10 Beautiful Golf Courses To Play In Oregon

To the uninitiated, Oregon doesn’t seem like the most obvious choice for a destination golf trip. But for those in the know, the state offers some of the most stunning places in the world to play a round. Here are the 10 most beautiful golf courses in Oregon, which may just inspire you to start packing your clubs.

Salmon Run Golf Course

Sports Center

Located in Brookings, Oregon, Salmon Run is an 18-hole public course with stunning views of forest and mountain ranges, along with tranquil lakes that you better hope don’t attract too many of your shots.

Pacific Dunes

Pacific Dunes is possibly the most beautiful golf course in Oregon and would be a strong contender for one of the most scenic in the world. Between the dramatic cliffs at the edge of the course and the crashing waves of the Pacific beyond, you’ll feel like you’re on the shores of Scotland, where the game began.

Bandon Dunes

Bandon Dunes has the advantage of being on the water and is also perfectly maintained, with acres of immaculate green hills rolling in every direction around you. The money shot is at the 17th hole, where you can just see the horizon blend with the ocean over a gentle, sloping hill.

Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club

The ambitious owners of the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club set out to build a club that would attract worldwide tournaments and scale the ranks of the best golf clubs in the world, and they succeeded. In its first year of operation, the club hosted the prestigious U.S. Amateur Championship and was named the best new public course in the country by Golf Digest.

Sunriver Resort Golf Course

The Sunriver Resort features four golf courses, each designed by a prominent architect and each offering a different level of challenge to those who would like to play. (The Caldera Links course has only nine holes, making it an ideal choice for parents looking to teach their little ones the game.) Make sure your tee times won’t conflict with the PGA Professional Championship, which often takes place here.

Cross Creek Golf Course

Located just 16 miles (25.7 kilometers) outside of Salem, Cross Creek Golf Course is one of the most innovative in the region. Its unique layout combines traditional- and links-style golf, creating a challenging course in the midst of the verdant mid-Willamette Valley.

Mallard Creek Golf Course

Near Lebanon, Oregon, Mallard Creek is an 18-hole course spread throughout rolling hills, all along Hamilton Creek and several lakes. The course is so beautiful that you just might see a wedding party while you’re playing—the venue is a popular one for area nuptials.

Quail Ridge Golf Course

Near Baker City, the Quail Ridge Golf Course offers breathtaking 360-degree views of the Elkhorn and Wallowa Mountains. The course, built in 1936, is one of the oldest in the region and offers three different courses for different skill levels.

Diamond Woods

Forest, Sports Center

Deep in the Willamette Valley, nestled into a forest on a hillside, is Diamond Woods Golf Course. Designed to be less challenging, even for intermediate golfers, Diamond Woods is a pure pleasure to play. Several holes have stellar views of the Cascadian foothills.

Elkhorn Golf Course

Sports Center, Park

This gorgeous, secluded course is a fair drive from Oregon’s larger cities, but it is worth the trek for the sense of solitude, focus, and peace that a round or two can bring. Lakes, creeks, and greens in the midst of fairways can make it a challenging course, but newbie and experienced golfers alike will feel as if they are playing in the heart of a forest that has been suspended in time.