Golf in the State of Washington
Washington, officially the State of Washington, and nicknamed the “Evergreen State”, is often referred to as Washington State to differentiate it from Washington, D.C. Located in the country’s Pacific North-west, it is bordered by British Columbia to the north, Oregon to the south, Idaho to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The majority of the populous live in the Seattle area which is also home to 13 of the state’s 38 golf courses. Spokane boasts another 10, Tacoma 6, Vancouver and state capital Olympia have 4 apiece. Geographically, the state is made up of rainforests and mountains in the western region, more mountain ranges further inland from the ocean and a basin region further east devoted to agriculture. The abundance of trees of many varieties lends itself to spectacular golf course design.
The 9-hole Delphi Golf Course, Olympia, describes its location as “nestled in the beautiful black hills in Capitol Forest”. Highly-rated Indian Canyon Golf Course, Spokane, provides scenic city views and narrow fairways requiring accurate drives. Designed by H. Chandler Egan, famous for his renovations of Pebble Beach in California, West Seattle Golf Course delights with scenic views of both downtown Seattle and Elliot Bay and challenges with hilly fairways and an often windy back nine. Allenmore Golf Course, Tacoma, features “meticulously maintained challenging holes, and with competitive rates.” Pine Crest Golf Course, a par 3 in Vancouver, offers “an affordable round of golf on a beautifully maintained course.”
Pros hailing from Washington State include Fred Couples, born in Seattle, who was once ranked world #1 and won the Masters in 1992. Ryan Moore, born in Tacoma, won the NCAA Individual Championship and the US Amateur in the same year. This feat has only ever been accomplished by Moore and Jack Nicklaus, Bryson DeChambleau, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson. JoAnne Carner, from Kirkland, won 43 LPGA victories which set in motion her induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Buddy Allin, born in Bremerton and resident of Boulder City, Nevada, won 5 PGA events before retiring from play to become a teacher at the San Diego Golf Academy, and wrote a well-received golf instructional manual and also made an instructional DVD.