James6898226

Disclaimer!: I played late in the year, so it was probably pretty close to closing for the season. I'm definitely taking that into consideration, so I don't feel like I had unrealistic expectations.

THE GOOD
Fantastic views of the surrounding area, especially on Hole 14 which is at the highest point on the course. Take a camera! Many of the holes on the Back 9 have lots of elevation changes.
For late in the season, the course was in pretty good condition. The greens weren't slick, but they held good lines, so I couldn't complain at all.
The fairways were also in good condition but had a high number of unfilled divots. Once again, understandable if the course is close to closing for the season.

THE BAD
The GoflNow rates were $105 or $65 for a Hot Deal. The Hot Deal price would be at the upper end of what I'd want to pay for the quality of the course. It's probably closer to fall/shoulder season prices when the course is in nicer shape.
There weren't any rakes for the bunkers, so a few times, I had to use my foot to do my best raking with my shoe!

THE UGLY
The biggest black eye to this place is that there's NO DRIVING RANGE! That makes it really tough to hit the opening teeshot on Hole 1 (fortunately, it's a short Par 4 where you can hit iron/hybrid off the tee).
The cartpaths were mostly gravel and had a lot of washouts. I would expect a higher standard from a Troon/resort course.
The carts were gasoline and the governer set to 2mph (I might be able to push my clicgear cart faster!).

PROS:
- Greens were in really nice shape for the season (especially compared to many other nearby courses)
- Fairways were in great shape

CONS:
- A cart was $28 for a single rider...OUCH! That's more than the green fee!
- Grumpy old men working the counter (where do golf courses find these guys?!?)
- Bunkers are thin, could use more sand

I hadn't played the Heron Lakes courses since last summer, but I just played both the Blue & Green in back to back days and was shocked at how bad the courses have gotten. They used to be in such great shape but now, it's hard to pay more than $20 and spend 5hrs out there. On top of that, the counter staff is hardly inviting, so what's left?

Green Back
The fairways & aprons are really chewed up. We had to take a lot of unmarked GUR relief. Pace was really slow on the front, but the marshall did a great job in finding the culprit, and the back was smooth sailing. The greens were in good shape, so that was the best thing Green Back had going.

Great Blue
The greens were in terrible shape. About half the greens were in need of major rework because of all the bare spots. We had to give relief on the greens several times because there wasn't any grass to putt on to the hole. Opposite to Green Back, the fairways on Great Blue were in much better shape than the greens.

I'd played here 3yrs ago and there were dandelions growing in the middle of all the greens...literally a goat ranch!!

With the name change (and I'm assuming ownership change), the greens appeared to be revamped, and the driving range had lots of grass and plenty of room for golfers to swing freely without feeling cramped.

As for the course:
Most fairways are lined with wispy fescue giving it a links look. That puts hitting the fairways at a premium because finding balls in the heather was nearly impossible. There aren't many hazards on the course, so most of the penalty strokes for the average golfer will come from lost balls/re-tee.
There's a good bit of elevation change, but the greens & teeboxes are close enough where walking wasn't a problem.
Lastly, the VIEWS from just about every hole are spectacular. Definitely makes me appreciate living in the Northwest!

With the condition the course is in now, I think it'll put a lot of competitive pressure on Skamania Lodge's golf course only 15mins away.