Oregon Guide and Deals

Today's Groupon is valid for three 30-minute private lessons at Eastmoreland Golf Course. During the one-on-one lessons, Michael will help improve overall technique and swing mechanics. Learn the fundamentals on the range, in a bunker, on the putting green, or from a tee clenched in an enemy's teeth, just like in the movies. Each lesson is customized to address weaknesses and turn them into birdie-sinking strengths. Michael Charles can help refine the golf game of anyone, from bogeying beginners to full-time aces.

The XGolf simulator at BirdieFinish Golf virtually transports players to 93 golf courses worldwide, where they can play and practice while enjoying the comfort of the indoors. The apparatus faithfully re-creates playing conditions at the chosen course, even adjusting the hitting surface to mimic lie angles, and improves upon them by canceling out the possibility of rain, excessive heat, and pelicans that perpetually hum "Happy Birthday to You" in a mocking tone. When not whisking foursomes off to imitations of exotic international courses, the simulator can also be used for club fitting and lessons under the expert guidance of golf coach Jari Hakonen. Repair services are also available for clubs that refuse to play on anything other than tangible courses.

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.

Trails End Golf Center encompasses 45 hitting stalls and two grass tee areas from which golfers can blast golf balls across its 20-acre expanse, earning it a spot among Golf Range Magazine's top 100 ranges in 2011. Each hitting stall is fully covered and heated so that practice can continue in any weather, especially when it's hailing free golf balls. When game improvement hits a roadblock, golfers can enlist the help of manager and head pro Jason Kelp, who lends his expertise to help players of all skill levels—including beginners and children—better enjoy the game through lower scores and more frequent opportunities to domesticate wild golf carts.

Old-growth douglas firs, wetlands, and 43 bunkers populate Stone Creek Golf Club's award-winning, par 72 layout designed by Peter Jacobsen and Jim Hardy. The 165-acre course’s front nine holes are straighter laced, and the back nine’s tree-lined fairways of fescue grass challenge swingers with elevation changes and distractingly beautiful views of Mount Hood, the same "Hood" made popular in mainstream rap music. Players can hone their aim at the hitting stations of extensive practice greens, which include a full swing area with target greens at a variety of distances, before returning to face hole nine's six sand traps.

After sending dozens of dimpled balls soaring through the air, golfers can pop in at the Stone Creek Deli for a hot dog and foamy swigs of beer. Links magazine named Stone Creek Golf Club a Top 10 Green Course for using pesticides sparingly and only irrigating stretches of grass currently in use, inviting ground-nesting birds to build their two-story colonial mansions in the fallow areas.

Course at a Glance

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• See the scorecard

• Length of 6,873 yards from the farthest set of tees

• Course rating of 72.4

• Slope rating of 125 on fescue grass

• 6,000 yards of practice greens

King City Golf Course strings together three par 3s, five par 4s, and a single par 5 for a relatively short and challenging 2,284-yard course that has been welcoming swings since 1966. A gauntlet of sand traps and a pond form the bulk of difficulties along the layout's relatively flat track, a welcome relief from sadistic designs with extreme elevation changes or vertical greens. Golfers can warm up their swinging sinews at the course’s practice net before starting their round.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 34 course
• Total length of 2,284 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 62.6 from the back tees
• Course slope of 101 from the back tees
• Three sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard