From windswept links on the Oregon coast to desert sand courses above the Columbia River, the Northwest has some of the best buddy-trip golf in the country. Here's our countdown of the eight best places to plan your next golf trip. 8. Suncadia, Washington A mountain resort escape in Cle Elum, about 90 minutes from Seattle. Two strong courses and a lodge setting make it an easy weekend trip. Prospector – Arnold Palmer design with big Cascade views Rope Rider – Peter Jacobsen a

Fall in the Willamette Valley means one thing for golfers: gorgeous, mild days perfect for a round... right up until you walk onto a green that looks like it lost a fight with a rototiller. Yep, it's aerification season again for Portland-area courses. Why Courses Aerate Aerification is the process where course crews pull small plugs of soil and turf out of the greens, leaving a field of holes that can throw off your putts for a bit. It looks brutal, but it's one of the most

If you golf around the Treasure Valley, you already know the drill: greens are rolling perfect, you're feeling good about your putting for once, and then you show up one day to find the entire surface looks like it survived a hailstorm. That's aerification, and out here in Boise's high desert climate, it runs on its own calendar — spread across summer and into fall rather than crammed into one short fall window like you'll see on the wetter side of the Cascades. Why Courses d