Salishan Spa and Golf Resort

[Jeff Doerr]

Last weekend my wife and I joined another couple for a birthday celebration at the coast. The ladies let Bob (the birthday boy) and I get away for golf on Saturday. We went down to Salishan, just south of Lincoln City.



I really enjoyed the course and was very impressed by the conditions I found. I spoke with the pro Mark Swift before our round and he talked about the drainage system that was put in. It was effective enough that I went home and searched for the company on the web. Their super, Ryan Bancroft, deserves a lot of credit also.

http://www.greenshieldsystems.com/index.cfm

The course is a full redesign of a 1965 Fred Federspiel layout. The routing is essentially the same, but everything changed a bit. Most greens moved up, down or sideways. What I did like was retaining the old style bunkering and shapes. The course looks like it has been there for 100 years. The course is very walkable, but would have a few tough spots. From the clubhouse to the first tee, you have to cross under 101, so you probably have 100+ yards.  After the 9th, you have that 100+ yards again, plus the hike up to the 10th tee, so likely 250+. On the back nine the routing takes a bit of a quirk, but it works. After 14, the 15th green is just west of you. The play for a walker is to carry the full bag up the hill and hit your 15th tee ball. Walk back down to the green with your putter and a wedge if needed. Your bag will stay up the hill by the 16th tee. The routing for 15 is a bit funky, but gives them a drop shot 3 as a signature.

This is from the Jacobsen/Hardy website:
Jacobsen Hardy didn't merely solve longstanding drainage problems here; its renovation finally brought a coherent design strategy to this 18-hole daily-fee/resort. Salishan reopened in 2004 with 18 new greens, no more blind shots, and a level of architectural interest that finally matches its majestic location on Oregon's central coast.

Salishan – Jacobsen/Hardy full redesign  / Par 71 6470 Yards

Hole 1
A little nervy out of the chute with the water carry, but plenty of width out there really.
395
Par 4



Hole 2
Short uphiller, but a nice green for the defense.
342
Par 4


Hole 3
Really nice big sweeping par 4, one of the highlights for me.
416
Par 4



Hole 4
Mid range par 3 that fit into the routing nicely.
174
Par 3


Hole 5
Good downhill 5 that will give you nice options on a good drive. (2nd pic is the back tee box undergoing some work)
499
Par 5



Hole 6
Pretty par 3, with nice green slopes. All the greens had good speed and enough slope with the mountains to keep your interest.
195
Par 3


Hole 7
Another favorite. Good uphill dogleg left 4.
410
Par 4



Hole 8
Tough to cut anything off on this dogleg right par 5.
547
Par 5


Hole 9
Very interesting downhill par 4. I went hybrid and 6 iron for a par. If you hit a draw, you may want to go after the “speed slot”, but it would be a lot of risk.
440
Par 4

[Jeff Doerr]

Hole 10
Another signature type looking down the hill to the bay.  Pretty tight for an aggressive play.
457
Par 5


Hole 11
Simple par 3 that has some length and likely works well with the coastal winds.
202
Par 3


Hole 12
Another favorite. Nice subtle bend at the end tucks the greensite around the corner.
433
Par 4



Hole 13
Tight tee shot causes some pause on this fairly long par 4.
415
Par 4



Hole 14
Last of the trio of par 4s in the flatlands by the bay.
385
Par 4


Hole 15
This is the totally new hole. Pretty understated, but fun for the view. Very evident that the routing was entrenched due to the existing housing in the area.
158
Par 3



Hole 16
There is a little width if you hit over the waste area.
332
Par 4



Hole 17
Intriguing short hole. I guess drivable for some, but with the green sloping away I don’t think many big hitters will prevail at scoring well on this short one.
297
Par 4



Hole 18
Finish with a downhill dogleg par 4.
373
Par 4



All in all, a very fun old school course in a unique place on the Oregon Coast. The redesign stayed faithful to the classic style and yet brought it to a great level of playability. Salishan won’t be mentioned on lists with the Bandon Dunes courses, Pronghorns, Pumpkins, etc.,  but it is great example of how good golf is in Oregon.

[Kalen Braley]

Jeff,

Interestingly enough, I was having fun with google maps a couple of months ago and ran across this course.  I couldn't figure out the routing on the 2nd 9 due to the 15/16 interchange.  Seems pretty goofy, but wouldn't be the 1st time I've seen a par 3 where you play it and then come back where you hit your tee shot from, more or less.

Was it too impractical due to the uphill nature, to put the tee near where 15 green is, and the green where the tees are to be more fluid?

[Scott Weersing]

I thought the front nine would drain well because of the slope. Does a course drain well or not depending on the type of soil or the change in elevation?

Or was the course not built with good drains way back when? It seems courses are built these days to drain better.

[Pete_Pittock]

Hole #14 used to be a par 5 to what is now the 15th green. The 15th was an blind uphill par 3 to what is now the area of the 15th tee. The 6th hole looks much better, you couldn't find enough pinable areas for a tournament. Haven't been there since the remodel
The centerline of the 2017 total solar ecplipse will hit North America at salishan.

[Garland Bayley]

Jeff,

Interestingly enough, I was having fun with google maps a couple of months ago and ran across this course.  I couldn't figure out the routing on the 2nd 9 due to the 15/16 interchange.  Seems pretty goofy, but wouldn't be the 1st time I've seen a par 3 where you play it and then come back where you hit your tee shot from, more or less.

Was it too impractical due to the uphill nature, to put the tee near where 15 green is, and the green where the tees are to be more fluid?

I know Jacobson/Hardy reversed at least one hole in the existing routing. Seems this is where they would do it.

[Dan Herrmann]

I remember when Salishan was "IT" when it came to public golf on the Oregon Coast.  How are they doing with Bandon down the road (I admit that it's still quite a drive down there from Salishan).

[Jeff Doerr]

I think they ok on rounds played, and have a good flow from the resort. If it was within 3--45 minutes of Portland it would get a lot more play. The 15th did used to be the blind uphill par 3, which fit into the routing.

Drainage was really solid, and not so much from the slopes, as from the sand/slit system put in. The soil is really thousands of years of rain forest...

[Jeff Doerr]

The centerline of the 2017 total solar ecplipse will hit North America at salishan.

Hopefully won't be typical cloudy Oregon Coast!