfersPlaybook.com or perhaps buy one as a gift — it never stops giving.
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SHORT GAME • 9
Play in the CG Summer Classic at Chambers Bay August 16 – make your own major memories
It’s has been a decade since the U.S. Open came through Chambers Bay, and over 15 years since the inaugural Cascade Golfer Cup teed it up in University Place.
The course was developing and still five years away from hosting a Major back then. Now 15 years later, a much more mature Chambers Bay has blossomed and is a thrill to play. We at Cascade Golfer, are excited to host our 17th golf tournament on these hallowed grounds for the all-new Summer Classic on August 16. The format will be a two-person best ball with some serious loot on the line.
For the winning teams, off to Mexico you go to Villa del Palmar on the Sea of Cortez where the TPC at Danzante Bay awaits — it’s one of the most stunning golf courses on the planet. Four nights and all-inclusive food and drink comes with the package. The rest of the prize pool features gross and net payouts for any team that finishes in the top 10 of either division. Golf in Vegas plus several well-known Washington and Puget Sound course packages will be awarded. Closest-to-the-pin, straight and long drive bragging rights are all up for grabs, too.
It’s always a treat to tee it up at Chambers Bay, the track our readers voted as the Best Public Golf Course in 2024. For four of you, the Mexican dream trip above is yours for the taking. Get inside the ropes at CascadeGolfer.com.
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