I'd rather be playing Circling Raven

Seattle is no Phoenix or Chicago when it comes to public golf, but there are still dozens of options for pay-and-play. While any golfer, core or casual, could spend their summer/fall days enjoying the city views from West Seattle, taking on the considerable challenge of Washington National or aiming for Mt.Rainier at Druids Glen, it's also nice to go away for a weekend (a long one ideally) and experience what's on offer just a few hours away. There's still time left to get out of town before heading back to work Tuesday morning, so why not pack the clubs (and any family members who fancy a ride) and go play somewhere different.

Here are my ten favorite golf road trips from Seattle. The criteria were pretty loose; half a day's travel tops; a minimum of two courses worth that travel; better than decent lodgings.

The list is in some sort of order, which is to say Eastern Washington/Western Idaho is my favorite trip and the last two are international which means a lengthy drive but also possible delays at border crossings which are a pain especially when you're itching to get out and golf. The rest are ranked fairly loosely and could change places regularly depending on a range of factors; some fairly important like the weather, course condition or traffic to and from, others less so like menu changes at the halfway house.

As with any list, you may think the order is just plain wrong, or that I'm crazy for including one destination and omitting another. Feel free to let me know.

1. Eastern Washington/Western Idaho

There is something very special about heading over Stevens or Snoqualmie Pass in search of sunshine and good golf. For me, reaching the far side of the state can feel like finding the pot of golf at the end of the rainbow at certain times of the year. The biggest pull is Circling Raven, just across the border into Idaho, and about 25 miles south of Coeur D'Alene. The fantastic Gene Bates design was recently ranked 17th in Golf Digest magazine's poll of top public-access courses in the country (re-ranked by price) and you can play it for $95 tomorrow or $80 on Monday. The rate goes down after 2pm but it's unlikely you'll want to be teeing off after 2pm if you're needing to get back to Seattle for Tuesday morning.
The Coeur d'Alene Resort Course is also pretty special, albeit considerably more expensive. The layout is vastly improved since Scott Miller's remodel in 2003, and there are some nice touches with the lakeside driving range, pre-round massages, forecaddies and, of course, the ride in Putt-Putt across the lake to the 14th hole's floating green. A trip this far east should also include Palouse Ridge (above) at WSU. Designer John Harbottle did a superb job here, giving the Cougars a world-class venue to call home. It's $56.50 for Seattleites on Monday.
Spokane is also home to a quartet of nice municipal courses of which Indian Canyon is the pick. Designed by H Chandler Egan, the 1904 and 1905 US Amateur champion, the course opened in 1935 and possesses a number of excellent holes.

2. Bandon Dunes

It's a long drive to be sure; about seven hours, but the three 18-hole courses here (you can also play ten holes of Old Macdonald which will be completed and ready for June 2010) are worth every minute and every last drop of gas. The original Bandon Dunes (above) is still my favorite but Pacific Dunes usually appears higher in national magazine course rankings.

3. Kitsap Peninsula

It's perfectly possible to take a day trip to the peninsula, of course, but better to take a couple of days and play more golf. Gold Mountain (above) is the best municipal course in the state bar none and can be played, with a cart, for $37 on Sunday (with coupon). McCormick Woods ($45 on Monday) and Trophy Lake ($64) complete the trip, although Port Ludlow is worth an extension as is the financially-troubled White Horse which avoided being auctioned off in August by filing for Chapter 11.

4. Bend

Only six hours away this time, Bend is a golf-lover's paradise as it is home to what seems like an absurdly high number of great courses for a town of its size. Crosswater (above) at the Sunriver Resort, Tetherow and the Nicklaus Course at Pronghorn are my particular favorites, but the Meadows and Woodland courses at Sunriver, Aspen Lakes, Eagle Crest, Black Butte Ranch and Juniper also get very high marks.

5. Vancouver Island

I like to head to Victoria at least once a year. Like Bend, there just doesn't seem to be enough space, or a big enough population, to warrant the number of good golf courses here. The Vancouver Island Golf Trail makes booking trips easy and offers all the best courses including the Mountain (above) and Valley Courses at Bear Mountain and Olympic View both of which are within easy reach of British Columbia's capital city.

6. Blaine - Bellingham

Based on location, green fees, size and number of quality courses available to the public, Bellingham ranks very highly on a list of best places to play golf. The City's municipal course; Lake Padden, is a great trek through the forest and not surprisingly attracts well over 70,000 rounds a year. You might still get a game for Monday, but call now. If you can't get on at Lake Padden ($25 on Monday), a game at Shuksan (above) is always a fun alternative. One of my favorite courses in western Washington, Shuksan is neither long nor terribly difficult, just a lovely place to play especially when the sun is out and Mt Baker is on show. 20 miles north of Bellingham are the sister courses of Semiahmoo and Loomis Trail. Graham Cooke-designed Loomis Trail which hosted the Division II NCAA Championship in May is open to the public on Sunday (even numbered days), the Arnold Palmer-designed Semiahmoo on Monday (odd-numbered days).

7. Yakima/Tri-Cities/Walla Walla

Combining this area with a trip to Spokane, Pullman and Coeur d'Alene is do-able, but perhaps not practical this weekend. And anyway, there's sufficient courses down here to warrant their own trip. Canyon Lakes, Sun Willows, Columbia Point, Apple Tree and Horn Rapids are all very enjoyable, but no voyage to this part of the state is complete without a visit to the new Wine Valley GC (above) which opened in April. The beguiling Dan Hixson design rolls over the treeless Palouse and possesses huge, heavily-contoured greens that fit the landscape beautifully.

8. Central Washington

With the opening of Bear Mountain Ranch (above) a couple of years ago, the already decent Central Washington golf scene, got an awful lot better. There are a couple of kooky holes but on the whole, the course is great fun and the views over Lake Chelan absolutely fantastic. Desert Canyon, a few miles north of Orondo, has had its troubles in recent years but it is still a great course nonetheless, and the Links at Moses Pointe has a number of engaging holes plus wonderful greens. Wenatchee's Highlander has a friendly staff and great views over the Columbia River.

9. Okanagan Lake - Kelowna

You might assume the last two places on the list are just too far for a weekend's getaway, but a few clicks on Mapquest reveals they are, in fact, no further away than Bend. Kelowna, in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, is a six-hour drive away and awash with quality golf; Kelowna Springs, Gallaghers Canyon, Shadow Ridge, Sunset Ranch, The Okanagan Golf Club, Summerland, Spallumcheen, Harvest...the list goes on. The best of the bunch 27-hole Predator Ridge, is actually 20 miles north of town on the east side of the Lake. The original three nines were built by Les Furber, but one is currently being redeveloped by Doug Carrick who is also adding nine entirely new holes to form two 18-hole courses. The Rise (above), designed by Gene Bates with a little help from Seattle's very own Fred Couples, and located near Vernon 10 miles further north from Predator Ridge, is a blast - a bit demanding on the wallet at $115 but definitely worth a little extra spend. Don't forget your passport.

10. Kamloops

A valley east from Kelowna and only five and a half hours away is Kamloops, not the most attractive of towns certainly, but who cares about town-planning when it boasts such a fine collection of golf courses? Visit www.golfkamloops.com and you'll discover half a dozen highly acclaimed facilities - Graham Cooke's wonderful Talking Rock; the Robert Trent Jones-designed Rivershore; Sun Peaks which started with nine extraordinarily narrow holes but which now has a much more user-friendly, not to say visually appealing, back nine too; the exposed, sagebrush-covered Sun Rivers; and the surreal Tobiano (above) which was designed by Thomas McBroom and recently ranked by Score Golf Magazine as the best public course in British Columbia. Tobiano is one can't-wait-to-play-again hole after another. One round is just never enough. Again, don't forget your passport.