Oregon is home to some of the most diverse golf in the entire country.
You have the closest thing to golfing in Scotland when you visit the world-class resort, Bandon Dunes.
Travel a few hours to Bend, and you have high desert golf and a collection of some wonderfully unique golf courses and resorts.
Then up and down the Willamette Valley, you have a bunch of great parkland layouts.
You could make the argument that Oregon is one of the best states for public golf considering it has 5 of the top 100 golf courses in the world – all publicly accessible down at Bandon.
And 11 of our 18 best golf courses in Oregon are publicly accessible
But there are some well-regarded private courses as well.
So what are the best golf courses in Oregon? Let’s see how things shake out.
The Best Golf Courses in Oregon 2024
These rankings are averages of the Best in State Rankings from Golf Digest, Top 100 Golf, Golf Magazine and Golfweek. For ties, where possible we ranked based on our personal experience.
To be included there needed to be a minimum of two inclusions in one of the publications listed above, and if there was a course with only one, and I’ve played it, I added my own vote to make this list.
Click the links for our detailed thoughts on these courses.
- Pacific Dunes (Bandon)*
- Bandon Dunes (Bandon)*
- Old Macdonald (Bandon)*
- Bandon Trails (Bandon)*
- Sheep Ranch (Bandon)*
- Pronghorn (Fazio) (Bend)
- Eugene Country Club (Eugene)
- Waverley Country Club (Portland)
- Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow) (Portland)
- Silvies Valley Ranch (Craddock) (Seneca)*
- Silvies Valley Ranch (Hankins) (Seneca)*
- Pronghorn (Nicklaus) (Bend)*
- Crosswater (Bend)*
- Portland Golf Club (Portland)
- Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek) (Portland)*
- Tetherow Golf Club (Bend)*
- Columbia Edgewater Country Club (Portland)
- Astoria Golf Club (Astoria)
* Denotes public course
How Other Publications Ranked the Top Golf Courses in Oregon
If you’re anything like us, you can never get too many opinions about golf courses when you’re trying to plan a trip. So we wanted to include the lists from other publications as well, so that you can get a sense of where everything stacks up.
Below you’ll find the current rankings for Best in State and Top 100 lists across some of the biggest golf publications. The idea was to not only include the composite ranking that you see above, but also give you one place where you can find all of the major information you’re seeking out when it comes to the best golf courses in Oregon.
Golf Digest Best in State – Oregon
- Pacific Dunes
- Bandon Dunes
- Old Macdonald
- Bandon Trails
- Sheep Ranch
- Pronghorn (Fazio)
- Eugene Country Club
- Pronghorn (Nicklaus)
- Silvies Valley Ranch (Craddock)
- Silvies Valley Ranch (Hankins)
- Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow)
- Crosswater
- Waverley Golf Club
- Tetherow Golf Club
- Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek)
Top 100 Golf Courses Ranking for Oregon
- Pacific Dunes
- Bandon Dunes
- Old Macdonald
- Bandon Trails
- Pronghorn (Fazio)
- Waverley Country Club
- Pronghorn (Nicklaus)
- Silvies Valley Ranch (Craddock)
- Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow)
- Silvies Valley Ranch (Hankins)
- Eugene Country Club
- Tetherow Golf Club
- Bandon Preserve
- Portland Golf Club
- Crosswater
- Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek)
- Columbia Edgewater
- Astoria Golf and Country Club
- Broken Top
- Bandon Crossings
#Bandon Preserve is a 13 hole course so we didn’t include it on our rankings
##Broken Top and Bandon Crossings were not included in any other list, so we didn’t use these.
Golf Magazine – Best in Oregon
- Pacific Dunes
- Bandon Trails
- Bandon Dunes
- Old Macdonald
- Sheep Ranch
- Eugene Country CLub
- Waverley Country Club
- Crosswater
- Silvies Valley Ranch (Hankins/Craddock)
- Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow)
- Pronghorn (Fazio)
- Pronghorn (Nicklaus)
- Portland Golf Club
- Astoria Golf and Country Club
- Tetherow Golf Club
# Golf Magazine considered Hankins and Craddock at Silvies as one course.
Best Oregon Public Golf Courses – Golfweek
- Pacific Dunes
- Old Macdonald
- Bandon Dunes
- Sheep Ranch
- Bandon Trails
- Silvies Valley Ranch (Hankins)
- Crosswater
- Silvies Valley Ranch (Craddock)
- Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek)
- Pronghorn (Nicklaus)
Best Oregon Private Golf Courses – Golfweek
- Eugene Country Club
- Pronghorn (Fazio)
- Waverley Country Club
- Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow)
- Portland Golf Club
Top 100 Courses in Oregon for 2024
I know many of you base your travels on top 100 courses, so I wanted to include all of the courses in Oregon ranked in any Golf Magazine or Golf Digest top 100 list.
Golf Digest Top 100 in America (Oregon Courses)
- #18 – Pacific Dunes
- #37 – Bandon Dunes
- #56 – Old Macdonald
- #67 – Bandon Trails
Golf Digest Top 100 Public (Oregon Courses)
- #2 – Pacific Dunes
- #7 – Bandon Dunes
- #12 – Old Macdonald
- #13 – Bandon Trails
- #15 – Sheep Ranch
- #40 – Pronghorn (Nicklaus)
- #61 – Crosswater
- #82 – Tetherow
Is Pacific Dunes the best public course in the country? Watch it face off against two other stalwarts of public golf.
Golf Magazine Top 100 Public (Oregon Courses)
- #3 – Pacific Dunes
- #8 – Bandon Trails
- #9 – Bandon Dunes
- #15 – Old Macdonald
- #20 – Sheep Ranch
- #93 – Pronghorn (Nicklaus)
Golf Magazine Top 100 America (Oregon Courses)
- #19 – Pacific Dunes
- #38 – Bandon Trails
- #44 – Bandon Dunes
- #66 – Old Macdonald
- #80 – Sheep Ranch
Golf Magazine Top 100 World (Oregon Courses)
- #28 – Pacific Dunes
- #80 – Bandon Dunes
- #91 – Bandon Trails
Breaking Eighty Top 100 (Oregon Courses)
These are the Oregon courses from my personal top 100 list that I update every year. It only includes courses I’ve personally played.
- #5 – Bandon Trails
- #17 – Bandon Dunes
- #35 – Pacific Dunes
- #44 – Pronghorn (Fazio)
- #48 – Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow)
- #49 – Crosswater Golf Club
- #54 – Pronghorn (Nicklaus)
- #68 – Eugene Country Club
- #69 – Waverley Country Club
- #71 – Sheep Ranch
- #76 – Tetherow Golf Club
- #82 – Old Macdonald
Oregon Golf Trips: Dream Itineraries
In this section, we’ll look at a handful of “Dream Itineraries” to consider if you’re planning a trip to Oregon.
1) Bandon Dunes
There’s nothing more to say that hasn’t already been said thousands of times across the world of golf. Bandon Dunes is objectively the best golf resort on the planet.
Depending on where you’re from, it can take some effort to get there, but once you arrive on property, you’ll find yourself in golf heaven.
Do your best to play every course on the property, it’s well worth it.
Everything you need to know: The Ultimate Guide to Bandon Dunes
2) Central Oregon: Most Underrated Golf Destination in the US?
We believe Bend and Redmond is one of the most underrated golf destinations in the United States. You’ve got 3 top 100 public courses within 45 minutes of each other, that provide wildly different golf experiences.
The Nicklaus Course at Pronghorn is a true championship, high desert experience.
Tetherow is a wild links-style golf course in the desert, with some of the most fun golf holes in the state.
Crosswater is the most “northwest” golf course I’ve played with forest, river, and mountain views abound.
How to Do It
If visiting, I’d try and play those three courses. If you can get access to the Fazio at Pronghorn (which is a tough tee time to get), it’s well worth it as well.
Often they have stay-and-play deals if you stay at Pronghorn, that can get you access to a round on the Fazio.
To play Crosswater without a member, you’ll need to stay at the resort. Fortunately, Sunriver Resort has one of the best stay-and-play deals in golf.
If you want to stay in one place without moving around, rooms at Tetherow are the most centrally located, and arguably the nicest as well.
Other courses to consider in the area:
- Brasada Canyons
- Juniper
- Aspen Lakes
3) Portland Privates: Both Modern and Golden Age History
While most of the best golf is publically accessible in Oregon, with a single trip to Portland you can play some excellent private golf courses if you have the connections.
The ones on your list should be:
- Waverley Country Club
- Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow)
- Columbia Edgewater
- Portland Golf Club
If you only had two, I’d prioritize Waverley and Witch Hollow.
The former is the most beautiful club in Oregon, situated right on the Willamette River.
And the latter has some of the best modern history in the state, as it’s where Tiger won his 3rd US Amateur, and it hosted the Korn Ferry regular-season finale for years.
Between Columbia and Portland, I’d argue both are equally good golf courses. Portland has the prestige of hosting the Ryder Cup and PGA Championship back in the 40s, while Columbia Edgewater is a current host of the LPGA Cambia Classic.
Columbia Edgewater is also only a few minutes away from PDX, making it an easy course to hit on the way in or out of town.
While if you’re just playing one round this likely won’t matter to you, but Columbia has arguably the best practice facilities in the state.
Oregon Golf Hidden Gems
Every state has a few under-the-radar courses that people on a national level usually haven’t heard of, and Oregon is no different.
If looking for some hidden gems, I’d consider:
- Tokatee Golf Club – Tokatee is about an hour from Eugene up the McKenzie River. To me, this is the very definition of a hidden gem. There are nice mountain views, wonderful greens, some very enjoyable holes. Peter Jacobson has been quoted as saying it’s among his favorite golf courses.
- Aspen Lakes Golf Club – Located about 30 minutes from Bend in Sisters, the course is notable for its red cinder cone bunkers. I think the routing is incredibly fun with 18 unique and diverse holes. The major knock on it is that maintenance has been a little subpar over the past years, but still a very enjoyable round.
- Gearhart Golf Links – Less than 90 minutes from Portland, Gearhart is one of the oldest golf courses west of the Mississippi. Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle has invested a few million dollars recently to improve the course, and it shows. If you’re a history and architecture geek, it’s worth the trip. And while you’re there, try and play the quirky, and equally as enjoyable Astoria Country Club.
- Bar Run Golf Course – Located in Roseburg, which is out of the way of most Oregon golf hot spots, this Dan Hixson design is making waves amongst Oregon golfers in the know. It’s a fun course with some cool nods to old links courses like North Berwick. If you’re driving down I5 and need a fun place to stop – this is definitely one to consider.
Our Comments on the Best Golf Courses in Oregon
We’re based out of Oregon, so more so than many other states, we have some strong opinions. A few things that jump out based on the composite best Oregon golf course rankings above:
- I think the two courses at Pronghorn are phenomenal and are very much worth experiencing. The biggest thing I disagree with in how these rankings turned out is that the Nicklaus Course should easily be in the top 10 in Oregon, and is certainly better than the Silvies Valley Ranch courses.
- Eugene Country Club just finished a major renovation, and none of these rankings account for that. This used to be a Top 100 America mainstay, and after this recent work, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it return there.
- I’d argue Witch Hollow is the best golf course in Portland, if you judge it solely by the course itself. However, Waverley wins for best overall experience. If you’re a scratch golfer, play Pumpkin. If you’re more about the whole experience, play Waverley.
- The whole experience at Silvies Ranch is unlike any I’ve ever seen. I don’t personally think the two primary golf courses there Hankins/Craddock are better than some of the courses these publications have ranked above it. Specifically, I personally think Pronghorn (Nicklaus), Crosswater, and Tetherow are (much) better than the courses at Silvies. It’s very difficult to get to, but is also very much worth going to experience the whole package. Any course with a “Beer Tree” is my kind of place.
- Bandon is every bit as good as it’s made out to be.
Questions about anything here or an upcoming trip to Oregon? Drop a comment and we’ll do our best to help.
Going someplace else? Check out all of our other best-in-state golf rankings.
Member of a private club and love to travel and meet other golf nuts? Check out our Eighty Club Golf Society.
Recent Updates:
September 3rd, 2024: Added video of Crosswater Golf Club. Minor updates and refinements.
