Seattle Washington Golf Course Review | Bellevue Municipal Golf Course

Seattle Public Golf | Bellevue Washington Municipal Golf Course

I had the pleasure of playing another of Seattle's area public golf courses the other day and thought I'd let you know about it in case you ever thought of playing Bellevue municipal golf course.

Bellevue municipal golf course, located at 5500 140th Ave NE Bellevue, WA, is a great little course, for a great price that anyone should play (particularly if they have a free afternoon during the week - it is much less crowded and the pace of play is much faster). Here is my Bellevue municipal golf course review.

First, unlike Jackson Park Golf Course and West Seattle Golf Course, Bellevue Municipal is not technically located in Seattle. It is a short jaunt across the 520 bridge, putting it about 15 minutes outside downtown Seattle (in good traffic). It is easy to get to and fairly easy to find (the turn into the course comes up quick so be careful).

Once at the course, you will immediately notice the club house is built for a municipal type experience. It isn't flashy, isn't big, doesn't intimidate, and isn't necessarily inviting to hang out in post round (although we did - it was necessary so we could count up all the dots and tallies on our scorecard). But it was serviceable enough for the course, and it certainly didn't detract from the experience.

If you are going to play golf in Seattle after mid-October, you better be ready for two things: (1) chilly starting temperatures; and (2) nearly a 100% of at least a little rain. The day we played Bellevue, these two rules didn't disappoint. On the first tee the temperature was a balmy 39 or 40 degrees (although it did warm all the way up to 45 by the time we were done!) and it spit rain at us throughout the day. I've found the best way to combat this is to walk (plus it is significantly cheaper). On this day we walked all 18 holes at a cost of $27.

The practice facilities are average at best. There is a natural grass range, a putting clock, and a short game area, though when I played the driving range was matts only (something I despise - being from Kansas, we could hit off the grass nearly year round). The putting green provided a pretty good indication of the actual speed of the greens.

The course condition was pretty good considering the time of year we played. Because it is constantly damp throughout the winter, it is nearly impossible for the course to heal the way it should. This means occasionally we ran into dead spots on greens and fairways, and the greens themselves were often looked like they had been through a lot of rounds. But, as you can see from the picture, the course generally is beautiful, with old growth forest and mountain views throughout. This is the first tee looking down the fairway.

As I said before, the greens were pretty beat up, from foot traffic and too much rain, but in spite of that they rolled decently. The greens were slower than I like, but provided a reasonable challenge considering the temperate circumstances. I distinctly remember dropping a couple of fairly long putts to win or push holes on this course. For this to happen the greens must be pretty forgiving!

Overall I'd give Bellevue Municipal golf course in Bellevue Washington a 7 out of ten. It was a very fun course to play, would be a great place to take someone who is still in the beginning stages of golf - there are very few trouble spots, particularly in the slicing zones. And it's cheap to boot. If you are ever in the Seattle area and want to play some fairly cheap vacation golf, look up Bellevue municipal golf course. You won't be disappointed.

Tacoma Washington Golf Course Review | Chambers Bay Golf Course

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of playing one of the most unique courses I've ever played - Chambers Bay Golf Course in Tacoma, Washington. It is the site of the 2010 U.S. Amateur Golf Championshipand the 2015 U.S. Open, and man is it going to be a test for those players. And the best thing is, anyone can play there because it is a public golf course! Without further adieu, please enjoy my Chambers Bay Golf Course Review.

As I just said, Chambers Bay Golf Course is located in the Tacoma, Washington area, though it looks like no other course I've seen before (I haven't played in Europe, I would imagine this is what a lot of the course look like). I've played Bellevue Golf Course, West Seattle Golf Course, and Jackson Park Golf Course, and this is nothing like them. The good news for you is that I took a bunch of pictures so you will have plenty to look at.

But, as I also said, the course is public. So, as I start all my golf course reviews, I'll start with the clubhouse, which was not necessarily all that impressive. The clubhouse itself sits at the top of a large hill (Chambers Bay was built in an old gravel pit) about 200 feet above the actual course. After you pay a shuttle takes you down to the course where you get started. The clubhouse attendant was very nice, and their entire staff was extremely professional. One other thing, they provide the option of having a caddy walk the course with you (no carts, no exceptions). If you have the extra cash, I'd highly recommend it. We didn't use a caddy, but a fourth in our group did, and I must say it was quite an enjoyable experience (I've actually never had a caddy before). But back to the clubhouse, you won't necessarily be impressed.

Chamber's Bay Golf Course Practice Facilities

When you get down to the actual golf course, you will see a putting green and a driving range. I'd recommend using a little bit of both. The driving range is necessary because the course, unless you've played in Europe, has the tightest lies I've ever seen, and it takes a little getting used to. Divots don't really happen - you may take up a little grass, but it's never more than an inch deep. Hit some balls on the range so you can get a feel for the playing surface (the range was a little beat up, but it was grass, so I can't complain too much).



The Chambers Bay putting green you need just so you can get a feel for the greens. The day we played the greens were running quite slow. Not unheard of in the Northwest in November, but a little disconcerting nonetheless. With that being said, however, you will see even on the putting greens that what you see is what you get. A true run is what you get, so expect to drop some long putts.

Chambers Bay Golf Course Review

Now for the actual course. As you can see from the pictures, from start to finish the views are just spectacular, and like nothing else you'll see around. As for course conditions, the tee boxes were all full and lush, the fairways ran fast, and the greens were hard (even though they ran relatively slow). You can see from the pictures that there were several pretty challenging holes. Some were tight, some were not, but it seemed like trouble was brewing everywhere. As with any old style course, pot bunkers and gunch abounded. I actually didn't partake in much of either, although I was often approaching the green from some relatively long distances.

And Chambers Bay Golf Course in Tacoma Washington is pretty long (it must be if it is going to host a US Amateur and US Open Championship. There were several times I was approaching the green from over 200 yards (but in my defense, or maybe not, I was not having my best day off the tee box). We played from the sand colored tees (second from the back) and I think the scorecard has that at well over 6600 yards. It was a real test.

In the end I ended up shooting in the mid 80s (I don't remember the exact score, though I do remember that I lost about $40 on the round). Which reminds me, the cost was $95. A little steep, but well worth it in all honesty. I think the caddy is an extra $75 to $100, but if you are making a golf vacation out of it, you might was well splurge. The information they have is invaluable, particularly around the greens (the greens have huge slopes on them - getting on the wrong tier or wrong side of the hole can often have dire circumstances).

In the end, I'd highly recommend playing Chambers Bay Golf Course if you are ever in the Seattle, Washington area. It was a great course, the service was great, and I will be playing there again soon.

Seattle Washington Golf Course Review | West Seattle Golf Course

I had the pleasure of playing West Seattle Golf Course a couple of weeks ago and thought it would be great for a Seattle Washington Golf Course Review. As the course title implies West Seattle Golf Course is a public course, located in west Seattle, at 4470 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA.

To provide a quick overview, this course is public, is 18 holes, is dirt cheap, is well put together, and has some fantastic views of the downtown skyline. Because these views are so great (most are on the back 9) I'm going to forgo my usual spiel with scorecards and yardage books and just publish all of the pictures I took. I know they aren't the greatest quality, but I forgot my usual camera and had to use my phone. The views are just so great I had to show them.

Walking up to the clubhouse you see what you'd expect in a Seattle Washington Public Golf Course - a regular looking building that housed a small pro shop, a small beverage shop, and a little place to eat. There were restrooms and a place to change clothes and that was about it. No fanfare. No bells. No whistles. The pro shop attendant was very nice, especially considering we were borderline late for our tee time (on Friday afternoons in Seattle every course will be packed if the weather is decent - great golfing community out here). We walked 18 holes - it was cart path only - and paid $27. Not bad - and they have a special where $36 gets you 18 holes, a cart, and a hotdog and drink at the turn. Not bad if you ask me.

As you will be able to see from the pictures the course is in great shape. Almost all Seattle Washington golf courses are because of the temperate climate. The greens rolled nice, the fairways were pretty solid, and overall it was an enjoyable experience. We played from the blue tees (second from back) and it was plenty long. A buddy of mine told me they hold the last round of the Seattle amateur out there every year, so you know it can pose a challenge if tricked out (if you don't know how to play in the rain, consult your handy golf tips - it was really wet when we played). And the views. Again, just take a look - they were amazing, especially for a country boy like me.

All in all I'd say our experience was a very enjoyable one. I think I shot 81 or 82, without having played much golf at all, and really enjoyed the course. The price, the layout, and the views guarantee I'll be back again.

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