Bandon and Beyond

Two hundred years ago President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery up the Missouri to the western edge of the continent to find a water passage to the Pacific. En route they encountered mountains, forests, deserts, dormant volcanoes, fertile valleys, glacier-fed rivers and a rugged shoreline that few non-natives had ever seen. One historian—Frederick Jackson Turner—would later say that the existence of such land helped to form the independent American spirit.

Two centuries later, that spirit thrives in the Pacific Northwest. The region encompassing Washington, Oregon and Idaho remains quirky, individualistic and natural. But a civilized lifestyle has developed here, too, thanks partly to a surplus of still-untrammeled wilderness perfect for recreation, an acceptance of the offbeat and the ubiquitous availability of good espresso. One of the region's charms is that hippies and ranchers, loggers and environmentalists, software millionaires, artists and mortgage bankers share the territory in reasonable harmony. Maybe because they are all equally as likely to play golf.

The courses here include windswept links, tracks carved from old-growth rain forests, lush green Willamette Valley venues (where much of the nation's best grass seed is grown), layouts on the dusty buttes of the high desert, and alpine routings beneath snowcapped mountain peaks. Where else can one play golf in such disparate topographies without a passport?

The recent advent of two world-class courses at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in southern Oregon has attracted an international clientele; a third stunning course at Bandon (designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw) is growing in at this very moment. But the region is rich in other fine courses, too, designed by the likes of Palmer, Nicklaus and Rees Jones. So grab three buddies and prepare to launch your own golf Corps of Discovery.

THE SOUTHWEST OREGON COAST Orientation Southern Oregon is largely composed of small Western towns, many lacking the level of service available at upscale golf destinations. Visitors to Bandon Dunes will do well to stay and eat at the resort and play other courses as day excursions or on their way to another destination. Golfers can drive five hours from Portland to Bandon, or fly into the North Bend airport, thirty miles away, on Horizon Air.

Bandon's design features mounding as soft as cashmere, and the holes themselves are as smooth as a fine single malt—and sometimes possess the same bite. Greens are large and welcoming, until one must putt on them. Tight mowing throughout the course calls for artistry anywhere close to the flag. Pot bunkers, hidden bunkers, revetted bunkers and cross-bunkering will leave wedges shaking in the bag. Add the gorse, windblown pines, sea air and crashing surf, and it all combines to form one of the most moving golf experiences on the planet.

Pacific Dunes 57744 Round Lake Drive, Bandon, OR; 888-345-6008, bandondunesgolf.com. Yardage: 6,623. Par: 71. Slope: 133. Architect: Tom Doak, 2001. Greens Fees: $60–$200. T+L GOLF Rating: *****
Lord knows, it should have been nearly impossible to match the brilliance of Bandon Dunes, but Tom Doak did just that—if not more—with this collection of eighteen masterpieces. Although ranked a bit easier on the scorecard than Kidd's adjacent layout, the Irish-style Pacific Dunes has a darker, more threatening feel. While Bandon plays wide open, its little sister winds between, over and through massive dunes and sand blowouts. The bunkering is often undecipherable from the dunes themselves. Waste areas seem to extend into deep wilderness of gorse.

The entire layout is insular and hobbit-like and requests finesse rather than power. From the blind tee shot on the ninth over an enormous bluff to a finishing hole that is a puzzlement of angles and prodigious bunkers, Pacific Dunes is as deep and rich as the perfect pint of Guinness. One would be hard-pressed to find its equal anywhere outside the British Isles. Unless one manages to get on Cypress and Pebble, Pacific Dunes and Bandon Dunes constitute, without question, the best pair of courses a human being can play on the same day anywhere in the hemisphere.

Bandon Trails 57744 Round Lake Drive, Bandon, OR; 888-345-6008, bandondunesgolf.com. Yardage: 6,934. Par: 71. Slope: n/a. Architects: Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, 2005. Greens Fees: n/a. T+L GOLF Rating: n/a

Although Coore and Crenshaw are still carving out the last holes here, early surveillance reveals a course that begins in low dunes, winds inland through meadows, crosses into woodlands, then drops back to finish amid meadows and dunes. Five or six holes will offer ocean views, and every indication suggests that the walking-only course will more than keep pace with its older siblings. Those looking to make their own assessment can do so this fall, when as many as nine holes will be opened for limited play to guests at the Bandon resort.

Also Play: The Running Y Ranch (Klamath Falls, OR; $50–$70, 888-850-0261) boasts the only Arnold Palmer design in Oregon, a 7,133-yard journey that begins near wetlands, climbs onto a forested plateau and finishes back in the open. Many golfers stop to play Sandpines Golf Links (Florence, OR; $45–$89, 800-917-4653) on their way from Portland to Bandon Dunes. The Rees Jones creation is noted for a massive dune that rises Sahara-like along the 593-yard seventh hole.

Accommodations
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
57744 Round Lake Drive, Bandon, OR; 888-345-6008, bandondunesgolf.com. Rooms: $80–$300. Suites: $150–$1,100
With accommodations in the Cape Cod–style clapboard main lodge and cozy cottages, there's little reason to ever leave the property, as that would only take you farther away from two of the best golf layouts on the continent. Rooms are plenty comfortable, if a bit spare.

Dining
Bandon Channel House
(Seafood) 480 First Street SW, Bandon, OR; 541-347-9057. $$$
The only reason most visitors leave the Bandon resort is for dinner at this warm retreat overlooking the Coquille River. The Channel House won't serve anything fried—even the oysters are lovingly grilled. Fresh pastas and fish (e.g., halibut in pistachio sauce) are perennial favorites.

Other Attractions
One comes to southwest Oregon to golf—and do little else. There are, though, a few diversions to be had. Crater Lake National Park (541-594-3100) is home to the deepest lake in the country and offers boat tours in the caldera. One mile south of Bandon resides the imposing Face Rock, a stone monolith that resembles, well, a face. The old gold-mining town of Jacksonville is one of few cities distinguished as a historic landmark and offers surprisingly fascinating tours.

BEND AND CENTRAL OREGON
Orientation
On the dry, east side of the Cascade Range, central Oregon enjoys upward of three hundred sunny days per year. The sage-scented high desert is a paradise for hikers, mountain bikers, fishermen, skiers, white-water enthusiasts—and golfers. Twenty-five courses lie within striking distance of Bend, the area's largest city, though many are at stand-alone resorts. Bend itself is a three-and-a-half-hour scenic drive from Portland. Flights from Portland, San Francisco and Seattle arrive at Roberts Field in Redmond (twenty minutes by car from Bend), served by Horizon, United Express and SkyWest airlines.

Golf
Crosswater Club
Sunriver Resort, 1 Center Drive, Sunriver, OR; 800-547-3922, sunriverresort.com. Yardage: 7,683. Par: 72. Slope: 153. Architect: Bob Cupp, 1995. Greens Fees: $139–$189. T+L GOLF Rating: **** 1/2

This high-desert layout features ample bird-filled wetlands and is ribboned by two pristine rivers that golfers cross as many as seven times—though not always on the first attempt. Indeed, the only drought on Crosswater may be of birdies. This six-hundred-acre heathland-style target course—like many natural beauties—is often cranky and unfair; from the tips, it's pure carnage. Teflon greens deflect fine approaches into hazards or reroute them toward tight collection areas requiring a magician's touch to get back to the putting surface. Bluegrass and fescue in the rough nicely offset the springy bent grass of the fairways and greens, but they're also absurdly penal. Forced carries abound: Consider the 460-yard fifth, requiring a long, precise tee shot over the Little Deschutes River but short of containment bunkers and woods. The daunting approach demands another wetlands crossing to the elongated, narrow, canted green divided by a dangerous ridge. If a slope of 153 is your idea of fun, Crosswater is your playground.

Aspen Lakes Golf Course 16900 Aspen Lakes Drive, Sisters, OR; 541-549-4653, aspenlakes.com. Yardage: 7,302. Par: 72. Slope: 139. Architect: William Overdorf, 1997. Greens Fees: $40–$59. T+L GOLF Rating: *** 1/2

This quiet collection of holes set amid aspens, junipers and ponderosa pines outside the Western-facaded town of Sisters was the first Oregon course to be enrolled in the Audubon International Signature Cooperative Sanctuary Program. Here, bunkers filled with red sand provide a dramatic counterpoint to the rich green bent grass, glittering blue lakes and black volcanic peaks topped with white snow. Water comes into play on eleven holes, often posing those age-old questions: How did so much water find its way into a desert? And when should I attempt to carry it? The number-two handicap fourteenth hole features double fairways laid end to end. From the back tees of this 479-yard conundrum, it's 279 yards to the end of the upper fairway and another thirty yards to the beginning of the lower fairway, with deep grass and unpredictable lies in between. You decide.

Also Play: The Challenge at Eagle Crest (Redmond, OR; $25–$45, 877-818-0286) is an artfully sculpted four-thousand-yard executive course unlike any other, a Mini-Me of strategic and well-crafted architectural layouts. Redesigned a few years ago by John Fought, the Sunriver Resort Meadows course (Sunriver, OR; $70–$125, 800-547-3922) wanders languorously through open land and a pine forest close to the main lodge. An aesthetically appealing venue, it features many design elements in the style of Ross and Mackenzie. Named for an extinct railroad, Lost Tracks Golf Club (Bend, OR; $43–$64, 541-385-1818) offers a remote collection of wild but lovable doglegs set amidst lava rock and an island green reached via a bridge made from a vintage railroad car.

Accommodations
Sunriver Resort
1 Center Drive, Sunriver, OR; 800-547-3922, sunriver-resort.com. Rooms: $119–$209. Suites: $159–$299. Lodges: $159–$309. Condos/Homes: $199–$1,299.
Just a thirty-minute drive south from the town of Bend, this classic Oregon resort community offers a variety of lodging options nestled into a picturesque valley in the Cascade Range. The River Lodges, featuring stone wood-burning fireplaces and balconies overlooking the Meadows course, are Sunriver's best.

Pine Ridge Inn
1200 SW Century Drive, Bend, OR; 800-600-4095, pineridgeinn.com. Rooms: $130–$185. Suites: $210–$325.
Somewhere between a country inn and boutique hotel, with accommodations perched on cliffs high above the Deschutes River canyon, this charming collection of twenty rooms and suites lies just outside downtown Bend. Rates at Pine Ridge include a nightly wine reception, free movies and a buffet breakfast.

Dining
The Pine Tavern Restaurant
(American) Foot of Oregon Avenue, Bend, OR; 541-382-5581. $$$
Overlooking Mirror Pond in Bend, Pine Tavern has been serving hearty fare to hungry Oregonians since 1936, satisfying their protein cravings with filet, prime rib, meat loaf, sirloin, Oregon flatiron steak and pepper steak. The best seating options include the outdoor patio or a table beside the two-hundred-year-old ponderosa pine growing through the restaurant.

Other Attractions
Outside Bend, porcupines, raptors and other curious creatures await your arrival at the High Desert Museum (highdesert.org). At the nearby Newberry National Volcanic Monument (541-383-5300), craters, lava fields and high alpine lakes all combine to create an otherworldly landscape that's worth a tour. Those looking to personally emulate the experience of fast-moving lava can take the Paulina Plunge (800-296-0562), an all-downhill six-mile mountain bike adventure that stops at six waterfalls and two natural water slides. For greater immersion, let Ouzel Outfitters (800-788-7238) guide you down the Deschutes River rapids.

GREATER PORTLAND
Orientation
This beloved and livable city sits between the Cascade and Coast Range mountains seventy-five miles from the ocean. The home of Nike, it's a three-hour drive down I-5 from Seattle and a short flight from San Francisco; it's served by all major airlines. An artsy, walkable downtown unfurls beside the Willamette River and gives way to leafy neighborhoods full of Craftsman and Victorian homes and sprawling parks.

Golf
Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Ghost Creek
13920 Old Pumpkin Ridge Road, North Plains, OR; 888-594-4653, pumpkinridge.com. Yardage: 6,839. Par: 71. Slope: 145. Architect: Bob Cupp, 1992. Greens Fees: $45–$120. T+L GOLF Rating: **** 1/2
Host to two Nike Tour Championships in 1993 and 1994, the great Pumpkin was Oregon's first ultra-upscale public/private golf complex. And while the private Witch Hollow course may be slightly more refined, Bob Cupp's public-access Ghost Creek has become a local favorite. A clean-cut track whose conditions and service are without parallel in the region, it ambles through forests of fir, maple, ash and oak, darts across open meadows and encompasses two lakes. The spooky creek that lends the course its name appears and disappears half a dozen times throughout the day. Cupp employed classical bunkering with edges that hang over lips like grassy eyebrows, creating shadowy lairs where danger lurks. Several elevated greens set at the ends of corridors of tall trees make certain holes seem infinitely long. Built to host championships, the Pumpkin often leaves golfers feeling hollowed and carved.

The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club, South
4805 SW 229th Avenue, Aloha, OR; 503-649-8191, reservegolf.com. Yardage: 7,172. Par: 72. Slope: 133. Architect: John Fought, 1997. Greens Fees: $40–$95. T+L GOLF Rating: ****
Portland's other top tournament venue hosts the Champions Tour's Tradition tournament. It's another public-private golf complex, but unlike Pumpkin Ridge, the Reserve rotates its tracks so that each is private half the time. The North is a fun links-style layout, but Fought's South is the better of the two, a bold but sandy cabernet of a golf course.

More than one hundred bunkers on the South—alternately strategic, directional, penal or just plain aesthetically pleasing—are designed largely in the style of Tillinghast at Winged Foot. They also seem to replicate themselves as one plays. On the 205-yard second, a forebunker creates the illusion that the green is closer than it actually is. On the third, a bunker cluster reveals the best line off the tee. The eleventh features a bunker that actually divides the green. If it's any consolation, the eighth only contains two bunkers—but the par-four hole plays 487 yards and concludes on a tiered green. When all is said and done, a bottle of wine at the nineteenth might be needed to soften the blow.

Also Play: The Oregon Golf Association Golf Course (Woodburn, OR; $48, 503-981-6105) features immaculate bent grass that carpets the greens of this impeccable muni, creating some of the most delectable putting surfaces in the area. Close to the Portland airport, Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s Heron Lakes Great Blue course (Portland, OR; $21–$40, 503-289-1818) is a Scottish-style, largely open, treeless layout emphasizing the "risk" in risk-reward. The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club North course (Aloha, OR; $40–$95, 503-648-8191), designed by Bob Cupp, is shorter and shapelier than the South, with visually challenging design elements to delight students of course architecture.

Accommodations
The Heathman Hotel
1001 SW Broadway, Portland, OR; 800-551-0011, heathmanhotel.com. Rooms: $139–$209. Suites: $179–$775.
This elegant Portland hostelry in the heart of downtown features original artwork by regional painters, the French-accented Heathman Restaurant & Bar and a historic tea court. More modern amenities in its 150 rooms and suites include complimentary high-speed Internet access and free use of a library of more than four hundred films.

Dining
Higgins Restaurant and Bar
(Eclectic) 1239 SW Broadway, Portland, OR; 503-222-9070. $$$
Chef Greg Higgins is one of the pioneers of sustainable dining, using the best local, often-organic, in-season ingredients, such as wild salmon, huckleberries and mushrooms. Of the two dining rooms in the restaurant, the more interior is also the more intimate. But many locals ask for the bistro-inspired menu in the lively bar.

Other Attractions
Thousands of windsurfers can't be wrong; traveling through the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area (even in a car) will put some wind in your sails, too. Multnomah Falls, thirty-five miles west of downtown Portland, makes a fine destination. Hoof it to the top of the 620-foot cascade and back and recover your strength with huckleberry pie in the small stone lodge. Continue motoring east to the Bonneville Dam (541-374-8820) for a tour and then detour to Timberline Lodge (503-622-7979), whose exterior was featured in The Shining. Finish the loop back in Portland, where—come the end of October—you can catch the ever-exciting, ever-tumultuous Portland Trail Blazers (blazers.com).

SEATTLE AND SURROUNDS
Orientation The hometown of Starbucks and Microsoft climbs up a steep hill overlooking Puget Sound and offers views of the Olympic Mountains beyond. Boats and ferries leaving from the waterfront connect to the San Juan and other nearby islands, as well as to Victoria, British Columbia. Seattle's traffic is among the worst in the nation, so golfers should plan their excursions to or from downtown at off-hours or, better yet, give themselves a cushion so as not to miss their tee times. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is located twenty-five minutes south of the city (without traffic) and is serviced by all major carriers.

Golf
Gold Mountain Golf Complex, Olympic
7263 West Belfair Valley Road, Bremerton, WA; 360-415-5432, goldmt.com. Yardage: 7,073. Par: 72. Slope: 131. Architect: John Harbottle III, 1996. Greens Fees: $25–$50. T+L GOLF Rating: **** 1/2
The Olympic course has a reputation for draining well, which is what golfers need to do with their putts on this crisply managed muni with a private feel. (The course gets its name from the Olympic Mountain Range, whose forests it is carved from.) John Harbottle's fine work here features wide rye-grass fairways and fescue rough. Sculpted angles of play and narrow mowing patterns on the fairways are endemic, as are tee shots hit into upslopes that often work to kill distance. The sixth hole offers a lovely snapshot of Harbottle's artistry, with pot bunkers along the left side of this 546-yard par five that reflect mirror images of mounds on the right side. The eighteenth offers a strange and daring finish: It's a 325-yard par four that encourages the player to attack the green over a battlefield of pot bunkers, trees and water—or take the weenie route with an iron to the curving fairway.

Washington National Golf Club
14330 SE Husky Way, Auburn, WA; 253-333-5000, washingtonnationalgolfclub.com. Yardage: 7,304. Par: 72. Slope: 143. Architect: John Fought, 2000. Greens Fees: $52–$94. T+L GOLF Rating: ****
Forty minutes south of Seattle, John Fought designed an exciting syllabus for Washington National, a facility with a University of Washington theme that serves as the home course for the school's golf teams. (The UW colors of purple and gold adorn everything from flags to staff uniforms, and every purple-trimmed golf cart is named for a former Husky sports legend.) In the hope of attracting a U.S. Open to the venue, Fought also incorporated features from some of the world's best golf layouts: diagonal shot qualities and mounded greens similar to Augusta National; bunker styles that recall Riviera and Winged Foot; natural dunesy waste areas like those at Pine Valley; and humongous putting surfaces that emulate Oakmont. Like many Open venues, Washington National also includes four exceptionally long par fours—including number eighteen, which plays 475 yards over wasteland and a fronting bunker to a green as large as some campus quads. Unfortunately for high handicappers, scores at Washington National are not graded on a curve.

Also Play: McCormick Woods Golf Course (Port Orchard, WA; $18–$55, 360-895-0130) could qualify for first-tier status if homes hadn't begun crowding this fine Jack Frei design to such a degree that you might want to include an insurance agent and a lawyer as part of your foursome. Celebrating the ages-old connection between golf and fishing, Trophy Lake Golf & Casting Club (Port Orchard, WA; $29–$74, 360-874-8337) is a perky, modern John Fought design that is nestled neatly across rolling hills. The risk-reward venue has expansive greens and more than six dozen deep-faced bunkers to hinder one from reaching said greens.

Accommodations
W Seattle
1112 Fourth Avenue, Seattle; 877-946-8357, whotels.com. Rooms: $229–$409.
The hip W is centrally located near Pike Place Market, the Seattle Art Museum, the Space Needle and several top restaurants. Its sleek rooms include CD players and access to the hotel's extensive CD collection.

Dining
Flying Fish
(Seafood) 2234 First Avenue, Seattle; 206-728-8595. $$$
Staffed by a bunch of renegade golfers, Flying Fish serves up a stunning variety of underwater species, all caught wild rather than farm raised. In the trendy Belltown neighborhood, chef/owner Christine Keff provides a dining room as spunky as her food is unique.

Other Attractions
Gazillionaire Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen threw his money at architect Frank Gehry to design a four-story, vaguely guitar-shaped building called the Experience Music Project (emplive.com), an overcaffeinated music museum and interactive space that's a must-see for any Seattle explorer. Next, thread the Space Needle (spaceneedle.com) to orient yourself to Mount Rainier to the southeast and the majestic Olympic Range across Puget Sound to the west. Downtown, on your way to one of the city's ubiquitous coffee shops, pick up the latest potboiler at Elliott Bay Book Company (800-962-5311), one of the best independent booksellers in America. And no trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to the nine-acre Pike Place Market, the nation's oldest continually working farmers market. Here you'll find the city's freshest seafood, baked goods and produce—and, of course, the singular treat of watching fishmongers hurl giant salmon at each other.

EASTERN WASHINGTON/IDAHO
Orientation
Half a day's drive east from Seattle over the Cascade mountains, Washington's high desert is home to wineries, fruit orchards and plenty of open space. Tourism is still somewhat in its infancy, which can make a visit here an adventure. Spokane, which lies close to the Idaho border (and forty-five minutes from Idaho's Coeur d'Alene resort), is Washington's second largest city and a delightful surprise in a quiet, historic, outdoorsy way. It's also the best place to fly into to explore this inland part of the Pacific Northwest. Spokane International Airport is serviced by Delta, Northwest, United Express, Alaska and other airlines from most major western cities.

Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course
900 Floating Green Drive, Coeur d'Alene, ID; 800-935-6283, cdaresort.com. Yardage: 6,757. Par: 71. Slope: 121. Architect: Scott Miller, 1991. Greens Fees: $135–$185. T+L GOLF Rating: ****
Even before a recent renovation extended the length of this golf course to a still-moderate 6,757 yards, it was impossible not to love Coeur d'Alene for its crisp service, postcard setting and golf conditions more perfectly manicured than a massage therapist's hands. The course is designed around a foursome of distinct topographical features: the winding shore of the huge mountain lake of the same name, a forested ridge offering distant water views, gently rolling woodlands and the rollicking waters of Fernan Creek. But one can't legally discuss this golf course without mentioning the overfamous floating green at the fourteenth hole. Regardless of how cynical one is about gimmicks, hitting to the moveable, five-million-pound, 15,000-square-foot island of sand and grass putting surface, then riding a mahogany boat out to either take a drop or putt for birdie, is one of golf's unique experiences. The remainder of the track is like a giant carpeted playroom where dangerous items such as trees have been thinned to mere decorations, and it is nearly impossible to hit a shot that doesn't land on mowed grass. Still, Coeur d'Alene is a required check box on any Pacific Northwest golfer's to-do list.

Desert Canyon Golf Resort
1201 Desert Canyon Boulevard, Orondo, WA; 800-258-4173, desertcanyon.com. Yardage: 7,285. Par: 72. Slope: 138. Architect: Jack Frei, 1993. Greens Fees: $45–$89. T+L GOLF Rating:
Perched atop and along the sides of a plateau overlooking miles of orchards rolling down to the Columbia River, Desert Canyon offers rare Southwestern-style desert golf in a place where one might only expect to find dusty munis. It's almost a three-hour drive from Tacoma, but worth every minute. The holes here are as muscular and sweeping as a flood roaring down out of the mountains; they run through crossing waste bunkers, present a few canyon carries and feature deep, scooped swales and other big-fisted design elements. Number six is the hole everyone talks about—a 690-yarder that seems to play to another county via a fairway tobogganing downhill toward a lone pine way off in the distance. Directional bunkers provide a couple of landmarks so players don't wander accidentally onto a hole in another state. The conditioning at Desert Canyon is also widely admired and a major attraction for golfers, who will enjoy this long, strong round of golf in the desert sunshine.

Also Play: The new Circling Raven Golf Club (Worley, ID; $55–$75, 800-523-2464), part of the Coeur d'Alene Casino, finally offers a suitable dancing partner for the nearby Coeur d'Alene Resort course. This Gene Bates design routes through forested meadows and wetlands. In Spokane, Indian Canyon Golf Course ($25, 509-747-5353) presents a Chandler Egan layout from the 1930s that's as well-built as a Craftsman-style house. Ben Hogan reportedly once called its 224-yard eighth the toughest single-shot hole he'd ever seen. North of Coeur d'Alene, Hidden Lakes Golf Resort (Sandpoint, ID; $59, 888-806-6673) ranks as one of the state's toughest, with the Pack River and other water in play on sixteen holes.

Accommodations
The Coeur d'Alene Resort
115 South Second Street, Coeur d'Alene, ID; 800-688-5253, cdaresort.com. Rooms: $89–$399. Suites: $269–$1,500.
More than just one unforgettable golf hole and one good course, Coeur d'Alene is an anomaly in this land of chain motels and small rustic lodges. Its signature restaurant has won awards for its wine list, its spa offers ample treatments, and guests can raft, fish, bike, ride horseback or relax in spacious rooms with decks that feel like high-dive boards above the royal-blue lake.

The Davenport Hotel
10 South Post Street, Spokane, WA; 800-899-1482, thedavenporthotel.com. Rooms: $169–$199. Suites: $249–$1,950.
In Spokane, recent investment has resulted in such distinctive, historic and opulent renovations as the $38 million rebirth of this 1914 classic, whose 284 rooms and suites offer hand-carved mahogany furniture, imported Irish linens and twenty-seven-inch flat-screen TVs.

Dining
Steam Plant Grill
(American) 159 South Lincoln Street, Spokane, WA; 509-777-3900. $$
Recent renovations converted this 1916 steam plant into a historic gem where visitors can now enjoy the curiosity of dining in the former boilers of the Kirtland Cutter architectural classic. Be sure to work up enough steam to down a Centennial Pale Ale or Polar Bear Stout from the on-site Coeur d'Alene Brewery.

Other Attractions
The unspoiled metropolitan outpost of Spokane radiates out from a downtown clustered along the Spokane River, whose massive falls crash beside the hundred-acre Riverfront Park (spokaneriverfrontpark.com), site of the 1974 World's Fair. You—or better yet, your kids—can ride the handmade wooden ponies on the Looff Carrousel, restored to its 1909 grandeur. On the subject of restorations, the newly expanded Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (northwestmuseum.org) has just received an extreme $28 million makeover that justifies a visit for the architecture alone.

PRIVATE GEMS: OREGON

Broken Top Club, Bend (1993). A crowning glory of the Tom Weiskopf–Jay Morrish partnership, Broken Top blends expansive outdoorsiness with peaceful contemplation. It's a thinking-man's course that wends through meadows, forests and rock outcroppings.

Eugene Country Club, Eugene (1899). A classic old-style Chandler Egan layout through some of the largest trees in America. Robert Trent Jones Sr. reversed the nines during a 1969 renovation, and it's been ranked among the top 100 in the country ever since.

Portland Golf Club, Portland (1914). Water, sand, trees and psychological barriers challenged players here in both the 1946 PGA Championship and the 1947 Ryder Cup.

Pronghorn, Bend (2004). Potentially the Bandon Dunes of the desert, this target-style Nicklaus design will appear on everyone's list of the year's best new courses. Jack took chances with split fairways and lava-rock backdrops that add strategic challenges.

Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Witch Hollow, North Plains (1992). Host to the 1997 and 2003 U.S. Women's Opens, this tough, well-crafted venue—more sublime than the public track here—is the course that locals brag about playing.

PRIVATE GEMS: WASHINGTON

Sahalee Country Club, Sammamish (1969). Ted Robinson's revered timber-country layout cut from cedars and Douglas firs hosted the PGA Championship in 1998—reminding the rest of the country that they play golf in the Northwest, too.

Seattle Golf Club, Seattle (1907). This venerable—and highly exclusive—6,806-yard track was designed by John Ball and Robert Johnstone and reworked by Arnold Palmer in the mid-nineties. Its primary challenges come in the form of three lakes and many varieties of well-placed, mature trees.

Tournament Players Course at Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie (1999). This Jack Nicklaus design sports 107 bunkers guarding many elevated bent-grass greens in the foothills of the Cascade mountains. The layout includes short risk-reward par fours, grassy mounds and swales, and tightly mown chipping areas.

The information in this story was accurate at the time it was published in August 2004 but we suggest you confirm all details and prices directly with any establishments mentioned. The quality of offerings and services tends to change over time.