Courses in Seattle southern suburbs

texengr · October 16, 2023

My wife and I are relocating to the Seattle area to be closer to family. We are moving to Des Moines WA in a few months and I'm looking for golf course recommendations in that area. I just turned 73, am in good shape, usually walk 9 holes (but will do 18), and 200 yards is a long drive for me. Also, not looking for a golf/country club. I've looked on line at Foster, River Bend, and Auburn and they seem to be in line with what I'm looking for. Any suggestions or comments will be greatly appreciated.

Texhacker

(soon to be WAhacker?)

kaschreiber · October 16, 2023

Foster will fit the bill in terms of being a really easy, straight forward walk. It's a bit overpriced to me (I think I've paid ~$70 to walk there in the summer) and is really only playable during the summer. The front is largely down and back, but the back 9 has some character.
Riverbend and Auburn are both a step up from Foster. It's been a while since I've played either, but remember both to be walkable and challenging but not overly difficult.

Other courses to consider:

Northshore golf course is ~30 minutes south of Des Moines and I was really impressed the first time I played it for the price. It's not the easiest walk, but it's doable.

West Seattle is an ok course in the summer, although the closing stretch is pretty benign and not the easiest walk.

texengr · October 17, 2023

23 hours ago, kaschreiber said:

Foster will fit the bill in terms of being a really easy, straight forward walk. It's a bit overpriced to me (I think I've paid ~$70 to walk there in the summer) and is really only playable during the summer. The front is largely down and back, but the back 9 has some character.
Riverbend and Auburn are both a step up from Foster. It's been a while since I've played either, but remember both to be walkable and challenging but not overly difficult.

Other courses to consider:

Northshore golf course is ~30 minutes south of Des Moines and I was really impressed the first time I played it for the price. It's not the easiest walk, but it's doable.

West Seattle is an ok course in the summer, although the closing stretch is pretty benign and not the easiest walk.

Thanks for the reply, especially Foster since I was thinking it may be a good fit. I did like the North Shore website but I was focused on courses a little closer. I should probably expand my search.

kaschreiber · October 17, 2023

yeah - unfortunately Seattle as a whole, including the Des Moines area, is a bit of a public golf desert. Fortunately it seems like you aren't looking for anything fancy, but it Riverbend doesn't really fit the bill for you after the first time you check it out, you may need to expand to the 30-45 minute drive time.

joekelli · October 26, 2023

Hello, I am in town from Ohio and have the whole day to myself tomorrow (Friday Oct 27th). Staying at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel downtown.

Was hoping I could find someone to play with somewhere close to here. I will just need a course that has rental clubs. Let me know.

Thanks

Joe

somerset · November 22, 2023

Also moving to the Seattle area (likely Bellevue) next year. Are there any public courses that have organized weekend mens games? I'm a 0 handicap for reference and would love any suggestions for where to play. Thanks!

Fellow Competitor · November 26, 2023

On 10/17/2023 at 12:52 PM, texengr said:

Thanks for the reply, especially Foster since I was thinking it may be a good fit. I did like the North Shore website but I was focused on courses a little closer. I should probably expand my search.

You might want to consider Lake Wilderness in Maple Valley. It's a pretty easy walk, a little more difficult than Foster, maybe in a little worse shape but the price is right.

CMCSGolf · November 27, 2023

On 11/22/2023 at 10:25 AM, somerset said:

Also moving to the Seattle area (likely Bellevue) next year. Are there any public courses that have organized weekend mens games? I'm a 0 handicap for reference and would love any suggestions for where to play. Thanks!

I believe all of the city courses have men's leagues (I played at Jackson Park and competed against Jefferson). I know Bellevue is also a city course, but I can't remember them being part of the Ryder Cup style game with Jackson, Jefferson, and West Seattle. Long way of saying, I bet Bellevue has a group. However, from my experience there were not too many sticks. But it was organized and decent (net) competition so I enjoyed my time there.