Skamania Lodge - Course closure

[Pete_Pittock]

Skamania Lodge, in the Columbia Gorge town of Stevenson, WA has closed its regulation course, designed by Gene "Bunny" Mason and opened in 1993.  My information is that is going to be replaced with a par 3 or other type of short course plus a short game/putting area.


Played it once, which was more than enough.

[Dan Gallaway]

We’re having a good time digesting the fact that it was just voted #2 in Washington by Golf Advisor.

[Garland Bayley]

Skamania Lodge, in the Columbia Gorge town of Stevenson, WA has closed its regulation course, designed by Gene "Bunny" Mason.  My information is that is going to be replaced with a par 3 or other type of short course plus a short game/putting area.


Played it once, which was more than enough.

Apparently with minimum wage going up they could no longer maintain their profit center. Hiring people to find lost balls, and then selling them to Walmart to be sold as experienced balls.

Once was more than enough for me too.

[Garland Bayley]

We’re having a good time digesting the fact that it was just voted #2 in Washington by Golf Advisor.

Now #3. #1 and #3 are courses I dispise. #1 (Wild Horse) got a review from me. I wouldn't think one need review Skamania to keep people away.

[Steve_Lovett]

Skamania should've never been open in the first place.

[Michael Dugger]

Yeah, Skankmania was a real turd.  Only about 5-6 holes worth a damn.  As with a lot of courses, a good month spent with a chainsaw would probably have saved the day.


On another note, if you haven't ventured down the road to ELK RIDGE, it's a fun little track.  It's everything Skamania was not.  Mostly wide open, centralized routing.  Interesting bunkers and greens.  A hidden gem with some wild greens.

[Garland Bayley]

I love Elk Ridge under the right conditions. I played it in the summer with a single digit buddy, and beat him gross. I played it in the winter with Slag Bandoon and we had a great time.

I hated it when I was able to beat a player 10 strokes better than me. Their maintenance practices were such that when my buddies ball rolled off the fairway it was lost or had to be hacked out a few yards. Meanwhile, my huge slice to the left had me sitting pretty in an adjoining fairway. I was getting GIRs while spraying the ball all over the course, and my buddy could hardly ever get an GIR.

When I played in the winter with Slag, the grass wasn't growing, and we could find and play our wild ones.

I maintain that if they were to mow the whole place at fairway heights they would have to beat away the golfers.

[Ronald Montesano]

Is this the same "Bunny" Mason, who starred in Caddyshack II? Love his work. RIP