Page 26 - Oregon Golf and Travel 2021

Central Oregon Golf Trail

PRONGHORN

The Ultimate Golf Experi ence Is Within Your Reach

ith regional travel surging to the top of bucket lists, Oregonians offers almost limitless possibilities. The volcanic landscape of the
Ware lucky to have a one stop shop when it comes to golf and region—which stretches from the foothills of the Cascades to the
recreation. Central Oregon truly has it all, including an abundance of High Desert—has naturally forged a canvas where all styles of golf
golf. So when you are looking to get away from the craziness that life design are possible. Desert links carved from the region’s volcanic
has become, take a quick trip to this beautiful area and enjoy the space, rock, classic parkland-style designs, Scottish-style links, and
the clean air, and the endless golf. mountain courses with fairways shaped by ponderosa and lodgepole
pines are close enough you can hit two in one day.
The area is home to the Central Oregon Golf Trail, featuring 30
exceptional courses and nearly as many brewpubs. It’s home to Because so many of the masters of design have chosen to ply their
whitewater thrill rides, world-class fishing, whiskey bars, and tranquil trade in Central Oregon, courses such as the Jack Nicklaus Course
alpine lakes. Known for crisp mornings that give way to warm, sunny at Pronghorn (ranked No. 37 on Golf Digest’s list), Cupp’s pristine
afternoons, Central Oregon is a place where a golf vacation can turn Crosswater (No. 55), and Kidd’s fescue-carpeted Tetherow (No. 71)
into so much more. can all be internationally celebrated while offering three distinct
golf experiences. Imaginative gems such as Black Butte Ranch’s
Within the plethora of golf options you will also find three courses Glaze Meadow, a Fought redesign inspired by golf’s golden era of
in Golf Digest’s Top 100. Better yet? All of the courses are within 45 architecture, and desert masterpieces like Jacobsen’s Brasada Ranch
minutes of each other. In Central Oregon, the quality of golf is rivaled only add to the region’s rich tapestry.
only by the diversity of the region’s courses.
Hard as it might be to believe, though, there is more to Central
Central Oregon has long cultivated its reputation as a golf mecca, and Oregon than just golf. And that only makes a golf trip to the region
it is well-earned. It’s not just that the quality of golf in Central Oregon that much more appealing. Central Oregon’s famously laid-back
has yielded the accolades. Nor is it just the fact that the most influential lifestyle has fostered a rich culinary scene and made it a hub for
names in golf course architecture—David McLay Kidd, Bob Cupp, craft brewing, just the thing for a buddies golf trip. Yet the region
Tom Fazio, John Fought, Robert Muir Graves, Peter Jacobsen, Robert is also home to an outdoor playground. Blessed with incomparable
Trent Jones Jr., Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Weiskopf, among them—have natural geography, Central Oregon has undeniably become a mecca
made indelible marks on the region … though they certainly have. for outdoor adventurists regardless of their activity of choice. For
good reason, too. Bordered by the Cascade Range to the west and the
With 30 golf courses on the Central Oregon Golf Trail, what has made High Desert to the east, with Wild & Scenic rivers, pristine mountain
Central Oregon unique among golf destinations is that any golf trip

24 OREGON GOLF & TRAVEL GUIDE 2021 www.golfingOREGONmagazine.com