Golf in Lake Oswego

Built on a former dairy farm in 1969, the executive course at Meadowlawn incorporates a compact game of nine holes into residential Arcadia. Four par 3 holes help players develop their short game amid hazards such as a creek, lake, and sand bunkers newly renovated with tiny camels and to-scale mirages. The course also features five par 4s for diverse play while still maintaining a scaled-down layout that ensures a quick round, allowing players to get in enough play. After rounds, the onsite Upper Deck Grill refuels and rejuvenates golfers with a menu of salads, sandwiches, and grill fare.

Tinted glass panes wrap around the rustic clubhouse of Spring Hill Country Club, permitting splendid views of the kempt lawn, misting fountains, and 18-hole golf course that encompass the grounds below. An advanced Rain Bird irrigation system keeps the 6,502-yard labyrinth in pristine shape year-round, and a short-game practice area, driving range, and PGA-certified instructors help preserve both swings and nine-irons' sense of identity. Members enjoy access to a fitness center with cardio and weightlifting machines, a sauna, and locker rooms, as well as access the cool waters of the club's Olympic-size outdoor pool. Plasma-screen TVs show live sports or golf-cart jousting at the casual Caddy Shack Pub, and the Player's Grille invites synchronized dining and chit-chat while clients take in quiet views of the club.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,502 yards from farthest tees
• Course rating of 71.7 from farthest tees
• Slope rating of 129 from farthest tees
• Five tee options

The nine-hole golf course zigzags across former farmland and crosses McKay Creek twice, showcasing bucolic scenery and water hazards that come into play on numerous holes. Split evenly into par 3s, 4s, and 5s, the par 36 course stretches 2,761 yards and presents a gauntlet of greenside bunkers and hoarding tree boughs hoping to add golf balls to their collections of eggs. Prior to a round, players can conduct swing experiments by sending Nike range balls toward target greens on the driving range. Players take shots in one of 22 covered, heated stalls, and can continue bombardment under the cover of night thanks to the overhead lights that stay illuminated until 9 p.m.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 36 course
• Total length of 2,761 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 66 from the back tees
• Course slope of 111 from the back tees
• Two sets of tees per hole

I & G Golf Range gives golfers ample space to address holes in their golf game and develop consistent, dependable swings at a driving range with flagstick targets marked with distances. Visitors collect their allotment of range balls and tee them up on one of the covered mat stalls or, when weather permits, on one of the grass tee stations. Sending golf balls into lower orbit or toward flagsticks scattered at various distances about the range helps players master distance control and understand why ships fly flags to hinder the aim of nervous cannoneers.

Tall nets surround Sunset Golf Center’s driving range, their forgiving springiness easing wayward balls back toward the range's lush green. Here, golfers launch balls from the center’s 50 practice stalls, more than half of which are sheltered from the elements. Artificial-grass mats carpet each stall with blades soft enough to mimic real fairways but short enough to avoid attracting artificial cows, and across the grounds, a stone Statue of Liberty oversees play atop the 18-hole miniature-golf course. From his post at the center, golf instructor Sandy Sutherland helps both juniors and adults to hone their links prowess.

Since 1959, St. Helens Golf Course, just a short 30-minute drive from Portland, has enveloped golfers in a quiet serenity as they propel their golf balls along its nine holes. Before tackling the course, players shake the rust off their short games on the putting and chipping green and perfect their wind-ups inside the hitting cage. The course’s relatively short layout and lack of crowds enables players to finish a round quickly and leave the rest of the day for daydreaming about perfect putts and whittling tees into figurines of favorite golfers.

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par-36 course

• Total length of 3,040 yards from the back tees

• Course rating of 68.1 from the back tees

• Course slope of 114 from the back tees

• Three sets of tees per hole