Golf in Vancouver

Locals who frequent the nine holes of Skyline Golf Course have taken to calling it Cathlamet’s “Emerald Gem.” With its undulating fairways and scenic views of the Columbia River Basin, the course offers little to challenge this honored epithet. Designed by architect Ralph Rodahl, its treacherous doglegs and ponds have been distracting hole-bound balls for nearly half a century. Among Rodahl’s most challenging designs are two holes at par 5 and two at par 3, each of which requires golfers to navigate a fairway rife with hazards and packs of feral golf carts.

Situated near the first tee, an ample driving range allows for long-distance practice before setting off to conquer the high-risk, high-reward course. After the round, players can replenish with a cold refreshment or savory snack on the clubhouse deck, or upgrade their golf gear with a new sleeve of golf balls from the pro shop or a cyborg caddy from the future.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par-35 course
• Length of 2,433 yards
• Course rating of 29.6
• Slope rating of 106:m]]

Though beautiful views and impeccable maintenance are typically found at long, difficult courses, the staff at Lake Oswego Golf Course believes that beginning and intermediate players should also be able to enjoy a top-notch course while learning the game. At 2,517 yards in total, the 18-hole, par-3 layout removes the physical stress of extreme length. Players can learn to hone in their game while golfing against the backdrop of Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams. Individual holes range between 74 and 179 yards, creating a hole-in-one opportunity on every tee box—provided a golfer can avoid Lost Dog Creek, outstretched tree boughs, and lost center fielders searching for fly balls.

Lake Oswego Golf Course's rates fluctuate throughout the week.

Charbonneau Golf Club cloaks the tree-studded countryside with three executive-length, nine-hole courses.. The 18-hole course combination that presents the longest total yardage—the yellow nine and the green nine—presents 4,261 yards of tee-to-green challenges. Though there are no par 5s on any of the courses, a variety of lengthy par 3s and four par 4s that exceed 300 yards will present various difficulties for golfers playing from the longest tees. Water hazards come into play on six of the 27 holes, adding variety to the course’s natural hazards of thick tree-lines and quicksand bunkers. Before rounds, golfers can warm up at a practice complex that includes a putting green, chipping area, and a large driving range.

Course at a Glance:

• 27-hole course complex

• Can combine any two nines for an 18-hole round

• Maximum length of 4,261 yards from farthest tees

• Water comes in play on six holes

• Three 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.