(Oregon) Coastin’: A Tale of Two Courses

“Ooooooooooooookay, roll ‘em” the tall, whispy-mustache adorned attendant in a Funland hat bellowed as the 7 people seated in front of 1920s-era games of “skill” started rolling rubber balls toward a four by four grid of holes, hoping to win a prize for getting four in a row before the other players. Sitting in my vinyl-covered swivel chair, rubber ball in hand, I couldn’t help but think about the task at hand like putting. There’s a lot more skill involved in putting (at least there should be… though I don’t always show it), but I thought I needed to do something different to finally notch a win. Not sure what, but something different.

I’ve spent Spring Breaks and the occasional Summer trip with my fam coming to Seaside, OR for the better part of 30 years. Now that we have kids, we rent a cottage on the South end of the Promenade - and a quick three block walk to one of my all-time favorite courses (more on that in a bit). As a kid, we stayed at the Shiloh Inn or other hotels - wherever we could fit five of us. One isn’t “better” than the other, just different.

Gearhart Golf Links

The rain came down. Hard. I covered my head as I ran toward the combination Inn, Restaurant, Bar, and Pro Shop. On one hand, I was glad I didn’t have a tee time that day - nobody was playing as the rain was simply too hard to stand. I don’t think people would even be playing Bandon in the kind of cold, rain, and wind I saw that day. On the other hand, that rain meant the grounds crew (SHOUTOUT GROUNDS CREWS!) wasn’t able to get the punching done on their original schedule and that my tee time two days from then would be just for the back nine.

After a meal, I took the family downstairs to the Pro Shop and chatted with the staff about things for Wednesday. I was playing no matter what - it’s Gearhart! I left and drove back to our beach cottage, but couldn’t stop thinking about the fun test of golf that was coming on Wednesday.

As I pulled into the lot at 7:50 for my 8:20 tee time, I was already hopeful that I’d get to play by myself - there was just one other car in the parking lot and no activity around the Pro Shop. While I normally love playing golf as a way to spend time with friends or family, sometimes I like to throw in my AirPods, grab by bag by the strap, and have a nice walk by myself. Not to get too vibey, but it’s kind of zen out there by yourself - just you, some clubs (8 for me… I’m trying something out), a ball (and some spares), and the course.

I grabbed my 7 iron and headed to the indoor practice/warm-up area (no driving range) - the “Béarlagair Liathroód” (translation: Ball Buster). Twenty or so swings later, I decided things were as good as they were going to get, and headed over to my bag.

As luck would have it… I wouldn’t get my nine holes of zen. I got paired up with two of the coolest old guy golfers I’ve ever played with. As we stood on the 10th tee box, or rather as I did and my playing partners both said there was no way they were playing the whites in the weather we were in for, I was excited for another round at one of my favorite courses.

The first four holes (10-13) definitely leaned into the “Links” part of the course’s name this time around - if you’d have told me we were in Scotland, I wouldn’t have doubted you one bit. In that four hole stretch there was: rain (a lot), wind (gusty as hell), and a bit of snow/hail. I dug in my bag for something I’ve only ever used one time before: my right-hand rain glove.

Major credit to the Gearhart grounds crew - even when punched and wet, the greens were running better than a lot of Seattle-area courses at peak season.

From 14 (one of my favorite Par-4s in the PNW) onward, the weather got better with every shot - and my game was feeling better as well.

I passed the backyard that is the stuff retirement dreams are made of - an outdoor bar area and fire pit which overlooks 16 tee and 17 green. Shut up and take my money. In fact, I’ve been glued to Redfin the whole time we’ve been here - completely aligned with swapping our house in Walla Walla with one in Gearhart or Seaside.

I parred and bogeyed my way along the final stretch, and teed it up on 18 knowing a few things:

1) I didn’t “pay the pig” and wasn’t going to be getting a birdie on 18 anyway (explainer: you can put $1 into the piggy bank in the Pro Shop and get the winnings if you birdie 18 - a massive Par 5 finishing hole to an elevated green that has many golfers just glad they got it up to the putting surface without writing a snowman on the card)

2) I hate being wet

3) I’d do it all again in a second, because I love Gearhart! It’s “resort golf” that is fun, accessible, and feels like something you’d genuinely find in Ireland or Scotland. It does feel like the kind of place I need to play alone a few times, so I can really experience it and take it all in. I’ll be back - again and again - so maybe I’ll get the chance.

Seaside Golf Course

“Just the round and a cart? You need some beers in a bag or anything,” the bartender/Pro Shop extraordinaire asked as he tossed ice, then Coors (not lights… just Coors) into a plastic bag, spun it and handed it to a guy standing next to me. “Just the round - I’ve got two kids with me, I’ll pay whatever for them. They’ll mostly just ride and putt.”

It wasn’t my first time to what I’ve often referred to as the “most vibey golf course in the PNW,” but it was the first time I was bringing both my kids, 6-year old Lucas and four-year old Claire. I knew it wouldn’t be an issue as I’m not sure anything is really an issue at Seaside Golf Course - a place so laid back that you pay for rounds at the bar and there aren’t official tee times. The first time I ever played here as an adult, in fact, the guy I talked to in the Pro Shop the day before I was going to play said he probably wouldn’t be there by the time I wanted to tee off and that I could just lay after. The place is own step away from a “honor box,” and I love it that way.

It was 5pm when I got the key to the cart (usually I walk, but the kids love to ride in a cart) and went to snag the kids who were oddly waiting outside for me and hadn’t started a fire or hit each other with their golf clubs yet. We were a couple blocks away at the beach cottage we rent and I had the idea to go try to play 9 while dinner was being prepped and cooked. We drove the 15 feet to the first tee, a par 5 which looks out over a mostly-flat “fairway” covered in patches of white clover. I stepped up to the tee and hit a 225 yard missile that never got more than 10 feet off the ground. Good to know the new AutoFlex shaft isn’t changing my shot shape! I was very glad the deck overlooking the first tee - and the set of bar stools with a perfect view - were all empty.

As we got to the second hole, I let the kids get out and hit from the tee box. I’m trying really hard to give them opportunities to fall in love with the game vs. shoving the competitive aspects of the game and “getting better,” down their throats. My plan is working…

On the 115-yard par-3 third, I stuck one about 6 feet from the pin. I yelled to my son “did you see how close I hit it?” And he replied “Dad - there’s a bridge over there!” My daughter then proceeded to ask me to move so she could hit. TOUGH CROWD!

The rest of the holes were fun - and we eventually crossed not one, not two, but three bridges that criss-cross the various streams that cut through the property. As we came to the 9th hole tee box, for a second I wished I still drank and that I could head into the bar/lounge after for a beer or two… I’m sure the kids would have fun playing in the sand trap or on the putting green. But alas, it wasn’t to be. Dinner was ready and I had two hungry gremlins with me.

I think I love Seaside Golf Course because it reminds me of growing up. The courses I played in Wenatchee growing up were, largely, not the best kept. They weren’t fancy and the people on the course at in the clubhouse were “normal” people - jeans on a golf course people (note: I respect anyone who wants to do this, I’m not here to gate-keep… but there’s no possible way golfing in jeans is comfortable). It

Golf Different

I do think it’s important - to me at least, maybe not to others - to not forget my roots as I keep exploring and growing with the game of golf. The worn out, underwatered, jeans wearing roots that made me catch the golf bug. The courses my dad took my to and sometimes just rode along in the cart while I whacked away. I’ve actually been thinking about those times lately - experiencing “firsts” now without my dad after he passed earlier this year. First Opening Day without my dad. First Masters without my dad.

When I’ve been out by myself, either on the course or the range, since my dad died, I sometimes remember when he’d watch me play and he’d comment every a great shot - I know I’m not a “special” golfer by any means, but he made me feel like one. We bonded over sports more than anything else - and it feels weird, but I feel close to him when I’m doing something like playing golf or coaching my son’s little league team.

I like to think my dad would subscribe the idea of “golf different.” He was a guy who grew up in the wheat fields of the Palouse and built a better life for his family in the Wenatchee Valley, giving us what he never had growing up, but always keeping us humble.

I often worry that, as a function of wanting to somehow make up for the things I “didn’t get” as a kid, I overcompensate and spoil our kids too much. In fact, I know I do this and to be completely transparent… I didn’t “want” for a lot as a white (looking) kid growing up in Central Washington, so it’s not like I’m trying to overcome generational inequality or something, but I do it anyway.

So, roll the ball down that Fascination lane, tee it up at the site of the 2021 Hickory Golf Championship, or at a golf course/bar/lounge/restaurant, because it’s all out there for us to experience.

Different is great, it balances things. Different keeps you humble.

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The Facts: Gearhart Golf Links

In case you don’t know, Gearhart Golf Links in Gearhart, OR claims to be the oldest continually used golf course West of the mighty Mississippi - dating back to 1892. Honestly, I’m not going to fact check them. The course

Style: Links - and it really, truly feels like one. You can hear, feel, and smell the ocean just over the dunes from the links land course. The routing is very “links,” but also brings some PNW features to the table in a way that feels like a great marriage.

Distance: 6,551 (Stones) | 6,176 (Black) | 5,741 (White) | 5,157 (Green). There’s also a special “Craic” tee structure that’s meant for the most “fun and entertaining round you can have on the property. I still need to play this.

Rating: See rating info here for gender/tees - including the Craic special tees!

Cost: Rates vary throughout the year, from $65 in the winter to $120 at the height of Summer. Resort guests get a discount, which is rad. See info here.

Website: https://www.gearhartgolflinks.com

The Facts: Seaside Golf Course

While you wouldn’t know it from the current state of affairs on this 9-hole course, it was designed by an absolute titan of golf design of the 1920s - Chandler Egan (Pebble Beach). The greens have shrunk after years of neglect, though they are in pretty great shape. What the place lacks in polish, it makes up for in fun and laid back energy.

Style: Parkland

Distance: 2,697 (Black) | 2,472 (White) | 2,146 (Red)

Rating: 65.2/109 (Black) | 65.2/109 (White) | 65.2/109 (Red)

Costs: Rates range from $22 in the Spring to $27 in the Summer for 9 holes. You can get an annual membership for $700 for adults and $100 for juniors.

Website: https://seasidegolfcourse.com