My husband is a golfer; he will golf anytime he can. He jumps up on Saturdays for an 8am tee time, meets his clients on the course and he will literally pray for an Indian summer with a longer golf season! I am his wife and I love him dearly, so this year I have been trying to learn the game. While staying at the Sunriver Resort in Oregon, we played on two of their championship courses. The courses are open to members and guest of their resort. Here are my reviews (and a little feedback from the golfer in the family) of the two courses.
Woodlands
My husband was very excited to play on the Woodlands course because as he put it, "the course was designed for shot accuracy" which for some reason didn't register with me as an issue. However, a few holes in, the words "shot accuracy" did register. In fact, it registered repeatedly! Evidently, the people who laid out this course did so for very experienced golfers. Either that or they have cameras set up where they watch us beginners search for our balls! This course is beautiful with trees, lava flows, trees, water and more trees which I would have enjoyed if I were not seeing as I was searching for my balls!
Apparently, some golfers actually enjoy this type of challenge as my husband's mood improved hole after hole in this maze! He was using words like "excellent" and "challenging" while describing the game to his brother later (yes they actually do this), while I would have used entirely different words! And I swear if he would have given me one more "that was much better honey" pep talks his balls would have been in the next, strategically place obstacle!
Crosswater
When I saw the name Crosswater, it should have been a red flag: water is in the name for heaven's sake! But no, it didn't even occur to me until we started playing! While my husband skillfully avoided each and every water obstacle, I just as skillfully found them. On some holes I found water three or more times! Who in the world came up with that idea? This is not a course for us beginners but, it is a good course to get a workout on!
By the fourth hole, I began doubting there was anything at all relaxing about the game of golf! And, of course, the more frustrated I became, the more off-course (and usually back to the water) my ball went! I became quite familiar with the Deschutes River and on the 6th hole, even learned what a split fairway was, but I never did understand why there was so much water! I'm guessing the thrill is to make it through the course with a dry ball but for me the thrill was crawling into my bed that night and knowing I'd never have to play there again! My husband, on the other hand, had a 9am tee time!
This guide to Sunriver's trickiest (or most fulfilling) courses was brought to you by Kristy Stevens-Young.
Find ratings and reviews for Sunriver OR vacations from Expedia and VirtualTourist all in one place.