Course Source: Salish Cliffs, Hawaii's Brown Golf Courses

Course Source: Salish Cliffs, Hawaii's Brown Golf Courses

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The Sports Xchange July 29, 2013The SportsXchange


IN THE PUBLIC EYE: Salish Cliffs, Shelton, Wash.



Salish Cliffs opened in 2011 on 320 acres of land to outstanding reviews as one of the top new public courses in the country, including the No. 8 new course by Golf Week. It winds 7,269 yards from the tips through 600 feet of elevation change, featuring 68 bunkers with ragged edges filled with white Oregon sand, enhancing the already beautiful layout.



Pine trees line many fairways, providing a unique and secluded experience on every hole. Holes that don't have significant elevation changes typically feature strong doglegs and tight angles to the green if drives aren't placed in the right spot.



Bates wanted the course to fit the land after the final destination for the course was selected out of three potential spots. He accomplished that goal in spades with a course that has the feel of being around far longer than it has.



LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Pristine weather is difficult to find in the Pacific Northwest outside of July through September, particularly in the area where Salish Cliffs sits, north of Olympia and south of Hoodsport, where the winds can pick up around the Olympic mountain range. If you get a calm, sunny day, there are few designs that top Salish Cliffs' in the state.



This isn't meant to steer you away, it's simply a regular element to account for when making your way around the beautifully designed course.



Naturally, that places a strong emphasis on driving accuracy. It's evident from the first tee box, a downhill 514-yard par 5 from the Tournament tees that demands an accurate drive between a large tree and fescue on the right and a bunker and red stakes on the left. A well-stuck drive does leave a reasonable look at reaching the massive green in two.



As mentioned, one of the great characteristics of the course is the uniqueness of each hole. For example, the first par 3 is a 233-yard shot from the Tournament tees, but it's a good two-club shot steep downhill to a huge green you don't want to be on the wrong end of.



The highest point on the golf course is roughly 600 feet above sea level on the 12th hole. It's also the narrowest fairway on the course and protected by reachable bunkers on the left. Depending on the pin placement and conditions, approach shots can be rolled onto the right side of the green, which slopes markedly to the left.



Bates has said his favorite hole is the 16th. It's the longest par 4 on the course at 428 yards from the Tournament tees and features a big dogleg right around three bunkers. But it's a potential birdie hole that plays downhill and is the No. 10 handicap hole on the course.



For the aggressive players who hit a straight drive, they're rewarded with one of the great approach shots on the course. The 18th is reachable in two, but it requires a full carry over water and a swath of four bunkers in front of the enormous putting surface. Hit the green, however, and it's a surface that runs uphill to the back and is receptive to long irons and hybrids, with an eagle putt as the reward to close out your day.



Another good value is The Golf Club at Hawks Prairie, just north of Lacey.




WHERE TO STAY: The Little Creek Casino Resort is a stone's throw from the driving range and offers food and entertainment in addition to gambling. For those not keen on the gambling scene, there are plenty of lodging options in Olympia, or travel north of Shelton for quaint hotels in Hoodsport along the Hood Canal.



--Shalish Cliffs review By Derek Harper, The Sports Xchange



THE LAST RESORT: The Fairmont Orchid and Mauna Lani Resort; Francis H. I'i Brown Golf Courses, Kohala Coast, Hawaii.



The Mauna Lani Resort community is located on historic land along the Kohala Coast of the Big Island near the birthplace of Kamehameha the Great at the foot of three volcanoes -- Mauna Kea, Kilauea and Mauna Lani -- whose lava flows created the land on which the resort is situated.



Conde Nast Traveler has consistently rated Mauna Lani among the best golf resorts in the world, and Golf magazine has called it "one of the most breathtakingly beautiful seaside golf courses in the world," comparing the South Course to Pebble Beach, Cypress Point and Turnberry.



While the South course is located on the prehistoric Kaniku lava flow, which is black in color, the North was built on a much older field of reddish lava and rolling terrain dotted by kiawe (mesquite) trees.



LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: The Senior Skins Game, featuring the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, delivered to the U.S. mainland an annual televised postcard from the Francis H. I'i Brown Golf Courses for 11 years through 2000.



Brown, a descendant of Papi I'i, a general under King Kamehameha, never lived to see the resort, which was completed by his partner, Noboru Gotoh of the Tokyu Corporation in Japan. Undoubtedly, Brown would love it, especially the magnificent sets of par-three holes on both courses.



Most famous from its exposure during the Senior Skins Game is No. 15 on the South Course, where the tee shot from the championship tee must carry 196 yards into the wind across an inlet of Iliilinaehehe Bay, but it is much more friendly from the resort tee.



Perhaps the best of the longer holes on the property is No. 9 on the North course, No. 1 in difficulty on the card, a 455-yard monster that plays straight down to the beach alongside the Fairmont Orchid on the left. The green is guarded by a large lake and a long, narrow bunker on the right, with heliotrope trees dotting the landscape.



WHERE TO STAY: The Fairmont Orchid is a AAA Four-Diamond resort nestled on 32 acres of oceanfront property within the 3,200-acre Mauna Lani Resort community, with spectacular views of the Big Island's five mountains, including Mauna Kea, the world's tallest peak when measured from its base on the floor of the Pacific.



Others resorts nearby include Mauna Kea, Hapuna, Waikoloa and the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.