Western Washington Golf Courses: Willows Run

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On a recent sunny trip to Western Washington I had the opportunity to take out the old golf clubs and play a round at one of my favorite sets of moderately priced links around Seattle, Willows Run . Composed of a pair of championship 18-hole courses, a 9-hole executive course and even a well-manicured mini-golf course, this gorgeously verdant facility offers a wealth of opportunities to dust off every club in the bag.

I really like Willows not only for the meticulously groomed fairways and greens, but also the little details that put it a cut above a lot of courses in this price range ($43 weekday, $56 weekend walking, with a generous $26 discounted weekday rate for seniors, ladies and juniors during the week): carts equipped with GPS systems, a nice practice facility, and really tasty food at the clubhouse.

Willows wends its way through a serene section of the Sammamish River Valley. Both long courses offer a combination of challenges in which water plays a vital part and well-placed bunkers further complicate strategy. Its features are defined by the wispy reeds and grasses that collect around the rough and out-of-bounds areas, which punish nasty slices and hooks mightily. Bring a ball retriever and you might have a better shot of breaking even in the balls-lost to balls-found ratio.

I played my latest round at Eagle’s Talon, a tricky but fun course which offers a number of golf puzzles that had me asking that age-old question, “Should I lay-up or go for it?” I learned my lesson the last time I played at Willows, choosing this time to play the conservative route. My score and my collection of balls thanked me for it.