Best Golf Courses for Scenery and Challenge in the Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is a top golf destination because it offers dramatic landscapes, technical course designs, and reliable playing conditions year-round.

Golfers walking, woman in foreground carrying clubs_evelynkanter — Photo: USGA Foundation

Evergreen forests, rugged Pacific coastlines, volcanic peaks like Mount Rainier and Mount Hood, and high-desert plateaus create a wide range of backdrops that make every round visually striking, while moderate summer temperatures and regular rainfall keep fairways dense and greens firm throughout the year.

You can navigate between oceanfront links at Bandon Dunes, alpine-style fairways at Gamble Sands, or dense forest courses like Chambers Bay, and courses designed by such legendary architects as Robert Trent Jones Jr. and David McLay Kidd. Several courses are walking only.

Plus, the relaxed pace of the Pacific Northwest paired with strong craft beer and wine scenes and easy access to outdoor activities like hiking and fishing, offer additional experiences between rounds, or to keep a non-golfing travel partner busy.

These are the most scenic courses in three states – Washington, Oregon and Idaho – which require you to keep your eye on the ball. Literally.

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Scenic golf course in Washington State_evelynkanter — Photo: Chambers Resort

Chambers Bay Golf Course

Chambers Bay delivers a true links golf experience shaped by sweeping dunes, firm fescue fairways, and wide views of Puget Sound. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. on the site of a former quarry, the course favors ground game strategies over high ball flights.

There are undulating fairways, large bunkering systems, and fast, heavily contoured greens that challenge even skilled short games.

Walking is required to preserve the turf, but the dramatic routing and flexible tee options, stretching to nearly 8,000 yards, make the extra physical effort worthwhile.

The back nine, particularly holes 15 through 18, offer some of the most scenic and strategically engaging golf in the region, rewarding bold play and precision.

Gamble Sands

Gamble Sands features wide, tightly mown fescue fairways that run firm and fast. It’s a course built for aggressive tee shots and strategic ground game approaches.

Designed by David McLay Kidd, it favors bold play with large landing zones and minimal rough, but punishes poor distance control with natural run-offs and sharp bunker edges. Greens are large and slope gently rather than severely, requiring careful placement instead of heavy spin to hold position.

Walking is encouraged with short green-to-tee transitions, although carts are available.

Standout holes like the short downhill 2nd reward risk with a reachable green but demand precision to avoid centerline bunkers. Gamble Sands challenges you to manage runout, use slopes intelligently, and stay disciplined around large greens.

Apple Tree Golf Course

Apple Tree Golf Course in Yakima weaves through active orchards, combining wide fairways, elevation changes, and frequent water hazards into a resort-style layout that rewards smart shot placement.

Designed by John Steidel, the course offers firm, fast greens early and late in the season, although softer conditions appear during warmer months when irrigation increases. The front nine holes mix variety and risk-reward options, while the back nine builds toward a stronger finish starting at the 15th.

The 17th is the signature hole, featuring an apple-shaped island green that demands precise distance control.

Strategic decisions are important on holes like the 9th and 18th, where creeks and angled fairways challenge you to balance risk against reward.

Walking is manageable, but carts are widely used.

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Golfer in foreground with snow-capped mountains in distance_evelynkanter.com — Photo: Bandon Dunes Colf Course

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort delivers a pure walking golf experience across five distinct courses.

Pacific Dunes and Bandon Dunes combine tight coastal fairways with firm turf and steady winds, requiring low, controlled ball flights and creative ground game approaches. Trails shift inland to rolling forest terrain, where elevation changes and precise placement matter more than distance.

Old Macdonald offers massive greens that can turn small mistakes into three-putts. Sheep Ranch, with nine greens perched on the ocean’s edge, demands extra attention to swirling winds and fewer bunkers but plenty of risk around its cliffside holes.

Bandon’s walking-only design keeps pace briskly, while caddies help navigate subtle terrain and tricky greens.

Pronghorn Club – Jack Nicklaus Signature Course

Set in Oregon’s high desert, the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Pronghorn demands precision from start to finish, blending narrow targets, firm turf, and controlling trajectory amid swirling desert winds.

It also takes concentration not to be distracted by the stunning views of Mount Bachelor and the Three Sisters.

Fairways twist and narrow around hazards, forcing you to shape shots carefully rather than relying on distance alone. Greens are guarded by deep bunkers and tight collection areas, punishing approaches that miss by even small margins.

Holes like the 13th, with its cape-style drive over water, and the uphill par five 15th framed by lava rock, push you to balance risk against conservative play.

Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Ghost Creek

Ghost Creek at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club is in the rolling hills outside Portland, Oregon, and is a public course.

The course weaves through dense stands of trees, where Ghost Creek itself adds pressure on key holes, including the risk-reward par-4 17th and narrow fairways and deceptive bunkering.

The par-5s challenge with with the creek and bunkers waiting for misjudged shots. Both the 9th and 18th holes demand precise ball-striking to avoid large water hazards guarding the greens, creating a serious test to close each nine.

Consistently well-maintained, the course is one of the Pacific Northwest’s strongest public golf experiences, offering competitive design without sacrificing natural beauty.

Best Scenic Golf Courses in Idaho

Best golf courses in the Pacific Northwest_evelynkanter — Circling Raven Golf Course photo courtesy IdahoGolf.com

Circling Raven Golf Club at the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort

Circling Raven Golf Course is a serious test of golf set across 600 acres of meadows, wetlands, and forests.

Designed by Gene Bates, the course stretches to 7,189 yards and challenges players with wide fairways, strategic bunkering, and constant changes in landscape.

Standout holes include the split-fairway 4th, the short but dangerous 10th, and the brutal 253-yard par-3 13th.

Every hole feels isolated, creating an immersive experience without distractions from other groups. Wetlands, native grasses, and dense tree lines shape the shot values and demand attention on every swing.

Jug Mountain Ranch Golf Course

Jug Mountain Ranch offers a scenic, varied layout that challenges with elevation changes, strategic bunkering, and an authentic mountain golf atmosphere.

Designed by Donald Knott, the course moves between flatter meadowland on the front nine and dramatic, forested terrain on the back.

The back nine stands out with cathedral-like tree-lined par 3s and demanding uphill par 5s that test both distance and accuracy. The signature 12th hole offers a stunning pond carry and short wedge approach.

Conditions are solid, and the green fee remains very reasonable given the course quality and setting.

Sun Valley Golf Course, Sun Valley Resort

Sun Valley Resort offers three distinct golf experiences across its Trail Creek, White Clouds, and Elkhorn courses. Trail Creek, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., is a traditional mountain parkland course where tree-lined fairways, water hazards, and fast greens ask for strategic play.

It balances forgiving tee shots with precise approaches, especially on the back nine, where Trail Creek becomes a serious factor.

White Clouds, perched above the resort, delivers a bold contrast. The nine-hole layout feels more open and links-like, with dramatic elevation changes, deep bunkering, and sweeping panoramic views that test club selection and distance control in windy conditions.

Elkhorn, a semi-private course by Gene Bates and Byron Nelson, offers a different style with wide fairways, tiered greens, and rolling land.

For more golf courses in Idaho, check IdahoGolf.com

Best Time to Play Golf in the Pacific Northwest

The best time to play golf in the Pacific Northwest is from late May through September, when conditions are warmest and driest.

Summer brings longer daylight hours, firmer fairways, and the most reliable weather for planning multiple rounds.

Courses at higher elevations often open in late May after winter snow melts, while coastal and lowland courses become firmer and faster through June and July.

Although occasional rain showers can happen even in peak months, the risk is much lower compared to spring or fall.

Thanks to Jordan Fuller, a retired golfer and businessman, for providing much of the research for this article, in return for a link to his website, Golf Influence

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is an award-winning journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.