Pumpkin Ridge

Ghost Creek is the public course at Pumpkin Ridge in North Plains, Oregon – just a bit outside of Portland. While it’s not too far from Portland, you get to take a nice drive through the country past apple orchards and blueberry farms. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city lowered my blood pressure and slowed my breathing. When we pulled into the parking lot, I already felt relaxed and ready to have a good round.

Ghost Creek comes with a pedigree; it’s hosted a couple of Nike tour championships in the 90s and for a few years was the site of the LPGA Safeway Classic. The pedigree comes with a price to match. We paid about $150 a piece to play on a beautiful hot Sunday in June, but it was well worth it. The greens fee includes all the range balls you can hit at a beautiful practice area with grass tees, a chipping area with a deep bunker, and a large practice green with plenty of slope to get you ready for the round. The course was in wonderful shape with well-manicured fairways and greens that rolled true. The bunkers had plenty of sand and were pebble free – believe me, I know, I was in several of them.

One the first tee, we let the starter know that we had not played here before, and what he told us made a huge difference in our round. He let us know that the vast majority of the greens sloped from front to back, and that going over many of the greens was a sure way to write down a big number. Was he ever right! Keep your approach shots short of the hole and you’ll be in good shape. Long on most holes runs down a hill behind the green and you’ll find yourself with a chip up a hill onto a green that runs downhill away from you.

As the round got underway, I felt spoiled playing at such a well-cared for course. On the third tee, I realized I had not seen any water and wondered why the course was called Ghost Creek. On the par 3 5th hole the creek makes its first appearance. It runs across the middle of the hole, but isn’t in play unless you hit a really poor shot. It rears its head on the 6th, running all the way down the right side of the fairway. With a steep drop off and bunkers down the left side, a good tee shot is crucial. It comes into play after that on many holes, so make sure you know where it is before your tee shot. The course does not have the biggest greens, so approach shots offer an additional challenge. Both the 9th and 18th holes could be considered signature holes – the 9th with water to the left of the green and the 18th with water to the right of the green.

I really enjoyed my round a Ghost Creek and can’t recommend it enough. It’s provided me a peaceful, quiet round out in nature and also a real challenge. Next time I’m down in the Portland area I’ll make sure to carve out some time for a return trip. You should do the same, you won’t regret it.