CG Media Kit 2026

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2026

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VOLUME 19 • ISSUE 4 • DECEMBER

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10th Anniversary

Gamble Sands’

U.S. Open at Chambers Bay

Hole No. 15 • Par 5

bold new course delivers thrills, beauty and a touch of danger

N

UNIVERSITY PLACE’S

Permanent Sandcastle

you’ve seen, and irrespective of how often you’ve looked across at the site when arriving

at Gamble Sands for a round on the Gamble Sands Course, nothing can fully prepare you for what you’re about to experience on Scarecrow, the resort’s new 18-holer that opens on Aug. 1.

Because you’ve played Gamble Sands, you’ll know where you are. The new course’s DNA is very similar to that

Hole No. 9 • Par 3

of its much-loved older sibling — generous landing areas mean it’s playable for everybody — but there are holes

A ‘Sound’ dream built on a sand and gravel mine, the Chambers Bay story and legacy endures

on Scarecrow, several in fact, that you’re going to have to play a few times to fully appreciate.

46

cascadegolfer.com

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AUGUST 2025

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More than 150,000 upper-income golfers turn to Cascade Golfer for news and features on local professional golfers, great golf courses, and reviews of the latest golf gear!

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

o matter how much you’ve read about it already, regardless of how many photographs

47

AUGUST 2025

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

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his June, it will be 10 years since the Pacific Northwest hosted its first ever U.S. Open, when the National Championship was played at an eight-year-old Chambers Bay in University Place.

five-under-par 275 to beat Dustin Johnson and Louis Oosthuizen by a shot and claim his second straight major title Share what for your fantasy VOTE TODAY! (he had won the Masters just 10 weeks prior).

Washington State course looks likeit was taking a risk bringing its flagship event to a part of the country it had never been to before, not to The USGA knew For many, that milestone will seem absurd — can it really be a decade since Jordan Spieth shot a four-round total of

HOLE-BY-HOLE

mention so young a course. And though it saw its share of controversy, the 110,000 people who attended during a week of

thewatching QR Code andgolf. Local business-owners and tax warm temperatures and near-constant sunshine hadShoot a great time world-class

WASH NGTON’S WASH NG-

50,000 copies are mailed into the homes of Puget Sound golfers who have bought equipment from Puetz Golf in the past 18 months with an additional 100,000+ golfers receiving Cascade Golfer digitally. Cascade Golfer is a member benefit of Puetz Golf Program.

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Over the next few pages, we look back on what was a momentous and historic week, remembering the USGA’s groundWe will relive how the course was set up, how players (and others) reacted to it, and how the galleries and a new TV broadcast partner in FOX fared. And we’ll remember how the champion, a then 21-year-old Texan in the midst of an

What are the best 18 public golf holes in Washington? Nominate your favorites

Red Rock Rendezvous

Whether it’s your maiden voyage or ninth trip around Sand Hollow, you’ll need a moment or two to collect yourself before pulling the driver from your bag and teeing your ball up.

Entrada at Snow Canyon • St. George, Utah

Sand Hollow • Championship Course

AGE 18-24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10% 25-40. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27% 41-55. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26% over 55. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37%

Greater Zion as a must-visit golf destination

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BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

silly stick and ball game. You get the feeling the Creator meant them for more than an idle pastime in which some of us indulge and ultimately become obsessed with.

We’re not complaining, of course. As some of those obsessed golfers, we get to experience

places like the 7th at Pebble Beach or 4th at Banff Springs. And if you need to buy a set of golf

KEEPS ON GIVING FRESH G R E E N S FINE D I N I N G FIRST-CLASS A C A D E M Y

clubs, a bag, a few balls, a green fee, and a seat on a cart to see the 12th at Sand Hollow in

Palm Springs. . . . . . . . . . . . 19%

southern Utah, then so be it.

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AUGUST 2025

AND A

cascadegolfer.com

Arizona. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16%

S

Central Oregon . . . . . . . . . . 13%

PROPERTY

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

Several very complimentary articles about Desert Willow Golf Resort have appeared

in these pages in recent years, and we wondered if we might have exhausted everything

Idaho. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11% 3%

$75,000+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58%

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3%

but which you should know about.

The Palm Desert Golf Academy opened with the courses in 1997 and, over the

in a welcoming and friendly environment. There are currently nine PGA-certified teachers at the academy which provides a regular schedule of immersive, multi-day schools and daily clinics, all overseen by Director of Instruction Paul Bucy.

IN THE

BAG

$100,000+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32%

48

DECEMBER 2025

PRODUCT REVIEWS and equipment news you can use

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

‘Mini’ golf high-tech style and hot gear for summer play and travel

VACATION HOME Own a vacation home . . . . . 17%

HANDICAP Official Handicap. . . . . . . . . 60% 1-10 Average Handicap. . . . 23% 11-20 Average Handicap. . . 25%

ANNUAL GOLF VACATIONS

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here really aren’t many better places in the world to play golf than the Pacific Northwest, when the dark days of winter and unpredictable days of spring are behind us. So, with this season now well underway, we trust you’re getting in lots of outdoor golf. We can now look forward to three months of unfettered sunshine — bright, invigorating mornings with 6 a.m. tee times, and tranquil, golden evenings with sunlight all the way until 10 p.m.

Washington’s beautiful golf courses look and play better during summer (late spring and early fall are pretty good, too) so get out and enjoy the game in amazing surroundings.

If you hadn’t played much prior to the Masters, it’s likely the tournament got you itching to play like it always does. Whether you’re a fan of Rory McIlroy’s or not, you probably want to recreate some of the Irishman’s shots (or at least try), like his second on the 15th in round four. We’ll probably never compete for a green jacket in the final round at Augusta National, but we can still imagine it when hitting a high draw over the water to the green on the 7th at Bear Mountain Ranch, or over the pond in front of the 18th at Camas Meadows, or even over the creek on the 8th at Sudden Valley.

To hit a shot like that, or get over the water in two, you may need some new gear. Perhaps a mini driver, which are all the rage at the moment.

Or, if you need to lay up in front of the water (don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone), you could probably use a new wedge with a rough face and zippy grooves. To hole the putt for eagle or birdie, you might benefit from a new putter. Maybe a zero-torque model, which like the mini drivers, are enjoying a moment. You’ll find all that, and so much more, at Puetz Golf.

Whether you’re putting for an eagle or not, we hope you’re loving your time out on the links.

30

King County. . . . . . . . . . . . . 52% Pierce County . . . . . . . . . . . 21% Snohomish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13%

1

GT280 Mini Driver 1 PUETZ GOLF PRICE

$449.99

U

nless you’ve been denying yourself golf content of any form, you’ll know the mini driver has become a thing in recent months, whether it’s on the PGA Tour, especially, or even in the bags of the better players at your club or course. With Titleist’s new GT driver line already delivering four impressive new drivers, a mini driver was a natural progression. The manufacturer says the 13-degree GT280 “marks the next evolution of generational GT performance.”

It features a new lightweight design, born from a new Proprietary Matrix Polymer. The acoustic properties of this new composite allow Titleist engineers to achieve new material gains while maintaining the sort of sound and feel you expect from a Titleist club. In addition to the inner tech, the club has a clean look that better players prefer. Together, the forged face and new insert – which wraps around the bottom of the club — help low-center impacts from tight lies get airborne with impressive ball-speed. Plus, impact sounds good even when you pick it clean off the turf. With a Seamless Thermoform Crown, the Center of Gravity lies low in the head to make getting the ball off the ground easier. The GT280 features two weight positions to customize launch: position the weight forward for more penetrating shots, or push it back for a combination of speed, spin, and stability. Mitsubishi’s tour-proven Tensei shaft line-up complements the clubhead perfectly, while the Titleist fairway metals SureFit Hosel sleeve fine tunes the club to your exact swing specifications.

Order online at puetzgolf.com • Call Toll Free (866) 362-2441 cascadegolfer.com

JUNE 2025

IN THE BAG

2

ROUNDS PLAYED PER YEAR

TAYLORMADE

Quad r7 Mini 2

O

1

2

3

4

5

4

3

Emergency Nine — front or back?

“I would definitely prefer the back. It just has a lot more character, undulations, tougher greens. It’s just a better diversity of holes. I think it’s a little tougher but a lot more scenic.”

Go-To Lunch Item on the Clubhouse Menu “I’d probably go with the burger dip. It’s kind of set up like the French dip but with burger and au jus. It’s great burger meat that we use.”

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18 TOTAL

4

4

5

3

4

4

3

5

4

4

4

5

3

4

PAR

4

Blue

353 540 372 139 375 366 507 162 348 308 210 581 369 338 381 535 184 351

6419

White

345 516 348 116 366 345 492 156 340 300 184 556 344 308 346 521 168 341

6092

Yellow

333 460 312 110 356 299 410 125 335 265 160 498 310 300 260 480 143 319

5475

22

AUGUST 2024 2024 AUGUST

KRADUL

Sport Cart Bag

Sport Cart bag & Lux 3

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

$199.99 Sport Cart, $269.99 • $299.99 Lux

$450.99 • $350.99

T

C

SLOPE

75.0

126

118

73.5

121

110

70.3

113

cascadegolfer.com

lub Glove club travel carriers have been the standard for several years, and the brand preferred by most touring professionals who require a sturdy and reliable bag in which to transport their clubs. The company continues to introduce quality models, that get mostly five-star ratings, and which more or less guarantee that your clubs arrive in the state in which you packed them.

Made from 1,000 Dernier Nylon fabric, the Pro Traveler is water-resistant and has rugged wheels locked in the company’s impressively stable wheelbase for safe and smooth movement. It has premium YKK Zippers and ITW Nexus Buckles known for their durability and ruggedness.

There are two outer pockets, and a stiff arm to ensure the bag remains rigid and your clubs are protected during travel. The strap is both adjustable and detachable, and the dimensions in inches are 16 x 15 x 51. It weighs 10 pounds and comes in 10 different colors. The Club Traveler (and Pro model for that matter) is for the destination-focused golfer that seeks class, sturdiness, looks and excellence in their luggage decisions. You have a lot tied up in your golf gear and all those specifics that make your 14-clubs and accessories personal to you. Club Gloves line of travel carriers make sure your tools and toys show up mint, dry, protected and ready to roll. The proper investment here is not only worthwhile but warranted. Puetz has many travel cover options — this one stands up well and is an excellent Father’s Day choice.

Order online at puetzgolf.com • Call Toll Free (866) 362-2441 cascadegolfer.com

BY BART POTTER • CG STAFF WRITER

WOMEN

RATING

120

68.1 65.7

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

he golf bag market has grown in recent years with the addition of specialty manufacturers like Vessel and Ghost. Kradul is another popular manufacturer, whose offerings bring a significantly lower price point.

The Las Vegas-based company has been making bags for big-name brands for 20 years and is responsible for many now-familiar innovations and design silhouettes.

It decided to make bags under its own name, with its own logo (the endangered Desert Tortoise) and remove the big brand markup. Its Sport Cart Bag has a 14-way club-divider and many other features, while remaining impressively lightweight at just 4.5 pounds. There are three access points to the Protective Security Pocket. The electronics (rangefinder, phone, etc.) pocket is accessed with a Tommy clip, and the 360-degree Auto-Fit & Balance Strap System is a lot easier to operate than it sounds.

There’s a waterproof valuables pocket and a mesh hydration pocket, plus holders for a pen, glove, umbrella, and towel. The Lux 9.5-inch Hybrid Stand Bag is both luxurious and extremely versatile, enabling the golfer to walk, push, or ride. It is made using vegan leather and has a FlexFoot (no pedal) Stand System. There are 14 full-length dividers and Tommy Clip access for electronics. There’s a waterproof valuables pocket, a mesh hydration pocket, and a push-button Strap Buckle Release mechanism. The bag weighs 5.5 pounds and comes in three colors – Fossil, Tar, or Steel Blue. The LUX 7.5 model is also a fine choice.

JUNE 2025 2025 JUNE

Thurston County

S

COURSE RATING SLOPE

69.3

CLUB GLOVE

$479.99

his mini driver is inspired by two of the most popular drivers in TaylorMade’s history: the R7 (released in 2004), and the R7 SuperQuad. The original R7 won more than 30 professional events worldwide, including Retief Goosen’s victory in the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

Twenty-one years later, the R7 Quad Mini Driver incorporates the same Movable Weight Technology enabling you to dial in spin, distance, trajectory, and shot shape by precisely positioning the Center of Gravity (CG). The Quad Weighting System includes two 13-gram weights and two 4-gram weights, with two ports in the back of the clubhead and one each in the toe and heel. Pushing weight forward and back effects a shot’s trajectory and ball-speed, while adding weight to the heel or toe promotes a draw or fade bias. Additional weights, which can provide an even greater range of adjustability, are available. As with Titleist’s GT280, the main goal with this club was to minimize mass in the top of the head to lower the CG. The ultralight Infinity Carbon Crown does that, while also looking clean and elegant. Like some of its predecessors, the R7 Quad Mini features Twist Face, which helps golfers keep their shots (even mishits) under control. The Speed Pocket increases face rebound at impact, increasing ballspeed and raising the launch angle, especially on shots struck low on the face. The stock Fujikura Speeder MD shaft is designed to keep spin rates down while keeping the club stable, without adding any weight.

MEN RATING

Pro & Club Traveler 4

T

Chambers Bay • University Place

21-30 Rounds . . . . . . . . . . . 25%

3

Mount Si Golf Course 9010 Boalch Ave S.E. • Snoqualmie, WA 98065 (425) 391-4926 • MtSiGolf.com Opened 1927 • Architect Gary Barter

HOLE

Four of the best wintertime courses in Puget Sound

11-20 Rounds . . . . . . . . . . . 15%

4

Sport Lux Stand Bag

High&Dry

20+ Average Handicap . . . . 52%

3+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69%

RESIDENCE

TITLEIST

Mount Si weathers the storm with an enduring history and popularity since 1927

S

worth saying about one of our favorite golf destinations in the Coachella Valley.

Nope. There’s still a very significant part of the operation we’ve never touched on

last 25-plus years, has earned a glowing reputation for providing quality instruction

Las Vegas . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

B

A Snoqualmie stalwart for the ages in the Cascade’s shadow

Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16%

HOUSEHOLD INCOME

You might get your first view of this extraordinary hole from the green at the 11th, a superb par 3 with a steep runoff to the right and a massive bunker lying in wait for anything slightly under hit. You’ll be forgiven for not immediately recognizing how good a hole the 11th is, though. It might not be until much later in the day when you’re sitting down to a cold drink and sandwich at the Grille, in fact, before you can appreciate its quality.

That’s because by the time you reach the green at 11, all you’re really thinking about is 12. Whether it’s your Copper Rock • Hurricane, Utah maiden voyage or ninth trip around Sand Hollow, you’ll need a moment or two to collect yourself before pulling the driver from your bag and teeing your ball up. The emerald fairway at this 443-yard hole stretches out in front of you, rising steadily to the green. On the right, red sandstone cliffs frame the hole, on the left a 100-foot sheer drop and then a wide valley extending north and west towards the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area and Signal Peak.

It is breathtaking, awe-inspiring and, perhaps, a little overwhelming. You leave the green thinking that is surely all the natural splendor any golf course should reasonably be allowed … and then you play the 13th, a short par 4 with the same cliffs and valley, and which can be driven with a well-struck drive.

The 14th slants northeast away from the valley and is Coral Canyon • Washington, Utah another great hole without causing quite the same level of head shaking and double taking as the two before it, and you assume the drama is over. And then you play the 15th.

This 230-yard par 3 begins on a tee surrounded by red rocks and travels over a chasm to a diagonally oriented green with bunkers short and long. It’s another mesmerizing hole where you’ll take more photographic shots than golf shots (hopefully), and which you’ll be talking about all the way back to Seattle.

Forgive us for taking up half a feature about a 14-course destination with a review of just four holes. You Black Desert Resort • Ivins, Utah do get carried away thinking about them and, once you see them for yourself, you’ll understand the hype. But you mustn’t ignore what else this amazing place has to offer.

This time last year, we spoke about the extensive renucy is originally from Connecticut but has Actually, there’s no fear of that happening because been at Desert Willow for 20 years, giving ovation that had been completed on the Firecliff Course Sand Hollow isn’t even the first course most people think of now when the conversation moves to the possibility about 250 private lessons a year and directing schools where the tees were levelled, a new tee was built at the that provide OnForm Video Analysis (OnForm is a coach- long, Par-4 10th hole, and all 18 greens were restored of taking a St. George/Greater Zion golf trip. ing app designed to accelerate skill development), Track- to their original size and shapes. The greens were also Bermuda Man4 data, Stick Mobility warm-ups, on-course coaching, resurfaced with MiniVerde, an ultra-dwarf AUGUST 2025 grass53 cascadegolfer.com personal practice plans, and even dining (you have lunch perfectly suited to the region’s climate, altitude, and the with your instructor on the clubhouse terrace every day). amount of cart and foot traffic the two courses saw.

Desert Willow • Firecliff Replacing the existing 328 Bermuda (which had “With an average student to instructor ratio of just 3 to 1, our students get personalized instruction,” says done a good job for over two decades but was beginning Bucy, who is quick to highlight the success of the acad- to require excessive maintenance) had become necesemy is very much a team effort. “Our students love that sary, and the transition has kept Desert Willow among they can enjoy top-tier instruction, lunch, and play our the best-conditioned courses in the Valley. This year was A small number of the first full season for the new tees and greens, and the courses all on the same day.” two and three-day schools Bucy refers to “students”, but a handful have been reports are pretty much as expected. The new tees were P R ESENTED BY were first offered in 2007. to so many schools over the years they’ve really be- certainly appreciated but, not surprisingly, the greens atcome friends as well as clients. In October, two of his tracted the lion’s share of attention.

Their popularity increased “The feedback has been outstanding,” says Brian longest-standing students met with Bucy and Desert rapidly, and in 2024, Willow’s Head Golf Professional Jason Wilkinson for a Simpson, Desert Willow’s Sales and Marketing Director. the academy recorded “We’ve enjoyed probably the best playing conditions in weekend of golf and football in Seattle.

“We played Chambers Bay and then caught the game our 28-year history, and they’re only getting better.” its best year, giving a We also mentioned the new roof the clubhouse at Lumen Field against the Buccaneers,” says Bucy. “Untotal of 59 schools fortunately, the Seahawks lost but what a game! We’d got in 2024, and the improvements continued this year attended by 189 students. talked about taking that trip for years and it was great to with new carpets, a fresh coat of paint, and renovated Desert Willow • Mountain View restrooms and locker rooms. Visitors from Seattle will finally make it happen.”

One of Bucy’s students there that weekend was Scott recognize the place this winter, but they’ll be pleasantly Rumpel, a restaurant franchisee from Vancouver B.C, surprised by a facility that’s fresh, bright and clearly keen who has been going to Desert Willow’s schools for over to prevent the dusty, dated look some Palm Springs-area 10 years and who says his game has benefitted enor- courses can be guilty of.

Returning over the course’s peak season will be the mously in that time.

“I’ve had the privilege of learning from both Paul and extremely popular Music and Dining Under the Stars Jason,” Rumpel says. “Their instruction has not only im- program with live music and themed dinners on select proved my game but deepened my passion for the sport. Thursday nights. Executive Chef Francois Gaertner and Sous Chef Gustavo Garcia, who catered for 750 guests Beyond the lessons, we’ve become good friends.”

The other student in Seattle was Derek Archer, like- at a Thanksgiving event in late November, have dewise from Vancouver, who reiterated what a great week- signed menus designed to pair with the evening’s muend it was and how much he enjoys attending golf school sic: island-inspired seafood to accompany steel drum melodies, classic Italian fare for a jazz-infused set, and at Desert Williow.

“It’s undoubtedly one of my favorite weeks of the steakhouse cuts that go just right with blues and rock.

Firecliff continues to rank among California’s top 25 year,” he says. “I’ve been coming to Desert Willow Golf public courses in nearly all golf publications.

In a state that Academy for 12 years with the same group of four budA Bucket with GM • Scott Barter dies. In that time, my game has gone from a high hand- boasts the three layouts at the Pebble Beach Resort, plus icap down to an eight. The courses are spectacular, and PGA West, Pasatiempo, Torrey Pines, TPC Harding Park, cott Barter has weathered the storms. Literally and figuratively.

Toughest TeeHill, Shot and Pelican it’s in some pretty good company. Add the coaching from Paul and Jason is fun, relaxed, and For more than 30 years, Barter has been the general manager “It’s going to be No. 13 (par 4, 369 Slight dogleg right, down the hill but very narrow. the slightly less challenging and yards). always enjoyable Mountain clearly effective.” of Mount Si Golf Course, located in the Snoqualmie Valley, tight to TroubleView leftCourse and right. are 36 a couple hazards and There you have terrific holes thatthat will come enter- into play for the longer hitters, A small number of two and three-day schools were the western Cascades most distinctive peak and namesake, Mt. Si. left andtain right overofthe YouYou cancan laylearn backhow a little youasforyou thecome duration yourhill. visit. to bit to give you more room but first offered in 2007. Their popularity increased rapidly, It can be a challenge to operate a mountain course. Weather then you have a tough shot to a giant green with a lot of undulation.” and in 2024, the academy recorded its best year, hosting score better on them at a golf academy with a team of procan change swiftly and dramatically, and rain can be unrelenting at fessionals that make improving at golf not only likely but a total of 59 schools attended by 189 students. times. But the course has kept pace over the years, identifying peBest Birdie Opportunity That a place like Desert Willow should be home to also very enjoyable. And you can enjoy top-class food and rennial soggy spots and putting down an extensive drainage system.

“Probably No. 2 (par 5, 540 yards). Slight dogleg left, very reachable. The hole plays a little a golf school as highly regarded as the Palm Desert Golf entertainment in the clubhouse and Terrace Restaurant.

“We drain very well,” Barter said. “We’re a good year-round shorter. A flat green that works away, but reachable in two even for the moderate handicap Seattleites have known how special a winter trip to Academy doesn’t come as a surprise when you consider course.” players. Good scoring opportunity for birdies.” howenough good the whole facility is. The City of Palm Desert Desert Willow Golf Resort is for over 20 years. If you’ve Barter has been there long to persevere amid the inbusiness built this place and been before, you’ll know what we’re talking about. If this dustry downturn early in the clearly centurymeant and the most when recentthey COVID Best Par 3 hired Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry to design the two year marks your first trip, we hope you enjoy a place turmoil. Now, coming out stronger after the pandemic, he says, “No. 11 (210 yards). Slew frontage on the left, creek on the right. Moderately long. The only real we’re sure will become a quick favorite. courses Firecliff and Mountain View. “business is fantastic. The course is in —great shape.” bailout would be short. From there, it’s an easy pitch, if you don’t get to the green because you This past winter, the course added a covered pavilion near the have trouble left and right. It can play 200 yards so it’s a longer par 3. It demands accuracy.” cascadegolfer.com DECEMBER 2025 49 rear parking lot for golfers tocascadegolfer.com enjoy a post-round adult drink and watch the travails of foursomes passing by.

Favorite Hole Barter also notes that he gets plenty of positive feedback for the “I would call No. 6 (par 4, 366 yards) our signature hole because you are facing right at the course’s unique double-sided range. Mats on one side and at the far mountain. It’s a very demanding short par 4. Your tee shot needs to be placed perfectly, very other end, grass tees. Take your pick. narrow, trouble with woods on the right. Green is well guarded by trees. And the views are Here’s where Mount Si stands today, with Barter’s six-question just outstanding.” perspective.

DESERT WILLOW

here are numerous walks, panoramas, and moments in golf that seem to transcend a

FAVORITE GOLF DESTINATION

41

JUNE 2025

cascadegolfer.com

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The rise of

teve McNelly, general manager at Capitol City Golf Club in Lacey, remembers when he first knew for sure why his course drains as well in the winter as any course in the region.

McNelly thinks it was probably 2008, early in his tenure at Capitol City, when the contractor who dug the trenches for an irrigation project at his course said something revealing.

“He said, ‘Man, if you guys ever want to close this golf course down and sell sand, you've got a sea of sand underneath this turf. That's probably why it drains so well.’”

It made sense to McNelly.

“It really has to do with the ground,” he says.

Superintendent Steve Cox and his Cap City crew do regular aerification and mix in deep tine aerification, for which the longer, solid tines go deeper to penetrate the topsoil so water will go through the ground.

“The soil is very good here,” McNelly said. “I mean, there are no rocks in our soil. It's just black, beautiful earth, and then apparently there's just a lot of sand underneath it.”

McNelly said his staff takes pride in the greens and doing what it takes to maintain them through the winter.

“It's just love and care,” he said. “It obviously has to do with employees knowing what they're doing. The superintendent, the assistant superintendent, knowing agronomy as well as they do, not sparing any expense to make sure these greens are in great shape.”

Capitol City’s course conditions breed loyalty. McNelly thinks his Winter Tour, which features a tournament every two weeks November through February, might be the biggest in the region.

“It's amazing. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, 128 people every time. With a waiting list.”

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1

Capitol City Golf Club

ur golf course superintendents, agronomic superstars though they are, can’t make the rain stop magically at the perimeter of the golf course. Not even the best of them, it seems, can manage the weather.

They know there is one thing, only one, the quality of which truly defines the best golf courses for wintertime play in the Cascade region.

When it’s good, you might not even think about it, even when it’s raining.

31+ Rounds. . . . . . . . . . . . . 52%

When it’s bad, your feet get wet.

That thing, sir or madam golfer, is drainage. In this oft-sodden part of the world, this time of year, you either have it or wish you did.

In this issue, we highlight four golf courses in western Washington that stand out among their peers for superior drainage that lends to the dryness of the

golfing ground underfoot, in winter and year-round.

Whether by nature (a “sea of sand” beneath the topsoil) or nurture (lots of hard work), these courses have achieved a level of playability in the winter months that gives hope to cooped-up golfers venturing into the weather.

What makes a good winter course? Golf course professionals interviewed for this story found common ground: the course might be softer in winter, and a player might not get the same bounces and rolls of the ball as in summer, but the golf experience is still good in playing conditions that are not compromised by moisture.

And sometimes, it’s the off-course amenities on a golf property that give comfort on those days that go foul, no matter how suitably geared, garbed and shoed a player might be.

There’s something to be said for drying off around a cold beer in a warm bar.

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DECEMBER 2025

The

Visit cascadegolfer.com Read Articles Online • Enter Contests Review Golf Courses • See Additional Content View Additional Pictures

Royal

DECEMBER 2025

cascadegolfer.com

Why Kã‘anapali is the perfect blend of challenge and chill

Treatment

I

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

In late October, the University of Oklahoma won its fourth straight Kã‘anapali Classic (and sixth since the tournament began in 2014) on the island of Maui, finishing with a record score of 789, -63. Ryder Cowan, a junior, won the individual title with a

54-hole total of 193, -20.

“We played difficult courses this fall where our guys couldn’t get birdies to drop,” said Ryan

Hybl, Oklahoma’s coach. “Traveling to Hawai‘i provided a much-needed mental reset.”

OU and Cowan’s incredible scoring say a lot about where the college game is at, and also

the Royal Ka’anapali Course that was designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1962.

The Sooners are currently ranked the 20th best college team in the nation. For them to go so low shows how good today’s Division 1 college players are and suggests the Royal is not going to beat you up with narrow fairways, hostile rough and rock-hard, glassy greens.

Hybl’s post-victory quote also says plenty about coming to Hawaii to play golf after a frustrating period. If you’re already having a hard time dealing with the gray skies and cold rain, can you imagine the mental reset a few days at Ka’anapali might provide?

50

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BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

ur Top 10 Public Courses in Washington If you decide to nominate season, one hole, that’s entirely exceptional overcame a packed leaderboard featuring Johnson and Oosthuizen, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Shane Lowry, issue has been so popular the last few fair enough. Your vote will count and be added to all the Cameron Charl years, we felt the time was right to other votes that particular holeSmith, gets. IfAdam you’re Scott, anything likeSchwartzel, Branden Grace, and Brandt Snedeker — all of whom finished in the top 10. expand the idea. After all, who doesn’t us though, and you have a few minutes spare, you’ll jot cascadegolfer.com love choosing their favorite things and 42 downJUNE your 2025 choice for each hole. This game grabs people ranking stuff? But what, we pondered, should the subject in ways they can’t explain and hooks them so completely, of the next reader poll be — best Washington players, we wouldn’t be surprised if one or two of you even made tournaments, weekends away, instructors, indoor facilities, a spreadsheet with a brief description of each hole (to be 19th holes, drink carts, clubhouse sandwiches…? clear, we’re not asking that of you, but we know someone A far more obvious choice, and the one we felt would somewhere will be tempted to go all out, if they haven’t be most engaging, would be Washington’s best holes. done so already).

And not 10 or 20 of them, but 18. Because…of course!

We’re okay with having multiple holes from the same We’d then be able to form a reader-voted Dream 18 — the course (limiting it to one hole per course might result in best theoretical, hypothetical, conceptual, conjectural, some strange choices), but they must correspond with abstract, fantasy course in Washington. their actual place on that course. For instance, the 2nd A certain amount of thought must go into choosing at Druids Glen is a wonderful hole with its jaw-dropping your 10 best courses in the state, but we believe some view of Mt. Rainier in the background. And Salish Cliffs’ serious thinking will be needed to identify your favorite 2nd is a terrific short par 4. But both holes may lose out to holes. And we hope it’s great fun. the 2nd at Gamble Sands which, for some, has probably We’ve created an online form you can access easily the best combination of beauty and strategy of any hole and where you simply choose your favorite holes. You in America — with incredible views of the Columbia can nominate however many you like — 1, 10, 18…50? River and North Cascades and an intriguing decision on We’ll count the votes for each hole, 1-18, to form the ideal whether to go for the green or lay up short or right of the Washington layout — best 1st hole, best 2nd, best 3rd and fairway bunker. so on.

So, although the hole at Druids Glen might be signifiIt’s reasonable, of course, to expect the state’s best cantly better than the choice of best 11th or 17th hole for courses to supply many of its best holes. So, we expect example, it wouldn’t appear in the list. Some may regard to see holes from Chambers Bay, Gamble Sands, Wine that as unfair or not answering the question, so to speak, Valley, Salish Cliffs, etc. populating the list. But somewhere but the best 18 holes in Washington could all be par-5s there’ll be a course that might not necessarily make it into (unlikely but stay with us). And four of them could all be, the top 10 or 20 in the state but which has a hole that is say, the 12th hole on their respective courses. But we’d very special. end up with a course that’s roughly 9,000 yards long and Without mentioning any names, or even stating the which has a par of 90. We’re guessing that’s a course no number of the hole (which might give its identity away), one would be eager to try. there’s a course in western Washington that probably And while there are no strict stipulations on par or wouldn’t make it into the state’s top-100, maybe even 200, length, if there’s a tie, we’ll give the nod to the hole that but which has a hole that this writer thinks is so strangely fits the round best. Something like a 6,800-yard, par-72 good, it looks like it’s been transplanted from another would be ideal, but it’s not mandatory. We just don’t want course. It’s totally incongruous and really feels a bit weird. it to be laughably unconventional.

Most of the other 17 are decidedly “meh”, but this one hole Share your opinion and nominate as many holes as wouldn’t look out of place on a championship course. you wish. We’ll tabulate the results, make some tough We’ll leave you to speculate on what hole/course we’re decisions and come back to you in August with your talking about, but we’re sure you’ll have your own examples Dream 18. Will it have a closing par 5? Will there be — a hole that ranks among the region’s best on a course three par 3s on the front? A drivable par 4? Help us put it you’ll try once and never be in any hurry to play again. together at CascadeGolfer.com.

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40

share favorite holes. collectors certainly enjoyed it, too, with an economic impact your in the region totaling over $130 million.

In 1992, Pier of land borderin the Glacier Sand 610 acres in all th Properties.

Nine years la burg, visited for t a barbed wire fen now-disused gra Manager. Ladenb but, after hearing build one on the hatched a plan fo In Septembe (Request for Pro firms to submit course. Fifty-six o Palo Alto-based R The Californi Point presentatio end of which, Jay the company han Creek, 2030 U.S. was then known was a cheeky, bu In May, Jone favor of allocatin hiring him.

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