Bend, Oregon: Golf Trip Guide

Every Pacific Northwest golfer eventually learns the same trick: when the west side is still soggy, drive east over the mountains. On the dry side of the Cascades, Bend offers lava rock, ponderosa pine and juniper, firm fairways, and a ball that flies a little farther in the thin high-desert air. Within half an hour of downtown you can play a David McLay Kidd fescue links that will humble a single-digit handicap, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course built around ancient lava flows, and a tight, tree-lined local favorite on the road to Mt. Bachelor.

Then there's everything else. On a summer afternoon you can float the Deschutes River through town in an inner tube, climb out at Drake Park, and walk to dinner downtown. After that there's a brewery scene deep enough that the city built a passport program around it. Bend is about three hours from Portland and a long but worthwhile drive from Seattle, and it's built for a three-day buddy trip. Here's how to do it right.

Where to Play

Tetherow: Bend, OR

The toughest round in Bend, in our book.

If you played Gamble Sands on our Lake Chelan trip, you already know David McLay Kidd. Tetherow is his course in Bend, opened in 2008, and it's the closest thing to Scottish links golf you'll find in the high desert. Where Gamble Sands is built to be fun, Tetherow is built to test you. The fescue plays firm and fast, the bunkers are deep and everywhere, and the greens have enough movement that a well-struck approach can still leave you putting off the surface. At about 7,300 yards from the tips and almost 4,000 feet of elevation, it gives you some extra distance, then makes you pay for every loose shot.

Our advice: play the right tees, keep the ball on the ground when you can, and bring more balls than you think you'll need. Caddies are available, and on a first visit one is worth every dollar. Tetherow is just seven minutes from downtown, which matters on the day you're also floating the river.

After the round, The Row is the clubhouse pub, with 30-plus beers, TVs, and food all day. You'll have earned it.

Green fees: Roughly $150–$245 depending on season and whether you're staying on property. Carts are included.

Season: About April through October.

Pronghorn (Jack Nicklaus Signature Course): Bend, OR

The showpiece. Book it early.

Pronghorn started life as a fully private club. Its Nicklaus course is now open to public play, and it's the best-looking round of the trip. It's the only Jack Nicklaus Signature course in Oregon, opened in 2004 and routed across high desert. Lava rock ridges frame the holes, gnarled junipers stand guard, and the Cascades fill the western horizon. It plays firm and fast, the greens are pure, and from the back tees it stretches to 7,379 yards.

The stretch from 12 through 15 is where the course really shows off. The par-4 13th wraps around a lake with a rock face and waterfall behind the green, the kind of hole the group chat will still be talking about at dinner. Golf Digest has ranked the Nicklaus course among America's 100 Greatest Public Courses, and in our view that's fair.

Green fees: Expect roughly $125–$300+ depending on season and whether you're staying on property.

Drive: About 20–30 minutes northeast of downtown Bend.

Widgi Creek Golf Club: Bend, OR

Tight, tree-lined, and the best value of the trip.

Widgi Creek sits along Century Drive, the road up to Mt. Bachelor, about 10 minutes southwest of downtown. Robert Muir Graves designed it in 1991, and while it's only 6,911 yards, don't let that fool you. Tall pines line nearly every fairway, the corridors are narrow, and a lot of the doglegs punish anyone who tries to cut the corner. The longest hitter in your group may have the hardest day here. Accuracy matters far more than distance, and a fairway wood or long iron off the tee will often score better than a driver.

It's a well-kept, honest test at a fraction of what the resort tracks charge, which makes it ideal for an arrival afternoon or a getaway morning before the drive home.

Season: Roughly March through October.

Aspen Lakes Golf Course: Sisters, OR

Red cinder bunkers you won't see anywhere else.

Just outside Sisters, Aspen Lakes is the most visually distinctive round in Central Oregon. William Overdorf designed it, opening the first nine in 1997, and the course is known for its bunkers, which are filled with red volcanic cinder instead of sand. It's coarser and heavier than normal sand, so expect a learning curve the first time you're in one. Beyond the bunkers you get 7,302 yards lined with ponderosa pines, water on about half the holes, and quick greens with subtle breaks.

Black Butte Ranch: near Sisters, OR

Two classic courses with Black Butte looming overhead.

About 30 miles northwest of Bend and just past Aspen Lakes, Black Butte Ranch has two 18-hole courses set among pines and meadows below a perfectly conical volcano. Big Meadow is the Robert Muir Graves original from 1972. Glaze Meadow was redesigned by John Fought, whose brother Jeff runs golf at the ranch. Both are relaxed, scenic, and easy on the wallet compared with the Bend headliners. Pair them with Aspen Lakes and you have a full Sisters day.

Green fees: 2026 resort-guest rates were $80 in spring and fall and $100–$110 in summer.

Brasada Canyons at Brasada Ranch: Powell Butte, OR

Resort guests only. Worth the night if you can swing it.

Brasada Canyons is open only to members and people staying at Brasada Ranch, a former cattle ranch on the slopes of Powell Butte, about 25–30 minutes northeast of Bend. Peter Jacobsen and Jim Hardy designed it in 2007. The course climbs from about 3,300 feet to just over 4,000, no two holes run parallel, and the Cascade views are some of the best in Central Oregon. If you add a fourth night to the trip, spend it here.

Sunriver Resort: Sunriver, OR

Resort guests only. Three championship courses about 20 minutes south.

Since 2024, all of Sunriver's courses have been private, open only to resort guests and members. That includes Meadows (John Fought), Woodlands (Robert Trent Jones Jr.), and Crosswater (Bob Cupp), where the Deschutes and Little Deschutes rivers can come into play up to seven times in a round. If Sunriver is your base, guest packages give you unlimited Meadows and Woodlands, and some packages add a round at Crosswater. The USGA is also bringing the U.S. Adaptive Open to Sunriver in 2027 and 2028.

Where to Stay

Tetherow Resort: The pick if you want to roll out of bed and onto the first tee. Tetherow has 50 rooms in The Lodges plus vacation homes for bigger groups, The Row is downstairs, and downtown is seven minutes away.

Juniper Preserve: Formerly Pronghorn Resort, it sits on 640 acres of juniper forest, with more than 100 rooms and suites in Juniper Lodge plus a spa and pools. Stay here if Pronghorn is your anchor round, and ask about packages that include the Fazio course.

Brasada Ranch: The only way onto Brasada Canyons. It's quieter, more remote, and very much a ranch, with a spa, pools, and on-site restaurants.

Sunriver Resort: Choose Sunriver if your group wants 54 holes in one place and doesn't mind driving 20 minutes into Bend for dinner. Bikes and river access make it a strong pick for mixed groups.

Riverhouse Lodge: A big, recently renovated hotel right on the Deschutes, a few minutes' drive from downtown and the Old Mill District. It has bunk-bed rooms, which are hard to find and great for splitting costs on a buddy trip. There's also an on-site restaurant with river views, and you can walk out the door onto the river trail.

McMenamins Old St. Francis School: A 1936 Catholic schoolhouse turned into a hotel in the middle of downtown. The classrooms are now guest rooms, and the property has its own brewery and pub, a movie theater, a hidden bar, and a heated soaking pool. It puts you right on the Ale Trail, so nobody has to drive at night.

If none of these fit, a vacation rental close to downtown is a solid move for bigger groups.

Where to Eat

Pine Tavern: Bend's oldest restaurant, open since 1936, with ponderosa pines growing up through the dining room and a patio overlooking Mirror Pond. Reservations are suggested, especially for patio seats in summer.

Roam: The restaurant at The Oxford Hotel downtown, serving modern American food with Pacific Northwest and global influences, plus creative cocktails. It's a short walk from Drake Park, which makes it a perfect dinner after the float. Book ahead.

Deschutes Brewery Bend Public House: The original pub on Bond Street, pouring since 1988, and the natural first stamp on your Ale Trail passport.

Silver Moon Brewing: Bend's third-oldest brewery, brewing since 2000, with a big patio, a rotating lineup of food trucks, and regular live music. It's a good second stop after Deschutes.

The Podski: A food cart pod on the west side near the Box Factory, with a taproom and a deep bench of trucks. It's the easy answer when half the group wants tacos and the other half wants something else entirely.

On Tap: One of Bend's largest food cart lots, on the east side with a view of Pilot Butte. It has a huge tap list, lawn games, and space for a big crew to spread out.

McKay Cottage: The breakfast move, served in a converted cottage. Get there early on weekends.

While You're There

Float the Deschutes: This is Bend's signature summer afternoon, and the trip isn't complete without it. Park at the Park & Float lot on Simpson Avenue, across from The Pavilion. Rent tubes and grab a free life jacket from Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe, then take the Ride the River shuttle up to Riverbend Park in the Old Mill District. From there, drift downstream to Drake Park. Expect about two hours from parking lot to parking lot. At the Bend Whitewater Park, stay left for the floaters' passageway, a short series of small drops you can ride through or walk around. The right channel is for surfers and kayakers, and that's not you. The shuttle runs in summer, roughly mid-June through Labor Day.

Breweries and the Bend Ale Trail: Visit Bend's passport program covers breweries across town, with an app or a paper passport from the downtown visitor center. Collect enough stamps and you earn a prize. Start at Deschutes Public House, designate a driver, or stay downtown and walk.

Smith Rock State Park: About 30 minutes north, Smith Rock is a world-famous climbing destination with big hiking views along the Crooked River. It works well as a morning outing on a non-golf day.

Old Mill District: Shops, restaurants and riverside paths right by the float put-in.

Tumalo Falls: A 97-foot waterfall west of town, and an easy add-on before or after Widgi Creek.

The Trip

For a first Bend golf trip, keep it simple. Stay at Tetherow Resort or a hotel or rental close to town.

• Day 1: Play Tetherow in the morning, float the Deschutes in the afternoon, then walk from Drake Park to dinner at Roam.

• Day 2: Play Pronghorn's Nicklaus course, then start the Ale Trail at Deschutes Public House.

• Day 3: Have breakfast at McKay Cottage, then play Widgi Creek on your way out of town.

If the group can stretch to four nights, add a Sisters day at Aspen Lakes and Black Butte Ranch, or spend a night at Brasada Ranch or Sunriver to unlock their courses.

Getting there: Bend is about 3 hours from Portland, roughly 5 hours 45 minutes from Seattle, around 5–6 hours from Boise, and about 6.5 hours from Spokane. Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM) is about 25–30 minutes from town.

When to go: Courses generally open in March or April and close by early November. Mid-May through September is the sweet spot. Spring and fall bring cold mornings, so expect frost delays on early tee times. Late summer can bring wildfire smoke, so check air quality before you go. Summer weekends fill fast, so book tee times and lodging at least two months out.

If Bend sold you on east-of-the-Cascades golf, our Lake Chelan guide is next on the list. Sign up for the Northwest Links newsletter to get every new trip guide before it hits Instagram.