Golf Recommendations in Boise, ID area and northeastern OR ?

[Matt_Ward]

Be most appreciative of any solid choices people can offer.

Thanks ...

p.s. doesn't matter if it's private, resort or public. Please don't mention places that are significantly north of Boise.

[Garland Bayley]

Well there's that public course in Union, OR. Doubt you would love it as much as you love The Links of ND though.
 

[Craig Van Egmond]

Unless something has changed recently there are solid choices in northeast Oregon for golfing.  Wildhorse casino in Pendleton is the pick of the litter. Your best bet would be to see if the new Wazzu golf course is open a little farther north in Pullman.

Visit Wallowa Lake and take the tram in your in that neck of the woods though.

[Sean Leary]

Hillcrest on the private side and Banbury on the public side in Boise.

[Garland Bayley]

Matt,

The one in Union, OR is called Buffalo Peak. Don't let the name mislead you. It is mostly treeless and not a mountain course.

http://www.buffalopeakgolf.com/golf/proto/buffalopeakgolf/

[Craig Van Egmond]

Buffalo Creek was fun and worth playing if you happen to be in Union, but I sure wouldn't go out of my way to play it.  And I went way out of my way to play it!

[Matt_Ward]

Gents:

Appreciate the info.

Be curious to know what people think of Banbury or Osprey Meadows at Tamarack Resort. Digest has it among the best five in the state.

I doubt anything is remotely close to Black Rock although Nicklaus is opening a new layout in the panhandle area shortly.

Garland:

I checked out the Website -- the course only plays to a max of just beyond 6,500 yards. That is incredibly short given the elevation. Is there something inherently unique about the course that sets it apart?

[Sean Leary]

Matt,

I didn't think much of Osprey Meadows at all. Conditions were incredibly soft, and I thought it was just a mediocre resort course.Blind tee shots on the first 3 holes that were not par 3s. Pretty far from Boise as well. I hear Whitetail is pretty good in McCall.

[Matt_Ward]

Sean:

Have you played Whitetail or is your info from second hand accounts.

Is there anything in the northeastern corner of OR worth a play from your visits?

Can't imagine how an entire section of OR is literally a ghost town for quality golf.

[Sean Leary]

Just heard.

Have you ever been to Eastern Oregon? Not surprising to me at all.

Are you coming up here to play Chambers Bay?

[Lance Rieber]

Matt,
Northeast Oregon has Wildhorse Casino which is not bad.  Not much else there.  In Boise, Hillcrest hosts the Nationwide and the other two I would advise would be Banbury and Ridgecrest in Nampa, both are done by Harbottle.  Tamarack is OK but the best in The McCall area is Jug Mountain, which is a blast to play. E-mail me if you need more info.
Lance

[Garland Bayley]

...
Can't imagine how an entire section of OR is literally a ghost town for quality golf.

You are talking about an area of the country that approximates the Williston, ND area in population. Buffalo Peak is the analog of the Links of ND for the area. However, IMHO Buffalo Peak is not of the quality of the Links of ND.

[Dan Herrmann]

Matt - if you're going to NE Oregon, leave the clubs in the trunk.  Visit Hell's Canyon.  Visit Joseph, Oregon - some of the best alpine scenery anywhere.  Take the tram ride.  Get in touch with your inner child

[Craig Van Egmond]

Matt,

    Dan knows what he's talking about!

    When you enter Joseph they have a sign that says "This town is like heaven to us so don't drive like hell through it"

    While you are there eat at the Stubborn Mule.  Sadly you just missed Chief Joseph days. 

    http://www.josephoregon.com/joseph_oregon_home.htm

[W.H. Cosgrove]

If in McCall, ID

Whitetail is very nice, although last time I played it was being inundated by surrounding contruction.  Tamarack is OK but is inconsistent.  I'll give the RT Jones folks the benefit of the doubt and blame that on the property provided at Tamarack resort.  Also available is Jug Mountain, which is where I'm going to play when I'm in McCall next week.  I played the original nine and was a little disappointed but look forward to playing the new nine which looked very good during construction.  The McCall city course is 27 holes and actually looks pretty nice although I haven't gotten out on it yet.  Avoid New Meadows. 

Boise has Hillcrest and Crane Creek on the private side.  Both passable.  The front nine at Hillcrest is particularly interesting as the Macan greens are pretty wild.  The back nine, which Macan did decades later are flatter and less exciting.   

New Harbottle opens in Pullman WA this month, Palouse Ridge.  This may be too far off the beaten path for you but I will give a report after I play there during my travels. 

[Matt_Ward]

Lane, et al:

If you have specific info on Jug Mountain please forward.

Be curious to who the designer was and if there's a direct link to their site.

I'm only traveling through the area to spend some time with friends in Bend.

But I do want to play somewhere on the trek from SLC to Bend.

Thanks to all.

[Matt_Ward]

For those who have played it -- how good is the layout at Wildhorse Casino? The closing hole looks quite strong, to name just one aspect from their Website. Is the talk really worth a peak.

I appreciate the info on the new WSU course in Pullman.

[Criss Titschinger]

Any other options for Boise?  I may be going there next year when my alma matter plays BSU on the blue turf.

[Pete_Pittock]

Matt,
IMO Wildhorse has three good holes - 12,16,18 and #11 has cross-bunkering. Others holes are mundane.  For me at best a Doak 4.5.
Average maintenance. Because it does get hot (I spent two days at 107 degrees officiating there) it will either be overwatered or dry depending on your tee-time. With all the land the Umatilla Indians had available a much better product could have been made. I am not faulting the architect.
200 miles one way from Boise.

[W.H. Cosgrove]

Jug Mountain
http://www.jugmountainranch.com/golf.html

[Mike Erdmann]

Can't imagine how an entire section of OR is literally a ghost town for quality golf.

Matt, I'm not sure if you've been to NE Oregon, but there's very little quality golf (or any golf, really) because there's scarcely any population and very little tourism.  Bandon or Bend it ain't.

Actually, Wildhorse isn't a bad track, but it's nothing to get overly excited about or go out of your way to play.  If you happen to be driving by on I-84, by all means stop for a round, but if you're spending any effort to get there, you'd be better off spending the effort getting somewhere else.

[Matt_Ward]

Thanks Mike and to all who responded.

My goal will be to drive through the wilderness and get to Bend pronto.

[Matt_Ward]

Be curious to know from those with some insight -- is the land in the far eastern corner of OR worthwhile for a golf design -- not just from the land perspective but from a business vantage point? I would opine no but my knowledge of the area is limited.

Clearly, the recent move to upgrade golf options in and around the Bend area is growing quite quickly as a destination place worth including.

[Dan Herrmann]

Matt,
NE Oregon is like that Dwight Yokam song - it's a Thousand Miles from Nowhere.

Wallowa County, Oregon has only one traffic light.  There aren't many people living up there, and it's quite challenging to get to.  I lived in metro-Portland from '85-'93, and only got up there a couple of times.

Bend is a LONG way from, say, Enterprise, OR. 

Honestly, I don't see a golf market up there with the short golf season and the remoteness.

[Kalen Braley]

Matt,

Only one Basic rule of thumb when it comes to Oregon...No need to travel further east than Bend. 

If you take a look at Google Maps, it pretty much shows you the nothingness that is there.  Its basically just an extension of the Neveda Desert...