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All-inclusive road trips
With a little bit of effort and imagination, college football fans throughout the Northwest can combine their favorite passions -- following their teams and a little white ball
By Blaine Newnham, For PNGA Media
A trip across the Cascades to Washington State University, to watch the Cougars play Oregon in football, on a gorgeous October weekend.
What could be better?
Adding a couple of rounds of golf, of course.
Television slotted the game for 4 p.m. Perfect for all of those not on a newspaper columnist's deadline, as I was.
We got an 8 o'clock tee time Saturday morning at the under-appreciated University of Idaho course, eight miles from Pullman, but still in the heart of the Palouse.
But why waste Friday as a travel day? We drove two hours, crossing Snoqualmie Pass, down to the Columbia River, and on toward Pullman, a full five-hour drive from Seattle.
We stopped in Othello for some Mexican food, and then a round at the Othello Golf Course, nine holes surrounded by farmland, a solid nine holes that cost $10 and took an hour and a half.
Back in the car for another two hours, and then nine more holes along the river at Colfax, now just 30 minutes from Pullman. Another good nine holes, another $10, another 90 minutes.
On the way back Sunday we played a quick nine at Royal City, a course the local farmers built and where they kept range balls in a tub in the bathroom of a trailer that served as the clubhouse.
There was never a better way to stretch your legs and clear your head.
Golf and football in the Pac-10.
Maybe you know someone who can get you on Riviera Country Club when your team plays UCLA, or the Olympic Club for a game in the San Francisco Bay Area, or Sahalee if you're in Seattle to see your team play Washington.
The first time I played golf on the road covering a college game was in Spokane, in the '60s, when the Cougars still played most of their games in Joe Albi Stadium there. I was covering Cal, and somebody knew somebody and we ended up at the Spokane Country Club with its history and hills.
But golf on the road isn't all about notches in the grip of your driver, about telling everyone you've played all the great courses. It is combining a passion for college football with a passion for golf, and about living in the West where the golf can be as different as Los Angeles is from Eugene, Ore., and Tucson, Ariz.
As far as the Pac-10 is concerned, the best golf can be in the smallest towns. And, of course, the later in the season it gets the more you hope your team plays in Arizona where the weather is not only good, but the games are often played at night, giving you a chance to play golf and watch football in the same day.
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| Fred Enke Golf Course |
Tucson is so good that you can be playing a half-hour after you land.
There will always be those drawn to fancy resorts and their famous courses. I head for Fred Enke, a public track near where they mothball old jets adjacent to the airport, a desert course sculpted by a few ravenous ravines, and not some high-priced architect.
There is no one to tell you what tees to play or wipe off your clubs, and perhaps they haven't mowed the greens that day, but this is one heck of a course, right from the start when you plunk down your $25 or less.
Tucson has great public golf, the courses at Randolph Park more traditional than target, but a great way to avoid a green fee that matches your plane fare.
The campus courses, of course, are naturals, if you can get on them. Stanford, a brawny beast in the tawny hills behind campus, is a challenge to get on and to play. It is the best of the campus courses.
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| ASU Karsten Golf Course |
Trysting Tree, at Oregon State, is more public, as is the Karsten Course at Arizona State, the next-to-campus Pete Dye layout that successfully transformed one of the ugliest pieces of property known to man and can be played, before Sept. 26, for $25.
In Seattle, Washington has an interesting relationship with Washington National, located 30 minutes south of downtown in Auburn and marketed as "Home of the Huskies."
The UW golf teams play there, including the reigning NCAA champion, James Lepp. The John Fought-designed course has played host to the NCAA women's championship and the men's NCAA regional championships. But it is the theme that makes it unique, most of its golf carts are named after former UW athletes, although nine are set aside for Pac-10 foes.
"We've had people request the Beaver cart for an OSU friend, and other people who say there is no way I'm riding in the Beaver cart or the Duck cart," said Ryan Whitney, the Washington National general manager. "People definitely align themselves with their schools. We have fun with it."
For those with the time and the money, a game at either Cal or Stanford can mean a few days playing golf two hours to the south, on the Monterey Peninsula, or to the North in the Napa Valley wine country.
Of course, there always are the good public tracks near the airports, like Alameda muni aside the Oakland airport or Crystal Springs up the hill from SFO. The public course at Tilden Park behind Berkeley seems almost like playing on Cal's campus.
The area around Phoenix -- especially Scottsdale -- is loaded with wonderful golf courses. Games early in the season in Arizona can mean intense heat, but they can also mean reduced rates on what are otherwise pricey golf plots.
Trips to Los Angeles later in the season can mean time in Palm Springs, 90 minutes away. Public golf closer to the city is a challenge. I was once covering a Washington State game against USC when the Cougars stayed in San Pedro. The public Los Verdes course in Rancho Palos Verdes is nearby, with grand views of the Pacific, but to get a tee time on Saturday morning I had to, at 5 a.m., join a line that already numbered 50 desperate souls.
But after three hours and numerous cups of coffee I was playing golf, and three hours after golf I was watching Pac-10 football.
Life was good.
Best bet for NW fans
FANS IN B.C.
SIMON FRASER
at University of Calgary, Sept. 16
Heritage Pointe (403-256-2002)
Twenty-seven holes just south of Calgary. The complex has been named in the top 30 public courses in Canada and the top five courses in Alberta.
UNIVERSITY OF B.C.
at Saskatchewan, Sept. 24
Saskatoon G&CC (306-931-4653)
Thunderbirds fans can get treated to their own private course. The semi-private West Course is on land that used to be a tree nursery and beautiful ash, elm, pine and Russian olive trees surround the fairways.
FANS IN IDAHO
BOISE STATE
at Hawaii, Oct. 1
Ko'olau GC (808-247-7088)
BSU fans should test themselves against the toughest course in the country. Ko'olau has a 76.4 course rating and a 162 slope as it is cut from a tropical rain forest on the windward side of 2,000-foot Ko'olau Ridge. This course also touts three distinct climate zones.
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
at San Jose State, Nov. 26
Cinnabar Hills GC (408-323-5200)
Fans of the Vandals will enjoy a Northwest touch on this road trip - the 27 holes were designed by John Harbottle III of Tacoma, Wash. Hundreds of old oak trees add charm to the layout, as do the numerous species of wildlife.
FANS IN WASHINGTON
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
at Arizona State, Oct. 29
ASU Karsten GC (480-921-8070)
Husky fans can rub shoulders with some of the top PGA Tour pros, who frequently use the 20-acre practice facility. Pete Dye designed the links course right on the Arizona State campus.
WASHINGTON STATE
at Nevada-Reno, Sept. 9
Wildcreek GC (775-673-3100)
Wildcreek offers Cougars fans a chance to play on the course that was used as a stop on the Champions Tour. It offers challenging golf and tremendous views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. There's also an executive nine holes if you're in a hurry.
FANS IN OREGON
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
at Arizona, Oct. 22
Fred Enke GC (520-791-2539)
This Tucson course offers true desert, target golf. Not a pristine resort course. Grass is used only on the tees, landing areas and greens, but there's plenty of room for golf if you enjoy desert dirt, native vegetation and dry creek beds. Oh, did we mention it's also hilly. When you finish, you can say you're one of the few to have played a true desert golf course.
OREGON STATE
at the University of Louisville, Sept. 17
Indian Springs GC (502-426-7111)
Following the Beavers across the country can be even more enjoyable with this stop at one of the top 10 courses in the Louisville region. The course is named after a natural spring that winds through the layout on the east side of town.
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