Sahalee Country Club
Sahalee Country Club — North/South
21200 NE Sahalee Country Club Drive
Sammamish, WA 98074
Black Tees: 6,955-yards/Par 72
Rating 74.2/Slope 139
Sahalee Country Club’s North and South nine’s are ranked first in the state of Washington by Golf Digest Magazine, have played host to the 1998 PGA Championship and the 2003 NEC World Cup, and will serve as future host to the 2010 U.S. Senior Open. Golf courses don’t rack up pedigree like that without merit. One trip aound the North and South’s uniquely narrow and difficult, but beautifully maintained and operated fairways, and one can see why Sahalee consistently earns the top rankings and plays host to major championships.
Having played a recent U.S. Senior Open site at the Broadmoor East golf course in Colorado Springs, Colo., I can attest that Sahalee is more difficult than the East Course. From tee-to-green the Broadmoor is generous, letting its severe greens provide the drama, but at Sahalee the difficulty begins on each tee box and is extended until the ball is actually in the hole.
Facing alleyways of trees on each tee, the margin for error at Sahalee is slim. Fortunately, finding your ball in the nicely manicured forest is fairly easy, but then, it really only gives you a dim look at a shot so far in jail you might have to punch out backwards to get it back in the fairway. And once in the fairway at Sahalee, there’s no guarantee of a clear shot to the green, which is usually protected by deep bunkers and deep rough.
Getting the ball in the hole at Sahalee is another challenge. Standing over a 15-foot, downhill putt with an awkward, left-to-right break, for par, or bogey, or worse, is where the teeth of each hole on the North and South nine’s strike their death blows. Typically, while standing over that putt, your mind is racing and heart beating thinking about the horrible collection of shots it took to get to that point on the green, and you make a half-hazard stroke that pushes the ball ten-feet past the hole.
Beautiful, but burly; Sahalee North's 417-yard, par-4 6th hole
Architect Ted Robinson originally built Sahalee in 1968, but in 1996 noted-designer Rees Jones reconstructed the North and South nine’s prior to the ’98 PGA Championship, which was won by Vijay Singh, giving him his first major title. Singh shot a final round, two-under par 68 for a four-day winning total of 271, or nine-under par. Steve Stricker finished one stroke behind after falling apart on the North’s 206-yard, par-3 eighth hole. which at the time was his 71st hole, and making bogey.
Sahalee plays longer than it’s listed 6,955-yards, requires pinpoint accuracy with both the driver and the irons, and features difficult-to-read, slippery greens. And in terms of playability, you will hit every club in your bag at least once. The North and South nine’s definitely top the list in terms of difficulty in the state of Washington, and the turf conditioning is second to none. That’s why Sahalee is consistently ranked number one in Washington, and amongst the Top 100 golf courses in the world.
The eyes of the golfing world will be focused on the Pacific Northwest next summer, as the men’s U.S. Amateur is set to be played at Chambers Bay in Tacoma within weeks of the U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee. The North and South nine’s once again will be tested by the world’s best, and should once again prove a worthy foe.
In terms of the Golf Digest Top 10 list for the state of Washington, I still have #2 Tumble Creek at Suncadia and #4 Royal Oaks Country Club left to review from the top-five, but would currently rank the PNW Golf Review top-five as:
1. Sahalee CC (North/South nine’s)
2. Chambers Bay GC
3. Members Club at Aldarra
4. Wine Valley GC
5. TPC Snoqualmie Ridge
This list will most certainly change after reviews of Tumble Creek and Royal Oak CC, but for now the top two, Sahalee CC and Chambers Bay, are going nowhere. Sahalee has earned its pedigree, while Chambers Bay is working to establish its own by hosting the U.S. Amateur next year and the men’s U.S. Open in 2015. It receives criticism, by some, for not being in US Open condition right now, or for not being dificult enough, but those naysayers will bite their tongues in ’15.
Sahalee Signature Holes
#7 North – what starts as an alleyway of trees on this 377-yard par-4 opens up to a wide fairway sloping downhill towards a valley in front of the green. A good tee shot should lead to a rare short-iron approach, just don’t short-side yourself with a miss into one of the greenside bunkers.
#8 North – this hole is reminiscent of the par-3 16th hole at Augusta, but probably more difficult at 206-yards. Don’t let the beauty distract you on this hole as the tee shot requires supreme accuracy, and the sloping green invites three-putts.
#7 South – the South offers few birdie opportunities, but this downhill, 417-yard par-4 offers at least a chance. Keep the ball below the hole with your shot-iron approach for the best shot.
#9 South – yet another stunning par-3 at the end of nine holes! At 213-yards this hole plays deceptively short, but is surrounded by trouble. The only relief is short and right of the green, if you can call that relief. Again, keep the ball below the hole on this green.
About the 2010 U.S. Senior Open (Tickets)
The 2010 U.S. Senior Open will be played at Sahalee Country Club July 26–August 1. For more information on the event, and to purchase tickets please call Championship Director Mike Zinga at (425)868-8800, or email him at mike.zinga@sahalee.com.
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