Pacific Dunes at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
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Pacific Dunes at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
The Pacific Northwest is home to one of America's great golf resorts: Bandon Dunes. Oleg Volovik/Golf Advisor
Pronghorn Golf Club - Fazio Course - No. 18
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Pronghorn Golf Club - Fazio Course - No. 18
Central Oregon is full of clubs to choose from, including Pronghorn, home to 36 holes. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge golf course
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Elk Ridge golf course
Located high above the Columbia River to the east of Portland, Elk Ridge is one of the country's great under-$50 golf courses. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Chambers Bay golf course
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Chambers Bay golf course
Beside the Puget Sound, Chambers Bay opened in 2006 and immediately became one of the most coveted public rounds in the Pacific Northwest. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Old Macdonald Golf Links at Bandon Dunes
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Old Macdonald Golf Links at Bandon Dunes
Old Macdonald was the fourth course to open at Bandon Dunes and is inspired by the designs of C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor. Oleg Volovik/Golf Advisor
Bandon Trails golf course - 15th hole
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Bandon Trails golf course - 15th hole
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's Bandon Trails features rugged bunkering and massive, fescue greens. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Reserve Vineyard - South golf course - hole 18
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Reserve Vineyard - South golf course - hole 18
The Reserve at Aloha features 36 holes in the Portland area and has hosted a handful of professional events, including the JELD-WEN Tradition. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Coeur D'Alene Resort G.C.
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Coeur D'Alene Resort G.C.
Known more for it's floating island green, Coeur D'Alene's Resort course features a supremely conditioned course on the shores of the lake. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Predator Ridge Golf Resort - Ridge Course
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Predator Ridge Golf Resort - Ridge Course
Popular Canadian architect Doug Carrick added a second course to Predator Ridge, the Ridge Course, in British Columbia's Okanagan region. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Fairmont Chateau Whistler GC - bear and cub
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Fairmont Chateau Whistler GC - bear and cub
Bears are commonplace at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club. Brandon Tucker/GolfPass
Gold Mountain Golf Club - Olympic Course - hole 9
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Gold Mountain Golf Club - Olympic Course - hole 9
Near Seattle, the par-5 ninth hole on the Olympic Course at Gold Mountain Golf Club ends dramatically. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Salish Cliffs Golf Club - hole 17
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Salish Cliffs Golf Club - hole 17
One of the newest golf courses in Washington, Salish Cliffs has earned high marks. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Brasada Canyons golf course - No. 17
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Brasada Canyons golf course - No. 17
Central Oregon's golf scene has boomed in recent years, and Brasada Canyons is one of the finest courses to come out of it. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Circling Raven Golf Club
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Circling Raven Golf Club
Near Coeur D'Alene, Circling Raven Golf Club is one of the country's best Native American courses. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Tetherow Golf Club
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Tetherow Golf Club
David McLay Kidd, who lives in Bend, Ore., designed a very unique course at Tetherow Golf Club. Courtesy of Tetherow G.C.
Trophy Lake Golf & Casting Club - 18th
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Trophy Lake Golf & Casting Club - 18th
The Trophy Lake Golf & Casting Club is one of the best courses on Washington's scenic Kitsap Peninsula. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Apple Tree Golf Course - hole 17
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Apple Tree Golf Course - hole 17
The signature 17th green at Apple Tree Golf Course draws golfers to Yakima in central Washington. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Golf Club at Newcastle - Coal Creek - hole 17
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Golf Club at Newcastle - Coal Creek - hole 17
The 17th hole on the Coal Creek course at the Golf Club at Newcastle rewards golfers with views of the Seattle skyline. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
The Home Course - hole 7
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The Home Course - hole 7
Mount Rainier frames the seventh hole at The Home Course, which co-hosted the 2010 U.S. Amateur with Chambers Bay. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Bear Mountain Resort - Mountain golf course - 14th
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Bear Mountain Resort - Mountain golf course - 14th
The Mountain Course at Bear Mountain Resort sits high above the capital city of Victoria, British Columbia. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Palouse Ridge Golf Club - hole 18
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Palouse Ridge Golf Club - hole 18
Washington State University's Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman is one of the best college courses in the country. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Northview Golf & C.C.
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Northview Golf & C.C.
Northview Golf & Country Club, a 36-hole hangout in Surrey, is one of the top muni plays in the Vancouver area. Courtesy of Northview Golf & C.C.
Crown Isle Resort golf course - No. 16
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Crown Isle Resort golf course - No. 16
Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community, with lots of doglegs, elevated greens and tees and water hazards, is an interesting play on Vancouver Island. Mike Bailey/Golf Advsisor
Fairwinds Golf Club
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Fairwinds Golf Club
Fairwinds Golf Club on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada is a beautiful target-style course. Courtesy of Fairwinds G.C.
Pronghorn - Nicklaus golf course - 13th
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Pronghorn - Nicklaus golf course - 13th
The Nicklaus Course at Pronghorn is one of Central Oregon's best courses. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Black Butte Ranch - Glaze Meadow Course - hole 5
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Black Butte Ranch - Glaze Meadow Course - hole 5
Glaze Meadow is one of two terrific golf courses at Black Butte Ranch in Central Oregon. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
26 Images

Chambers Bay, Bandon Dunes and beyond: What are the best public golf courses in the Pacific Northwest?

This summer, the spotlight has never been brighter on the Pacific Northwest's golf scene. The U.S. Open comes to the area for the first time at Chambers Bay, located in Tacoma just south of Seattle on the Puget Sound.

One of the great appeals to Chambers Bay, besides the unique fescue turf and links-inspired playing style, is the fact that galleries throughout the week will be monstrous. So there are going to be a lot of golfers visiting the Pacific Northwest on the hunt for tee times before or after the major championship action.

In the last 20 years or so, particularly since the opening of Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes, there have been a collection of very noteworthy golf courses to come to the region. The rise of Mike Keiser's Bandon Dunes Resort has been well documented. In central Oregon, meanwhile, Bend experienced one of the nation's greatest boom-bust real estate markets, though many of the courses built at this time have survived and remain top plays in the area.

The Golf Advisor editorial staff has compiled this photo gallery of some of more than two dozen of our favorite rounds to play from Bandon in southern Oregon up towards British Columbia, where the Okanagan and Whistler are top golf getaways. Idaho even has a few selections here thanks to some fabulous golf courses around Coeur D'Alene.

Are you headed to the U.S. Open? We're curious what courses you plan on playing. Let us know in the comments below.

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Brandon Tucker is the Sr. Managing Editor for GolfPass and was the founding editor of Golf Advisor in 2014, he was the managing editor for Golf Channel Digital's Courses & Travel. To date, his golf travels have taken him to over two dozen countries and nearly 600 golf courses worldwide. While he's played some of the most prestigious courses in the world, Tucker's favorite way to play the game is on a great muni in under three hours. Follow Brandon on Twitter at @BrandonTucker and on Instagram at @btuck34.
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Chambers Bay, Bandon Dunes and beyond: What are the best public golf courses in the Pacific Northwest?