Played here Tuesday as the second leg of 36. I had tried to play here before a few years but was deterred due to fires. With the amazing quality of courses in Bend my expectations were high coming i... Continue »

Played here Tuesday as the second leg of 36. I had tried to play here before a few years but was deterred due to fires. With the amazing quality of courses in Bend my expectations were high coming into this round. We go out at 4:00 twilight and had the course to ourselves. As a Troon managed course. The service here could not be better. You are greeted upon arrival with a cart. Everything is loaded for you and the practice range, greens and amenities are amazing. The course is a masterpiece. You can tell it is a Nicklaus but it is unlike any course of his I have ever played. While the fairways are massive, the unique aspect of this course are the rock, brush, dead tree outcropping. What these do is essentially cut the fairway into quadrants. A drive in the wrong side of the fairway will leave a blocked shot requiring a punch out. Every tee shot you have to decide whether to carry or lay up behind particular outcroppings. Being a Nicklaus the greens are all elevated and tiny. The challenge here are the firm lightning fast greens, with subtle breaks. Most greens are tortoise shelled so laying up short and leaving a chip in the right area is key here. The other unique thing about this course are the optical illusions on the par 3s and par 4 13th especially. Somehow with the way the water or edge of the greens have an angle to them it greatly affects your depth perception. On several holes you actually want to drive away from the hole on the outside of bunkers (versus cutting the corner) and somehow those areas are closer to the hole then going at it. There is another fun tight short uphill par 4. That appears tight but above the pinch is a massive landing zone. Course knowledge is a must here. Me and my partner went from 92s with one birdie the first round. To an 81 with 2 birdies and an eagle. Playing conservative here is the key. The par 5s are the most difficult and should all be played as 3 shotters unless you catch the speed slope on the last one. I'm rating this course. It isnt the type of course that will have vertifcut fairways like you see on your. But the turf here is immaculate. It is cut so thin and perfect the fairways here are jicer than most greens. As we learned the second round you are better off lutting off the green to avoid rolloffs into bunkers. The tee boxes were the nicest I have ever seen. Immaculate, perfectly flat, and cut thin like a green. Sand bunkers were a perfect soft natural sand. Great consistency. It doesnt get any better than Pronghorn. It was so good we came back and played it twice. There was no point going elsewhere. The size of the ballpark. No holes backing along each other. The sheer magnitude of this course is breathtaking. It has by far two of the most epic par 5s you will ever play.

Played here 6/3, 7am tee time. 3:15 rd as a 2some. Wonderfully fantastic course, with amazing views, nice holes, great shot quality, big greens... incredibly groomed... I walked, and for the most pa... Continue »

Played here 6/3, 7am tee time. 3:15 rd as a 2some. Wonderfully fantastic course, with amazing views, nice holes, great shot quality, big greens... incredibly groomed... I walked, and for the most part it's a walkable course, but there are some green to tee walks that are pretty long, and I was able to hitch a ride with my riding partner. I would recommend a caddy for the first time or 2, as I don't know how you can know where to hit or not to hit on many of the holes... I mean, you know which way to hit, but knowing exactly where the ball will go, or what trouble to avoid, or how much to carry (lots of deception)... saved me about 5-8 strokes. And btw, I got paired with a member that plays over 400 rounds a year, so he was my caddy. Anyways, just about every hole was interesting, and knowing how to play the course added to the enjoyment. Greens were slow due to the dew for the first 9, and picked up speed on the back. I would love another 4-5 cracks at this course.

I just finished up a quick golf trip to central Oregon. I played sunriver Meadows, widgi creek, Tetherow and Pronghorn. I'll leave a review for all of the courses but Pronghorn takes the prize as #1. ... Continue »

I just finished up a quick golf trip to central Oregon. I played sunriver Meadows, widgi creek, Tetherow and Pronghorn. I'll leave a review for all of the courses but Pronghorn takes the prize as #1.

14 months later I returned to play Pronghorn again and this time the course was even better. From the drive in to the final putt this place is absolutely pure. It truly does not get any better than this. The course itself presents plenty of challenge off the tee. There's a solid mixture of large landing areas as well as demanding tee shots. The bunkering throughout the course really comes into play. The par 5's are difficult which in my opinion makes this place hard to go low at. There are some long par 3's at 220+ and a couple around 150-180. Overall, the layout keeps you on your toes. The back 9 has some spectacular tee shots with views of snow capped mt bachelor.

Conditions? Perfect. Fairways, greens, rough, tee boxes all 10/10. The greens were rolling an 11.1 and held shots/spun great. No pitch marks, just perfect putting surfaces. Fairways were pristine, decent roll out and soft enough to take a nice size divot. The only knock would be the bunkers which were pretty wet early on in the round. This is being rather picky but as the course dried up the bunkers did as well and they softened up a bit. Our caddy wasn't all that helpful to be honest. Our caddie at Tetherow was much better (even though both Pronghorn and tetherow use the same caddies).

All in all this is a top 5 course I've ever played. Something about the experience and layout really vault it way up my list. I'll be back!

Went on Bend, OR golf trip this past weekend. Took my brother and two friends to knock off 3 course from the Golf Digest Top 100 Courses you can play. Our itinerary was packed. We flew in SAT, Augu... Continue »

Went on Bend, OR golf trip this past weekend. Took my brother and two friends to knock off 3 course from the Golf Digest Top 100 Courses you can play. Our itinerary was packed. We flew in SAT, August 20th, played Pronghorn, On 8/21, we played Sunriver - Meadows in morning and then Tetethrow in the afternoon. On Monday 8/22, we finished our trip by playing Sunriver - Crosswater.

Here is review for Pronghorn.

As you arrive after a 10 mile winding road, you approach the Pronghorn golf course. After securities guards check your reserved tee time, you arrive at the bag drop. The attendants unload your bag, welcome you to the course, and even drive and show you were the clubhouse and facilities are. For a SAT, 2:00 pm tee time, the course was pretty empty. We had a pregame meal that was overpriced. The practice facilities was very nice, but no NXT tour range balls as advertised on blogs. The men's locker room was closed for the groom to hang out with his buds for his wedding later that night. We just got off the plane and was told ahead of time that we could use the locker room to get dressed. The fact that we were not allowed was a sour note. For $175 green fee and not even get an apology is unacceptable.

The course:

Greens were pure, fast, and immaculate running at a true 11. Fairways, rough were pristine. The only compliant would be the sand traps that were a mix a sand and crushed lava rocks. Our forecaddie Nick was super helpful, but 1 forecaddie is not enough for a foursome. The layout is a typical Jack Nicklaus. This is one of his crowd jewels in the PAC Northwest that he actually plays.

There is plenty of water comfort stations on the course. The cart girl came by a couple of times and the snack shop was well stocked.

Pronghorn has been on my bucket list for many years. I wasn't let down. The Course is out in the middle of nowhere and once you finally arrive there is a big gated entrance. You must check in as a gue... Continue »

Pronghorn has been on my bucket list for many years. I wasn't let down. The Course is out in the middle of nowhere and once you finally arrive there is a big gated entrance. You must check in as a guest and let them know your tee time. As soon as you get through to the club house, you are greeted with several staff members to help with the bag drop and getting you set up on a cart. They truly treat you like a member here.

I decided to walk because I wanted to take in every second of this experience. I paid the 125$ walking rate and although generally out of my price range I thought this was worth the price of admission. The driving range has pyramids of nike golf balls and pure turf conditions. The grass was cut tight just like the fairways. After I hit about 20 balls, I walked over for a bite to eat and got the breakfast burrito which was awesome. I then went back out for a few swings and putts and then off to the first tee I went.

I was playing as a single and was paired up with a 2-some from Boston who ended up being a lot of fun to play with. Barry, the starter, was awesome. He gave me my scorecard, towel, yardage book and pin location sheet. Advised us of which tees to play from and then we were off. The course is in immaculate condition and only to improve as the weather warms up. Greens were pure and rolling an 11 on the stimp (down from a 12.5-13 from 10 days ago when the US Open qualifier was there, according to Barry).

I played from the blacks which were the second farthest from the tips (7,100) and thought it was very difficult. Many 450+ par 4's and 575+ par 5's, including a 605 yard par 5! This course is no walk in the park. Many bunkers that come into play off the tee and around the green. Water features on many holes and the wind tends to pick up in the afternoon. The good news is there are 4 men's tee options which allows for even the novice golfers to have fun out here. There are many signature holes and many great 2nd shots on this golf course which makes it so fun. My only knock is the closing hole, 18. I was let down by this hole as the approach shot is to a boring green with the resort surrounding the green, but I'll cut them a little slack ;0

Again, course conditions were near perfect. Some fairways were a bit wet but I played at 830 AM so this is expected. I can only imagine how pristine this place is in june-july-august. If you are in the Bend area, you must check this place out. Also, getting on the acclaimed Fazio course is doable but can cost you a pretty penny ($300). You either need to get hooked up with the course pro who will check availability or you need to have a member host you. I would have loved to play the fazio as I hear it is even better than Nicklaus. Next time.

This course has it all. More signature holes than is fair. It's hard to pick one. Course conditions are excellent, weather was perfect, and only 20 people on course all day. We are staying at the pron... Continue »

This course has it all. More signature holes than is fair. It's hard to pick one. Course conditions are excellent, weather was perfect, and only 20 people on course all day. We are staying at the pronghorn facility and that only complements the whole experience. This course is deservedly included on any list of top courses. Highly recommend.

Actually played both the Nicklaus and Fazio Courses on August 24. The Nicklaus Course was in great shape. Greens were rolling fast and true (rolling at about an 11.5). Fairways were good and rough ... Continue »

Actually played both the Nicklaus and Fazio Courses on August 24. The Nicklaus Course was in great shape. Greens were rolling fast and true (rolling at about an 11.5). Fairways were good and rough was fairly thick. Out of the 2 courses, the Fazio Course is the more prestigious and receives more of the acclaim. With that being said, I think I would agree. The Nicklaus is definitely a must play but there are some weird holes with bunkers in the middle of the fairways (never was a fan of that). The scenery was AMAZING and breathtaking. Customer service is top notch and everyone there was extremely nice and accommodating. I would highly recommend both courses!