Situated on the west coast of the United States of America, Oregon sits to the south of the Columbia River which separates it from the state of Washington. Idaho lies east of the Snake River, but the west of Oregon looks out over the vast Pacific Ocean.
Called the Beaver State, Oregon is the ninth largest and the 27th most populous in the USA. It is home to 4.2 million people, some 650,000 of whom live in Portland, which is the largest city in Oregon but not the capital (that distinction belongs to Salem).
Portland’s wider metropolitan area in fact hosts some 2.5 million souls. Forests, deserts, shrublands and volcanoes define this surprisingly diverse territory, which also incorporates the Crater Lake National Park. Crater Lake itself is the deepest anywhere in the US.
The local economy depends heavily upon fishing and agriculture, as well as logging. In fact, Oregon is the top producer of lumber anywhere within the contiguous states of the US. It is also a center of hydroelectric power and technology.
The sportswear giant Nike is headquartered in Beaverton and is the largest corporation to be based in the state. Currently, Nike enjoys an annual revenue not very far short of $50 billion. Intel and Tektronix also operate out of Oregon.
Oregon Back in History
For centuries many indigenous nations called Oregon their home, but the first European explorers and settlers came during the mid sixteenth century.
Spanish vessels began to arrive from the Philippines in 1564, but it was not until 1843, after an extensive program of settlement, that Oregon Country created its own autonomous government, to become the Oregon Territory (an area reflecting the modern state) some five years later. In 1849 the territory was incorporated into the emergent United States.
At the time of this settlement, indigenous groups included the Chinook and Coquelle. However archaeologists have determined that there were native settlements located along the Columbia River at least 10,000 years ago, and that there have been some populations within the area now comprising the state of Oregon for up to 15,000 years.
Many of the native populations were forcibly relocated to reservations by incoming European settlers around the mid nineteenth century.
Oregon was formally admitted to the Union on 14th February 1859. It was originally founded as a kind of refuge from disputes over slavery, and whilst it was a “free” state (i.e. not practicing slavery) it initially included a whites-only clause within its Constitution.
The 1880s saw the growth of railroads which significantly enhanced Oregon’s lumber and agricultural markets, enabling it to trade more easily. Further industrial expansion occurred during the 1930s with the construction of the Bonneville Dam.
Sport in Oregon
The state of Oregon is represented in many of the major sports, with the largest city Portland featuring particularly strongly. In basketball the Portland Trail Blazers won the NBA championship in 1977 and have also been finalists in 1990 and 1992. The Chinooks played in the International Basketball League until their dissolution in 2014.
The Portland Winterhawks have been the state’s flag bearers in the Western Hockey League, which they have won three times, since 1976.
Oregon’s main soccer team is the Portland Timbers, which has competed in the MLS since 2011. Regularly boasting sell-out attendances of over 25,000, the Timbers won the MLS Cup in 2015.
College sports in Oregon are largely centered around Portland State University, which has teams in football, basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, cross country, softball – and golf. The athletics program is known as Portland State Vikings, which competes in NCAA Division One, as do the Portland Pilots who represent the separate University of Portland.
Where golf is concerned, Oregon’s 201 golf courses are an impressively mixed bunch, varying from high desert and parkland settings to courses which bear much resemblance to some of the most traditional venues in Scotland, the very home of golf. What is more, the Beaver State has a particular abundance of good quality public access courses, as well as many of course within the private domain.
15 of the Best Golf Courses in Oregon
There are many to choose from, but here are fifteen which have a good claim to be the stand-out venues in the Pacific North-West state:
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon
Several leading golf courses comprise a resort which prides itself on its ability to recreate the spirit and feel of Scottish golf. Possibly the best among them is Pacific Dunes, a Tom Doak design which opened for business in 2001. Old Macdonald and Sheep Ranch may be the pick of the other courses.
Pronghorn Golf Club, Bend
Like Bandon, Pronghorn is a golf community as opposed to a stand-alone course. The Jack Nicklaus course was the first to open, in 2004, and was to be joined two years later by the signature course designed by Tom Fazio.
Silvies Valley Ranch (Craddock), Seneca
An eco-resort cast within a massive 140,000-acre ranch. Surrounded by natural forest, this great course is the product of challenging efforts by Scott Campbell to develop and repair the infrastructure of the ranch. Fishing, shooting and a pool and spa are among the attractions available at the resort.
Waverley Country Club, Portland
Founded in the late nineteenth century, it was at the time one of the finest private golf courses in Oregon, and indeed anywhere west of the Mississippi River. Redesigned by Chandler Egan and reliably advised by Gil Hanse.
Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek), North Plains
John Fought and Bob Cupp designed this golf course, which hosted the Nike Tour Championship in 1993 just a year after it opened. The event moved to Witch Hollow, the other course at Pumpkin Ridge, the following year.
Crosswater Club, Bend
Another Bob Cupp creation, the third of the Sunriver Resort courses in Oregon enjoys beautiful views of the peaks nearby and has played host to several national tournaments. Golfers navigate around water and wetlands as they negotiate this long and interesting course.
Eugene Country Club, Eugene
The second oldest Oregon golf club, dating back to 1899, this Chandler Egan design was updated in the 1960s by Robert Trent Jones. Enlarged and remodeled greens and bunkers has made for some more challenging play.
Tetherow Golf Club, Bend
Afforded a top rating by Golf Magazine, Tetherow was designed by the architect David McLay Kidd. One of the feature holes is the par-four sixth, which is played from a tee which is set above a split fairway.
Portland Golf Club, Portland
A private course built in 1913 as a nine-hole course and eventually extended to full size by George Turnbull. It has been the venue for Ryder Cup events (in 1947) as well as the US Senior Open and the US Women’s Amateur.
Aspen Lakes, Sisters
A family-owned public access golf course, operated by the Cyrus family, Aspen Lakes opened as a nine-hole course in 1996 and expanded three years later. The eco-friendly red “sand” found in the bunkers to fill the hazards is made from crushed red cinders originating at the family’s property.
Astoria Golf & Country Club, Warrenton
A traditional, down to earth layout affectionately referred to as “the St. Andrews of the Pacific”. The Astoria has played host to the annual week-long Oregon Coast Invitational Tournament, one of the region’s top amateur competitions, since 1937 .
Broken Top Club, Bend
Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and open for play since 1993, a course at high altitude with magnificent views of the world all around. The seventh hole is a particularly challenging par-four which is possibly the toughest on the whole course.
Bandon Crossings, Bandon
This was built by Rex Smith to fill a demand for affordable public access courses in Oregon which can be used by everyday local residents. He commissioned architect Dan Hixson to do the necessary and out of it emerged Bandon Crossings, with its inspiration taken from the golfing heathlands in the South East of England.
The Reserve Vineyards, Aloha
As the name suggests this is principally a wine resort which has offered golf as an added attraction for its visitors. The South course provides the Championship layout, while the North is the work of Cupp and Fought, the latter being a local man.
Running Y Ranch, Klamath Falls
The enjoyable golf unashamedly takes second place to this site’s status as a first class holiday resort. Nevertheless the course itself, designed by golfing legend Arnold Palmer in 1998, has been voted one of the Top 50 golf courses for women.
Where Golf Goes West
“Go West” is an invocation employed by Oregon Tourism to encourage visitors to the Pacific state of Oregon. Amongst these will be golf enthusiasts aplenty, attracted by the allure of some of the finest resorts alongside the relative abundance of public access courses which the state has to offer, not least no less than five of them at Bandon Dunes.
In 2021 work began on a new course in Thornburgh at the foot of the Cline Buttes Mountains after earlier plans by Ben Crenshaw, Bill Coore and Dave Axland had been put on hold, and this is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2023, once again with Coore at the helm. This will bring added appeal to the area as a region of golfing excellence.
One thing that will strike visitors about golfing in Oregon is its sheer diversity. Bend has much to offer as a desert location with so many venues to choose from, whilst Bandon has very much a Scottish feel to its play. In other areas parkland predominates.
Golf Magazine has noted that several of Oregon’s golf courses have come within a whisker of finding themselves listed amongst the Top 100 in the US. In 2020, Golfweek considered the average rankings of the five leading public access golf courses across each state.
Oregon topped the poll, even placing ahead of such renowned golfing havens as Florida, California and North Carolina.
Another point that is worthy of note is that Oregon has some hidden gems as well as the more obvious destinations such as those listed. They themselves are well worth seeking out.
