Bend has a wide variety of golf courses to choose from… but which one is the best? With golf season right around the corner, courses will be opening up soon. Each one has its own unique style, with the course, the view and the level of difficulty. 22 golf courses can be found all over town; some are more popular than others, but each one always has use throughout the season.
The Summit boys and girls golf teams practice at Broken Top Golf Course, located off Mt. Washington Drive, close to Summit. The course ranges from par three to par five with a total of 18 holes. Their restaurant overlooks a beautiful lake, the course is close to town and the level of difficulty is about a six out of ten. The looks of the course are always pleasing, with the green grass and freshly raked sand bunkers as well as the trees surrounding it. The average cost for a membership is around $425 a month but it offers four tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, massage room and spa. The cost is high, but you definitely get rewards. And without a membership, it costs between $125 and $150 to play a round.
One of Broken Top’s competitors Tetherow, has the attention of many golfers. It’s located right off Century Drive, and you are welcomed with a wonderful restaurant, a swimming pool and hot tub area, vacation homes, lodges and a fitness center. The course is hilly and one of the more difficult ones in Bend.
“Tetherow, it just has great scenery, and it’s a challenge, which I like,” says John B Scallon, a junior at Summit, who is on the golf team and works at Awbrey Glen Golf Club. At Awbrey Glen, rates for a round of golf for adults range from $90 to $145, and for juniors, it’s $35. For a membership, it’s around $450 a month. This course offers lots of fun activities to the public and even more to their members. It’s more affordable and has a beautiful view that looks into the mountains and captures all of Bend’s glory.
One course farther out from Bend is Pronghorn Golf Club. It’s located in between Deschutes and Redmond. It’s a public course with 18 holes. A round of golf costs between $95 – $215. The prices are reasonable, and you are provided with a beautiful course, a restaurant, and a clubhouse. A membership there costs around $830 per month, but everyone knows it’s worth it.
“The hardest course is probably Pronghorn, I’d say,” says Saylor Gillet, a senior at Summit and a varsity player on the girls golf team. People who play here enjoy the view, the difficult course, the quality of their course, staff and other aspects of the experience. This is one of Bend’s more upscale golf courses and is an amazing place to play.
One final popular course in town is Awbrey Glen. It’s a private 18-hole course coming off Northwest Mount Washington Drive on the butte.
“I like the course, and the members and staff, and I play there a lot,” says Scallon. Their clubhouse and snack shack are very welcoming and they offer a pool to members. The course is famous for the huge rocks surrounding most holes. The course is hard but playable and has beautiful views from some higher up holes and is a beautiful course all around. Memberships cost between $200 – $550 monthly. It’s cheaper than most golf courses in Bend but has a lot of the same benefits. And playing a round as a guest is $20.
Overall all of these courses are great, some are cheaper, some are farther away, but all of them are beautiful, hard and will give you a great experience. Pronghorn and Tetherow are the most difficult, Pronghorn is the most expensive while Awbrey Glen is the least expensive. They all meet the requirements of being a great golf course. Golfing is as much about the sport as the experience; the people, the course, and the clubhouse are all great factors that affect the game and make the experience better overall. Bend golf is the best it has been for a long time.
