Portland golf climate

[3_Jack_Par]

Apologies if this has been covered before -- I did a search and didn't find anything that covered this specific topic.

 

Can you give me a general idea of the weather conditions at different times of the year in the Portland area, and how that affects the condition of the courses in the area? As I understand it, it is generally playable year-round, but are there times of the year when it's pretty crazy to be out there? Do any courses shut down for part of the year? I know it rains a lot, but does that mean that you're dealing with soggy courses all the time, or do they all drain pretty well?

 

Thanks for any info!

[DFinch]

Most courses are very soggy a lot, if not most, of the year. Prime time for dry conditions is June to August. March/April/May is very hit and miss and the last three years have been extra wet. We started the tournament season in April last year and the opener at Pumpkin Ridge was borderline unplayable. It's been a little less wet this year so courses are starting to recover but you'll still end up with muddy pant legs. The soil here tends to be very clay-like and courses battle drainage issues.

The driest local course is Stone Creek in Oregon City. It's known for good drainage. I played it two weeks ago and it was in very good shape, especially compared to other local courses. The driest course on the west side is Quail Valley and it's still very soft right now. We've had a stretch of dry days and if we can avoid the heavy rains we'll be okay by next month.

[mallrat]

I'd say the Reserve North Course is the drier than Quail Valley (played both in the last 3 weeks and a member at Reserve).

You can play year round but have some good rain gear. Late Nov. - early Feb. you are looking at playing in the 30's and 40's most days. Courses really only close down when it snows.

[3_Jack_Par]

[quote name='mallrat' timestamp='1363198361' post='6605163']
I'd say the Reserve North Course is the drier than Quail Valley (played both in the last 3 weeks and a member at Reserve).

You can play year round but have some good rain gear. Late Nov. - early Feb. you are looking at playing in the 30's and 40's most days. Courses really only close down when it snows.
[/quote]
You guys hardly ever get thunderstorms, right?

[DFinch]

Thunderstorms are very rare. Drizzling rain that doesn't stop for months is much more common.

When the sun comes out, this place is beautiful.

[mallrat]

Yeah just rain. I'd say we get thunder 5 times a year at most.

[3_Jack_Par]

[quote name='DFinch' timestamp='1363199710' post='6605309']
Thunderstorms are very rare. Drizzling rain that doesn't stop for months is much more common.

[/quote]
That stuff isn't that bad to play in, as long as you have some good rain gear and rain gloves, right? Are the bunkers filled with water for half the year?

[VinceFurnier]

September is my favorite month to play. Weather is perfect and the courses seem less crowded. November -December are usually rotten. January-February has some dry spells but usually under 40*. March-April are usually really wet. June can be a crap shoot. The joke around here is summer starts July 5th. Overall it's a great climate for golf.

[3_Jack_Par]

[quote name='VinceFurnier' timestamp='1363201833' post='6605537']
September is my favorite month to play. Weather is perfect and the courses seem less crowded. November -December are usually rotten. January-February has some dry spells but usually under 40*. March-April are usually really wet. June can be a crap shoot. The joke around here is summer starts July 5th. Overall it's a great climate for golf.
[/quote]
Sounds kind of like Scotland, but with better beer and worse whisky!

[VinceFurnier]

[quote name='3 Jack Par' timestamp='1363202229' post='6605603']
[quote name='VinceFurnier' timestamp='1363201833' post='6605537']
September is my favorite month to play. Weather is perfect and the courses seem less crowded. November -December are usually rotten. January-February has some dry spells but usually under 40*. March-April are usually really wet. June can be a crap shoot. The joke around here is summer starts July 5th. Overall it's a great climate for golf.
[/quote]
Sounds kind of like Scotland, but with better beer and worse whisky!
[/quote]

Better food, and hotter women too.

[3_Jack_Par]

[quote name='VinceFurnier' timestamp='1363202489' post='6605639']
[quote name='3 Jack Par' timestamp='1363202229' post='6605603']
[quote name='VinceFurnier' timestamp='1363201833' post='6605537']
September is my favorite month to play. Weather is perfect and the courses seem less crowded. November -December are usually rotten. January-February has some dry spells but usually under 40*. March-April are usually really wet. June can be a crap shoot. The joke around here is summer starts July 5th. Overall it's a great climate for golf.
[/quote]
Sounds kind of like Scotland, but with better beer and worse whisky!
[/quote]

Better food, and hotter women too.
[/quote]
Not exactly the highest bar to jump over there, at least when it comes to the women.

[DFinch]

[quote name='3 Jack Par' timestamp='1363200391' post='6605375']
[quote name='DFinch' timestamp='1363199710' post='6605309']
Thunderstorms are very rare. Drizzling rain that doesn't stop for months is much more common.

[/quote]
That stuff isn't that bad to play in, as long as you have some good rain gear and rain gloves, right? Are the bunkers filled with water for half the year?
[/quote]

The rain isn't the issue, it's losing balls in the fairway from plugging and trudging through ankle deep mud.

Bunkers aren't flooded half the year, but they are during the worst months.

[DeNinny]

To play in the worst rain conditions here you must have good mudder shoes (Nike Bandons are the best) in addition to the typical umbrella and jacket and rain gloves and pants. Don't cut corners when it comes to rain gear. They will get used to their full extent and shoes are the most important. I will play in the absolute wettest conditions but that is only because I have a membership at a club and I look at it like good practice for tournaments in the rain. Only the die hards come out when it is that wet.

There may be snow for about a week at the peak of winter which shuts everything down, but other than that you can play year round. I would guess you get about 1 month total for frost delays which means either delayed tee times or temporary greens. The interesting thing is that when it is clear skies in the winter, it is usually the coldest and when you get the frost delays. When it is wet, cold, and windy in the winter your golf mettle will be tested to the max. You'll have to decide how bad you are jonesing to golf.

In the summer, the winds will kick up to 10-20 mph in the evenings on the west side of town. Courses like Quail Valley, Pumpkin, Rock Creek (my home course) get these winds often during this time. Also the temp may exceed 100 F for about a week but not usually any longer.

That's about the extreme ends of it. I like the variety myself.

[mallrat]

One other thing is you truly find out about your golf game.

We generally have mild temperatures, wetter fairways and are at sea level. So you aren't seeing 300+ yard drives and 7 iron carry 220.

[Tylanthus]

I don't know why there is so much about the rain... don't forget about our summers!

July through early October are literally ~65-85 degrees and not a cloud in the sky for 95% of that 4-4.5 month stretch. Not a soggy course in the area during the summer months...

[3_Jack_Par]

[quote name='Tylanthus' timestamp='1363369892' post='6617835']
I don't know why there is so much about the rain... don't forget about our summers!

July through early October are literally ~65-85 degrees and not a cloud in the sky for 95% of that 4-4.5 month stretch. Not a soggy course in the area during the summer months...
[/quote]
It sounds pretty awesome to me. I'd love to live somewhere that I could play basically year-round, but isn't brutally hot in the summer (FL, TX, AZ) or obscenely expensive cost of living(CA). Plus, I wouldn't be too excited about poisonous snakes or gators, as sideways as I sometimes hit it. It's been a long winter here.

[DeNinny]

If you are from someplace with worse winters you will adjust fine here. If you come just make sure to tell everyone else that it sucks here and rains way too much. Overemphasize it.

[trapp20]

[quote name='DeNinny' timestamp='1363223336' post='6607791']
To play in the worst rain conditions here you must have good mudder shoes (Nike Bandons are the best) in addition to the typical umbrella and jacket and rain gloves and pants. Don't cut corners when it comes to rain gear.
[/quote]

+1, if you have this setup you're golden.

Now, down to "living here", personally, I hate it because of the weather and the hipsters and generally I just hate Oregon, but I'm stuck here for a bit longer. The golf is pretty good a few months out of the year if you're comparing it to NoCal/SoCal courses, and honestly, we have some killer tracks - it's just that damn weather that does what it wants, when it wants and likes to involve rain.

My recommendation for courses around here, as a year-round golfer, would be The Reserve (North is my favorite, South greens can flood), Langdon, Mt. View (The value in this course is unheard of, especially if you book on GolfNow), StoneCreek (watch for the typical 6 hour round), and Ghost Creek. There's a few up in SW Washington worth a look too. What I like shouldn't really matter though, since you asked about weather, but we have some great courses that regardless of weather manage to hold up - if you don't mind plugged lies and lift, clean, replace into early May and steady backups on sunny days regardless of it being a Tuesday (low unemployment anyone?)

[FlyFish]

Portland is basically eight months of miserable rainy season with four months of paradise on Earth. Also, if you suffer from seasonal affective disorder at all, the Pacific Northwest will not be optimal for you (seriously).

The Portland area economy is poor with depressed wages but still has a relatively high cost of living. Like trapp20 said, that sure hasn't stopped hordes of broke hipsters (who contribute nothing to the economy) from flocking to the place and making their mark on local politics. Almost one quarter of Oregon's population is on government assistance. Make sure that you have a job lined up before moving out there (which easier said than done).

Most courses are usually soggy during the rainy season, but some of the newer courses have superior drainage. Those courses include Stone Creek, Langdon Farms, The Reserve and The OGA.

Most of the driving ranges are mats, but there are a few public places that open up grass practice tees in the summer (Heron Lakes, Landgon Farms and Tualatin Island Greens). The other public courses that have grass practice tees usually require you to play there.

The big plus for golfers in the area is the proximity to world-class golf at Bandon Dunes (5 hour drive) and Bend/Sunriver (3.5 hour drive).

[Golfer2334]

Ive lived in Portland for a while now and what I have noticed more than the rain is the grey cloud cover. A lot of days it might not rain, but is so dark from the cloud cover from what I am assuming is the mountains. I played Columbia Edgewater last week and it was pretty wet in some areas, but overall looking really good. I think my favorite public course here has to be Langdon Farms, but also enjoy the Reserve. If you want great weather and a great course check out Brasada in Bend, about 4 hours from Portland. Awesome track and great lodging if you decide to stay the night.

[trapp20]

[quote name='FlyFish' timestamp='1367470633' post='6955763']
Portland is basically eight months of miserable rainy season with four months of paradise on Earth. Also, if you suffer from seasonal affective disorder at all, the Pacific Northwest will not be optimal for you (seriously).
[/quote]



BAHAHAHAHHAA!

I thought for sure I'd get some complaints on my view of the PNW, but having lived here (and in Alaska) most of my 35 years I feel qualified to at least state mine. Aside from 4 - 5 months, it's very depressing weather. Not so much because it's raining, or cloudy, but because you literally can't count on anything! 3 day forecast? Guessing is almost as accurate, just make sure to include rain and pack a rain suit to insure it doesn't

As Flyfish and Golfer pointed out, the weather blows most of the time. You really can't avoid the hipsters in the city and the chronically unemployed on the golf course - but it can still be pretty cool in the nicer months, and contrary to the weather, you really can golf all year.

My suggestion: Keep an eye on Bend, you have great tracks and you avoid all of the ironically-challenged hipsters and "save the baby fir tree" clipboard holders. The only downside is the unemployment rate is incredibly high everywhere, and if you don't have a job lined up - you won't get one in Bend. If I had it to do again and I could only choose to live in Oregon, I'd choose Bend.

Grass Tees: I wanted to add The Reserve, Langdon, Pumpkin Ridge, Stone Creek & Camas Meadows (Vancouver area) to the list. In the summer months you have the option to hit off grass. Though you'll want to call ahead and see if they're doing that.

[sunningotter]

[quote name='3 Jack Par' timestamp='1363203947' post='6605795']
[quote name='VinceFurnier' timestamp='1363202489' post='6605639']
[quote name='3 Jack Par' timestamp='1363202229' post='6605603']
[quote name='VinceFurnier' timestamp='1363201833' post='6605537']
September is my favorite month to play. Weather is perfect and the courses seem less crowded. November -December are usually rotten. January-February has some dry spells but usually under 40*. March-April are usually really wet. June can be a crap shoot. The joke around here is summer starts July 5th. Overall it's a great climate for golf.
[/quote]
Sounds kind of like Scotland, but with better beer and worse whisky!
[/quote]

Better food, and hotter women too.
[/quote]
Not exactly the highest bar to jump over there, at least when it comes to the women.
[/quote]
Check out distillery row; we're getting better at the whiskey...

[Playaway]

[quote name='3 Jack Par' timestamp='1363202229' post='6605603']
[quote name='VinceFurnier' timestamp='1363201833' post='6605537']
September is my favorite month to play. Weather is perfect and the courses seem less crowded. November -December are usually rotten. January-February has some dry spells but usually under 40*. March-April are usually really wet. June can be a crap shoot. The joke around here is summer starts July 5th. Overall it's a great climate for golf.
[/quote]
Sounds kind of like Scotland, but with better beer and worse whisky!
[/quote]

Similar to Scotland only in terms of rain. Scotland courses, at least the links courses drain very well. Around Portland you get this little misty rain that goes on for hours and everything stays wet.

During the winter, I hang my duck hunting jacket in the barn and it will not dry.

Every course is pretty much all plug from November thru March. You think it can't be that bad so you go out and try it and every shot, splat, plug.

Might be better to be in a snow area because at least you will not be tempted to play. It is not really golf in the winter in Portland. You must "pick" every shot, cannot hit down into that muck; it's like hitting a shot out of casual water.

Some guys will play in this stuff, I won't. Course, I've got better things to do in the winter. Duck hunting is pretty good if you know where to go and what to do.

[FlyFish]

[quote name='Playaway' timestamp='1372202900' post='7323848']
Might be better to be in a snow area because at least you will not be tempted to play. It is not really golf in the winter in Portland. You must "pick" every shot, cannot hit down into that muck; it's like hitting a shot out of casual water.
[/quote]

Yep, I've gotten mud in the mouth more than once hitting off of a questionable lie in the winter. You can still play on some of the rare dry days in February - it's just lift, clean and place and you don't bother playing premium balls.

[DJFRY5]

This fall has been great for golf in the Northwest. I've gotten a round in every week for the past 2 months and they've all been good. Yesterday was a little wet, but this has best October/early November for golf that I can remember. Honestly, a little rain or cold keeps the crowds away any how. I'll trade less than perfect conditions for great pace of play.

[TheGeekGolfer]

[quote name='DJFRY5' timestamp='1384209062' post='8133422']
This fall has been great for golf in the Northwest. I've gotten a round in every week for the past 2 months and they've all been good. Yesterday was a little wet, but this has best October/early November for golf that I can remember. Honestly, a little rain or cold keeps the crowds away any how. I'll trade less than perfect conditions for great pace of play.
[/quote]Yes, this was the best October I can ever remember in my 15 years living on the West side of the range in the great PNW. November has had a some playable days, as well.

ps - Go Cougs! (1990 grad)

[DJFRY5]

[quote name='TheGeekGolfer' timestamp='1384219915' post='8134438']
[quote name='DJFRY5' timestamp='1384209062' post='8133422']
This fall has been great for golf in the Northwest. I've gotten a round in every week for the past 2 months and they've all been good. Yesterday was a little wet, but this has best October/early November for golf that I can remember. Honestly, a little rain or cold keeps the crowds away any how. I'll trade less than perfect conditions for great pace of play.
[/quote]Yes, this was the best October I can ever remember in my 15 years living on the West side of the range in the great PNW. November has had a some playable days, as well.

ps - Go Cougs! (1990 grad)
[/quote]

November has, I've played twice and it's still worth playing. Every week I say "this is our last decent round of the year", hopefully I'll continue to be wrong about that.

GO COUGS!!! (05 Grad)