2011 Opening - Salish Cliff - Shelton, WA - Gene Bates

[Richard Choi]

Found a nice article about the course today...

http://golfcoursebusiness.com/golf/real-estate/440/new-salish-cliffs-golf-club-to-open-in-fall

Here is the layout (distinct lack of bunkers around the green - interesting!):



There were also a couple of pictures of the holes (which looked pretty mature) in the PNW Golfer magazine, but they don't have any on-line content. They looked very similar to Circling Raven.

Does anyone else here have more details? I am going to try the course out the first chance I get.

[Peter_Herreid]

Rich--I think that article was from last year, as originally Salish Cliffs was supposed to open after Labor Day 2010, but that was put off until this year.  I have not been able to find anything on the Little Creek Casino website suggesting a planned opening date in 2011, but one would have to guess they would like to be open for Memorial Day weekend or July 4th weekend.  No matter how well something is sand-capped, things are going to be pretty sloppy up here until late May anyway...

A lot of folks I know really love, love Circling Raven, so I am interested in seeing Salish Cliffs sooner as opposed to later.  Agree that things look mature already

[Matthew Petersen]

Rich,

That map shows no bunkers on the course but the article refers to the 12th hole being dominated by both a fairway and greenside bunker, so I'm guessing not everything is being shown on the map.

[Will MacEwen]

http://www.worldgolf.com/newswire/browse/66115-Brand-New-Salish-Cliffs-Golf-Club-Little-Creek-Casino-Resort-Shelton-WA-Hires-Head-Prof

This link says opening Spring 2011.

This one says this summer:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014616264_apwatribalcomeback1stldwritethru.html

[Garland Bayley]

Here's what Google Earth has

[Carl Johnson]

Current photos on website.  Changing photos at top of page.  http://little-creek.com/golf.html#photos

[Richard Choi]

From the site:

Atypical to area, preferred bentgrass stretches tee to green bordered by pure ryegrass in the rough for a distinctive, contrasting look

This is not atypical to the area. I would say most of the high-end new courses over last couple of decades started out the same. But poa usually takes over soon enough...

[Jim_Kennedy]

The bunkering has that silly/frilly look, but at least it's nice to see that they clustered the buildings away from the golf course.

[Mike Nuzzo]

Hard to believe that the pictures of the fairways looked worse than the rendering.
Adding Swoop to create interest and over shaping everything costs more and plays worse.
Those bunkers must be an april fools joke...

[Garland Bayley]

Hard to believe that the pictures of the fairways looked worse than the rendering.
Adding Swoop to create interest and over shaping everything costs more and plays worse.
Those bunkers must be an april fools joke...

Bates is famous for offering you a Rorshack (sp?) test.

[Peter_Herreid]

I must say, those bunker edges remind me of this fancy can opener we have that is supposed to seal the edges of the lid down, so that no sharp edges protrude.  It leaves a border pattern that looks like that!

[Sean Leary]

Didn't the bunkers look similar at Black Horse/Bayonet when it reopened? Another Bates deal.

[Jim_Kennedy]

The color of the sand is almost as 'offensive' as the shapes and the edges. The sixth from the last photo on the website's scroll shows some of the underlying sandy ground, especially down around the canal, and it's a nice, unobtrusive, shade of tan.

[Joel_Stewart]

Didn't the bunkers look similar at Black Horse/Bayonet when it reopened? Another Bates deal.

I hate to be negative but I think you can expect complete and utter mediocrity when this course opens.

To me Gene Bates represents 80% business, he is a nice guy, and talks the talk, but then he is 20% show and works with minumum budgets and his works shows. 

Do not get your hopes up!

[Mike Hendren]

The only legitimate criticism of Bates is that he's a late adopter.  Is the bunker look any different from Mike DeVries' work at Meadow Club in its infancy?   Like the face of a teenage boy, frilly bunkers can appear quite awkward while they go through puberty.

Hopefully the end of pinking sheared bunkering is nigh.  

Mike

[Pete_Pittock]

The opening is this weekend. Fred Couples will be on hand all day Saturday greeting all 128 players in a shotgun start. Today (Tuesday) is media day so maybe Jesse is out there. I might do a drive by Monday on the way back from Sagebrush.

http://www.worldgolf.com/newswire/browse/68749-Fred-Couples-Headlines-Golf-Event-Open-Public-First-Come-First-Served-Basis

[Joe Stansell]

The opening is this weekend.

While I'm a fan of Circling Raven, and Gene Bate's work there, I'm not likely to rush out to play Salish Cliff at $90 a round. It will have to reduce its rates significantly or prove itself worthy of a long drive from Seattle, or both, before I go.