Friday, June 24, 2011

Golfing in Central Oregon

Day 1 - Aspen Lakes Golf Course - Sisters, Oregon
Beautiful, Stormy Evening
 Troy splashing out of one of Aspen Lakes' signature RED sand bunkers
Me trying to escape from the trees after an errant tee shot.
Finding your ball is easy here because the grass is so sparse.

Last Saturday we drove down to Central Oregon and hit our first stop, Aspen Lakes, for a 3:10 tee time.  The forecast for the day was showers in the afternoon and a high of 65.  Somehow, Aspen Lakes has it own weather system because the wind was whipping and it was COLD! We struggled to stay warm, especially my fiance,Troy, in his shorts and short sleeve shirt.  The course was beautiful and well kept.  I might consider playing again, but only if the weather cooperates.  I managed to shoot a 90 which is my highest score in a while, so I was ready to get out of there, get to our condo, unpack, get some dinner, and down a couple glasses of wine. 

Day 2 - Quail Run Golf Course - LaPine, Oregon
 Hey, buddy! I'm talking to you.  No slow play!
 Beautiful views of several Cascade mountains
throughout the course
Another beautiful view
Hitting a shot into the green - see the ball in flight!? 

Quail Run is probably the best value in Central Oregon.  The course is in great shape, its challenging but not frustrating, the views are amazing, and you get all this for $35 after 2pm.  I would play here again and I highly recommend it.  The weather was perfect - 70-75 degrees with sun and a light breeze.  I shot an 86 which was an improvement on the day before.  

Day 3 - Crooked River Ranch - Crooked River, Oregon
 Crooked River Canyon - tempted to hit a ball
down here but I resisted
 The course was in good shape - its pretty short
but its a lot of fun!
Troy and me with the river canyon in the background

Its crazy to think that these canyons exist in Oregon, but they do and you can see the canyon throughout the course, particularly on hole #5, which is where the top picture was taken.  This course was the highlight of the trip for 2 reasons: 

1) I had my FIRST EAGLE EVER on hole #13.  This is a short, straight par 4.  I hit a 200 yard drive into the rough and had 103 yards to fly over the bunker to get close to the tucked, back pin.  With my pin-seeking gap wedge I hit a draw into the green, the ball took two short hops and trickled into the cup for an EAGLE! I couldn't quite see the hole, but I knew it was close.  So when I got up to the green and didn't see my ball, I ran up to the hole, looked in, and there it was!! Whoo hoo!!

2) I shot my lowest score to date - a 74!! Enough said...

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