stuartmcdowall

10 minutes south of I-90 near Moses Lake, this course is a secret pleasure every golfer should play if they're in the area. The greens roll very true and the layout is varied and interesting with some just-right elevation changes, water features, mature trees and desert-style rough. The course is almost never busy, just pull off the freeway and you can bang out a fun 3.5 hour round hauling butt in an electric cart. Slow group in front? Just drive around 'em. Laid back place mostly played by local farmers, rv-retirees and fishermen, and every good player in the area because it also happens to be a great track! You'll have to see it to believe it. Also--nearby Othello has a private nine-holer built by Robert Trent Jones Corp. back in the day. It's open to the public (and cheap), so you can have 27 holes of good in basically the middle of nowhere. Shhh. It's a secret!

Three of us. A better-than-scratch pro playing from the tips, a 7 hcp "serious' muni player from the blues and me, a guy who doesn't keep score and plays for laughs. We're pals with completely different games. I played from forward tees because it was Feb. 1 and 45 degrees. Can all three of us enjoy this course?

The pro loved it. Lots of challenging approach shots and intimidating looks from the tee box.

Mr. Muni got his rump kicked. The green complexes are very well protected, and if you overswing from the tee (because you're playing too long a course) you will fail to land your tee shot in a good place, and be happy to save bogey. But you won't feel happy. More like you never had a chance.

Ah, but what if you play forward so you don't have to hit driver off the tee, and you can hit irons into the greens (a MUST -- long club approaches don't cut it here). Now its a blast. If you're a decent iron player.

The terrain and course design are both lovely. If scary approach shots are your kind of lovely. It was winter when we played so no judgments about the greens . . . they were holding well though and broke the way they read. But you gotta look closely.

Nice driving range.

New ownership (a monster clubhouse was being built when we were there) is going to make this course a definite destination for Guys Who Can Play. The new owners are a Casino, though, and if they start sending recreational players out, well, expect some 5-6 hour rounds.