If you’ve never been to Oregon before, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of McMenamin’s.
Nearly 30 years ago the McMenamin brothers started a Northwest restaurant empire – that has now evolved into just about every kind of entertainment venue imaginable.
In particular they are known for rescuing historic properties from being demolished and then turning them into something way cooler than they were to begin with.
How about an elementary school turned entertainment complex? Or the backstage of an old theater, into a pool hall complete with 70 foot ceilings and catwalks?
Or the subject of this post: Edgefield, a rural country poor farm that had been all but condemned, converted to a destination resort about 20 minutes outside of Portland, Oregon.
When the weather is nice, there are few things that can compare to a sunny day out at Edgefield.
Why?
It’s virtually impossible to get bored.
When they saved the property from demolition, they turned it into an adult playground. Spa, concert venue, distillery, winery, brewery, golf course, movie theater, pool hall – you name it, it’s there.
Today I went out with my girlfriend and her parents for lunch and a round of golf on their 12-hole East Pub Course.
Now, it’s worth noting that their 12-hole East, and 20-hole west courses are far from regulation length. Most holes are in the 40 to 80 yard range, but offer a surprisingly enjoyable challenge for the golfer…or the drinker.
Try hitting a dime-size green after 3 beers, while carrying your clubs, and trying not to spill the 4th beer. Tricky stuff, indeed.
Situated up on the south hll of the property the courses are both pretty similar, one just happens to be longer than the other. You’ll rarely see someone playing without one of McMenamin’s craft brews in hand, and for the most part no one is taking themselves too seriously.
The greens are in surprisingly good shape considering this course gets a lot of use, and many of the people playing, well, shall we say aren’t exactly professional golfers.
While it’s easy to write off Edgefield as “not a real round of golf” it’s excellent practice for your short game. The greens are tiny, there’s some pretty significant elevation change, and at 12 bucks for 12 holes, you really can’t go too far wrong ($18 for the 20 hold course).
While out there I shot a 4 over par 40 for the 12 holes. Now if only I could do that on a more regular basis on a full size course.
When timed right, there are some excellent deals to be had at Edgefield. I’ve heard of packages that include a room, 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts, and a couple beers for $129/night at certain times of the year.
If you find yourself in Portland, want something incredibly unique to the city, and also a hell of a lot of fun, consider heading out for a round of “pub golf” and a few beers at Edgefield.
