News:

Welcome to the Golf Club Atlas Discussion Group!

Each user is approved by the Golf Club Atlas editorial staff. For any new inquiries, please contact us.


Michael Underwood

  • Karma: +0/-0
Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« on: November 29, 2011, 09:45:50 PM »
Next summer we will be taking a family vacation to the Oregon Coast.  We will be staying between Warrenton and Astoria, OR.  What golf courses in that area should I try to play?  My wife is granting me a couple of days of golf during the family portion of our vacation, but they need to be in the vicinity of Astoria so that I am not spending all day on a golf adventure.  Any suggestions in the northwest corner of Oregon?

There is no need to suggest Bandon because after the family portion of the vacation I am meeting the boys in Bandon for four days of golf (my vacation). ;D

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2011, 09:50:49 PM »
Michael, I've never played there, but think the aged Astoria Golf Club is the only thing out there.   Many pros and cons.  

There is some good Lewis & Clark  out there.  Fort Clatsop on the Oregon side of the Columbia, just south of Astoria, is a good restoration.  There's a museum across the bridge on the Washington side.   The winter of 1804 must have been particularly brutal.   The Corps of Discovery spent it there.  
« Last Edit: November 30, 2011, 11:21:04 AM by Bill_McBride »

Sean Leary

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2011, 10:39:43 PM »
Bill,

How far is Gearhart from Astoria?

Pete_Pittock

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2011, 12:07:08 AM »
Gearhart Golf Links about 10 minutes from Astoria GC. Small greens. good contours. It was modernized about 10 years ago by Bill Robinson with noticeable changes on 6, 12-14. I'd recommend it.Also a smallish course on the Long Beach peninsula in Washngton, Seaside 9-holer and a 9 holer in Gearhart which are a definite step down.

Joe Bentham

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2011, 12:10:23 AM »
The Highlands is too fun to miss and they've got a great golf shop

Norbert P

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2011, 12:30:39 AM »
  As Peter mentioned, Gearhart Golf Links is the coolio in the region for public access. Oldest golf course west of the Misipi except for Vancouver CC in Canada.  (?)  Gearhart preceded Del Monte in Cal but G began with only three holes. (Enough for a snort and a mashie.)

 I haven't had the priviledge of playing Astoria CC but would love the opp.  Klein wrote a nice story about it in his Rough Meditations book. GC Agent Clayman admires it.

« Last Edit: November 30, 2011, 12:39:59 AM by Slag Bandoon »
"Golf is only meant to be a small part of one’s life, centering around health, relaxation and having fun with friends/family." R"C"M

Garland Bayley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2011, 10:58:38 AM »
Photo tour of Astoria CC.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,26002.0.html

I have driven  by Gearhart, but not played. Would it be considered a "True Links"? Should it have been in Peper's book? It's only a stones throw from the ocean. Too many trees?

I understand Chandler Egan did significant work there.
« Last Edit: December 01, 2011, 12:06:04 PM by Garland Bayley »
"I enjoy a course where the challenges are contained WITHIN it, and recovery is part of the game  not a course where the challenge is to stay ON it." Jeff Warne

Michael Underwood

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2011, 02:29:56 PM »
Gentlemen - I really appreciate the time that you have taken to answer my post.  You have given me some great ideas and I will start making contact with these clubs / courses to see what is possible while I am in the area.  Again, thank you.

Bob Jenkins

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2011, 04:04:59 PM »

Slag,

It is Victoria GC, not Vancouver GC, that is one of the two oldest courses west of the Mississippi, along with Gearhart GC. Victoria opened in 1893. Some great pics of it on their website at  www.victoriagolf.com  and an article in the current Golf Architecture magazine regarding the restoration project under the thoughtful architectural work of our own Jeff Mingay.  See   

http://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/Article/Mingay-restores-Macans-Victoria/2290/Default.aspx?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Michael Essig

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2011, 04:45:07 PM »
Is there anything a little further south in the Canon Beach area that is worthwile?  It is only about a 30 minute drive down to Canon Beach, which is a very popular summer destination for a lot of people in the NW, including people from Seattle.

Mike Erdmann

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #10 on: November 30, 2011, 09:34:16 PM »
No, there's no golf in the Cannon Beach area whatsoever.   The only worthwhile options in the vicinity are, as mentioned, Astoria Golf & Country Club, Gearhart Golf Links or Highland Links. 

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #11 on: November 30, 2011, 09:50:39 PM »
There is a little nine holer at Neskowin that is okay for intra-family matches.   

Daryl "Turboe" Boe

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #12 on: November 30, 2011, 10:07:40 PM »
Michael,

I had the good fortune to play Astoria CC in October.  What a treat!  I had been wanting to play it for many years, ever since our estimed TommyN told me years ago on here about it.  If you can manage to get on here I highly recommend it.  I found it to be one of the more unique places I had ever played.  Sure the holes are sporty, and quirky, but when you think about when it was built, and that it was built to follow the contours of the MASSIVE sand dunes without moving much dirt.

To plagiarize how Tommy described it to me those many years ago if you can imagine the land being a giant Wavy Lays potato chip with the holes running down the bottom of the valleys.  I will post a couple pictures here to illustrate.  Let me say this I told someone after that trip that one of the greatest endorsements I can say is that I have played about 1400 courses in my life, and that is a lot of golf holes.  And there are several holes out there that I can say with absolute certainty that I will remember for the rest of my life.  There are just a bunch of holes that are unlike any golf holes most of us have ever played before, or will ever play again.  And that is saying something!

Several of the holes play up these straight "half-pipe" shaped corridors between the dunes.  By placing different tee boxes along the top of one of the ridges at different places and angles that give you some good angles you have to decide how much to cut off.

This is one of the courses from my recent OR trip that I hoped to post some pictures on and I guess now is the chance.  Here are some pics of two holes that play up the same corridor at different points of the round.  Starting with the 3rd hole...


From one of the tees on the 3rd hole giving you a feel for a little bit of angle to play the hole from.


From another tee box looking straight down the line of the hole gives you a feel for how the hole played up that "half-pipe" corridor.


Turn around 180 degrees on the tee box from the previous picture and you get a sense for what the native dunes along those same lines look like with no golf hole routed down them.  This straight line set of dunes continues as far as you can see from off the property completely across the entire property of Astoria CC.  As you will see the 15th hole later plays up this same corridor from the opposite direction to where the greens are back to back.


From behind the 3rd green looking back down the fairway.


Later in the round the 15th hole...

Again from the tee gives you a little angle down the corridor.


A little closer up of the shape of the 15th fairway.


Closer up view of the 15th green with the 3rd green directly behind it.

There are other holes where there are back to back tees with the greens finishing at the far ends away from each other, etc.  Just a fantastic use of the unique dune shapes they had to work with.  

A great fun club to play, and obviously those contours are fairly user friendly giving you overall some favorable bounces.
Instagram: @thequestfor3000

"Time spent playing golf is not deducted from ones lifespan."

"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."

Pete_Pittock

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #13 on: November 30, 2011, 10:24:04 PM »
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,26002.0.html

I have driven  by Gearhart, but not played. Would it be considered a "True Links"? Should it have been in Peper's book? It's only a stones throw from the ocean. Too many trees?

I understand Chandler Egan did significant work there.

Link to Gearhart history/architect page: http://gearhartgolflinks.com/?page=119679
Played Gearhart probably 50 times in the 60s-70s. At that time the only irrigation was on the 1st fairway and all the greens. Now fully irrigated and playing less like the true links that it is behind the primary dune and the tertiary dune. No natural sands on the course. Knowing the general history of the ownership, they did not put much money into capital projects on the course between the Egan work in the 1930s and what Bill Robinson did in the 1990s., so the majority of what you see will be Egan's routing. Little change in the greens, bunkers have been reworked but most remain in the same spots.
The 3rd green (driveable) surroounds were reworked. The area of the 5th green greatly chnaged and marshy area front left chnaged into a lake.
6th hole is new, used to be straight with the green on the high dune short of the facility.
11th has a large bunker and depression (borrow pit?) short which shouldn't be in play. 12th has been pimped up in the line of charm.
14th used to be driveable in the summer with a simple punchbowl green between the dunes, now has the green benched into the left side dune. 154th shortened and green moved away from  a house.
Holes not mentioned are substaintially how I remember then from 30--50 years ago. Remember this Egan.

Joe Bentham

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #14 on: November 30, 2011, 10:43:58 PM »
Thanks for the pictures of Astoria Daryl...they reminded me what I like about the course AND this discussion board.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2011, 10:47:51 PM by Joe Bentham »

Garland Bayley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #15 on: December 01, 2011, 12:08:29 PM »
I forgot to say what the link in my previous post was. If you go back to post #6, I have linked to the photo tour of Astoria CC.
"I enjoy a course where the challenges are contained WITHIN it, and recovery is part of the game  not a course where the challenge is to stay ON it." Jeff Warne

Garland Bayley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #16 on: December 01, 2011, 12:15:36 PM »
I think #3 and #15 are great golf holes. With respect to #3, is there any other golf course where playing 7 iron from the tee, 3 wood from the fairway is approximately as good as playing driver from the tee, 9 iron from the fairway? The more the wind is blowing, the shorter the tee shot you want to hit? With respect to #15. Where else do you have a make your own dell hole? ;) If you go for the green from the tee, and miss enough, you have a completely blind pitch left for an approach.

Unfortunately, technology has changed #15 so that the "back" tees are forward of the "forward" tees, and low handicappers play #15 as a par 3 from their tees.
"I enjoy a course where the challenges are contained WITHIN it, and recovery is part of the game  not a course where the challenge is to stay ON it." Jeff Warne

Emile Bonfiglio

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #17 on: December 01, 2011, 12:51:43 PM »
Great comments by All! Highland is home to Discount Dan's which is hands down the best prices for golf equipment on the web. Be sure to spend the Day at Fort Stevens and hang out at/explore the Peter Iderdale ship wreck.


You can follow me on twitter @luxhomemagpdx or instagram @option720

Michael Underwood

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #18 on: December 02, 2011, 03:10:24 PM »
Thanks again for all the great information and pictures.  I now have a couple of connections at Astoria and will also play Gearhart while in the area.  If it was up to me I would play every day, but this is a family vacation and I know where my bread is buttered, therefore, I better hold it to two rounds! ;D

Tiger_Bernhardt

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Warrenton / Astoria, Oregon
« Reply #19 on: December 03, 2011, 11:22:00 PM »
Thanks for the pictures of Astoria GC. It was great fun. I would go out of my way to play there again.  Peter knows his neighborhood.

Tags:
Tags:

An Error Has Occurred!

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()
Back