A well-rounded challenge

This long, tough and scenic course, which was designed by John Steidel, opened in 1980 and has since become one of the most popular in the region, playing host to 50,000-plus rounds per year.

The course, located just east of Highway 395 in Kennewick, was given a four-star rating by Golf Digest and boasts a resort-like character that is enhanced by its massive, well-conditioned greens that are easy to hit but difficult to read.

“The greens are, by far, the biggest topic of conversation – both their size, and their undulation,” said head professional Matt Mandell. “We have 18 unique holes here, and I don’t think people really view us as a public course anymore.

“They think of us more as a resort course, but with more rounds. That’s the biggest difference.”

Along with its memorable greens, which include the 12,000 square-foot 12th – the largest in the Pacific Northwest – Canyon Lakes offers dramatic elevation changes and sweeping vistas from nearly every tee box.

The course winds through what was once desert scabland and between hordes of houses that have been constructed since its opening. Most of wide, inviting fairways are lined by massive and well-positioned white-sand bunkers.

Among Canyon Lake’s best holes are the 527-yard, par-5 ninth, which doglegs slightly uphill to an elevated and severely undulated green that is protected in front by water and in the rear by sand. It was selected by Golf Northwest as one of the state’s 18 “Dream Holes.”

Golfer will also confront one of the most challenging greens in the region on the 8th hole, a 420-yard, par-4 that features another enormous putting surface with three distinct tiers.

According to Mandell, one first-time visitor came in after playing the course and asked, “Where did you get the elephants you buried on the eighth green out there?”

Still, everything about Canyon Lakes is first-rate and straightforward, offering, perhaps, the most pleasant golf experience in the region.