Course Source: Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek), North Plains, Ore

Course Source: Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek), North Plains, Ore









Derek Harper, The Sports Xchange July 2, 2013 8:00 PMThe SportsXchange


COURSE SOURCE



THE LAYOUT: Pumpkin Ridge opened in 1992 to great acclaim, with Ghost Creek named the top new public course in the nation by Golf Digest, and Witch Hollow the No. 2 new private course.



Designed by Bob Cupp, the goal was to give Pumpkin Ridge the feel of playing golf in England and Scotland. While there isn't a slew of hazard trouble, the rough is dense, fescue lurks not far from many fairways, most holes have subtle elevation or directional changes and the sloping greens are fast and challenging.



What makes Ghost Creek arguably the best public experience in the greater Portland area is Cupp's design. He did an excellent job of creating a unique experience on nearly every hole, with Ghost Creek featuring a fun mix of long holes with narrow fairways, shorter holes with well-placed bunkers, weaving creeks into the layout, carving par-5s around tree-lined fairways and leaving enough getable holes to card a few birdies.



Bottom line, Pumpkin Ridge is a must-play when in the Portland area. Cupp's design is unique, challenging without being brutal and you'll rarely run into other groups while weaving your way through the property. It's still rated the No. 63 public course in the nation in 2013 by Golf Digest, which said playing host to a major PGA tournament is within the course's grasp.




LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: If you can keep the ball in the fairway, you can post a solid score at Ghost Creek. The fairways are kept in pristine condition and the greens roll extremely true - albeit with a good amount of tilt to many, rewarding those who can leave uphill putts.



The flavor of Cupp's design really begins to show itself on the short 158-yard par-3 third hole. It plays short to a large green - which has a massive tier that can easily turn a birdie opportunity into a potential bogey with a poor club selection.



Another distinctive hole on the front nine is the short 366-yard par-4 sixth. A straight drive is rewarded with a short iron to the green, but anything left is likely jailed in the trees and a creek runs down the right. It's not a bad idea to hit a hybrid off the tee, take a lot of the trouble out of play and take your chances with a little longer approach.



The back nine kicks off with one of the true risk/reward holes on the course. At 474 from the blues and 453 from the whites, it's a very reachable par-5. But beware of rolling mounds to the right and fescue to the left off the tee. Find those, and you must navigate a creek that crosses the fairway about 150 yards in front of the green and then turns up the left-hand side, making layups out of poor lies dicey.



Another one of our favorites was the closing 428-yard par-4 18th. There is ample area to land your drive, but hugging the left side provides far more room to work with on the approach. Anything to the right side requires a full carry over water to a green that is narrowest when approaching from that angle. However, aim left off the tee and there is a large tree that must be avoided - we found it twice in a 36-hole day. Eighteen is the second-longest par-4 on the course and the No. 4 handicap for a reason - it takes two well-struck and well-placed shots in order to head to the 19th hole with a very satisfying par.



The Great Blue Course at Heron Lakes north of the city features greens fees more common of a nice muni while boasting a challenging layout that many golfers in the Northwest believe is a must-play when in the area.