Reviewing Golf Digests' list of the Top-10 Golf Courses in Washington and Oregon

White Horse Golf Club
9260 NE White Horse Drive
Kingston, WA 98346
7,093-yards/Par-72/Slope 144/Rating 74.9

White Horse Golf Club in Kingston, Wash., was the last piece of the puzzle in terms of completing the Kitsap Peninsula series of reviews. Did we save the best for last? Unfortunately, no, but it was close. Gold Mountain’s Olympic Course still owns that title.

It’s a shame too, because the potential is there for White Horse to take the top spot. All the elements needed for consideration as a championship golf course are in-place: length (over 7,000-yards); 130 bunkers sprinkled throughout that are filled with a spin-inducing, locally-sourced gray sand; tantalizingly narrow and slick greens; and numerous elevation changes, all amidst a serene forested environment. 

It is common to see golfers walking around Kingston's harbor with their golf clubs in tow

And there are perks to playing at White Horse that you won’t find at most golf courses, such as the journey to the golf course. We parked at the Edmonds ferry dock and walked on the Kingston ferry with our golf clubs. After a 25-minute, scenic crossing of the Puget Sound we were met by the free White Horse shuttle on the Kingston side, and within minutes were at the golf course.

Following our round of golf, we took the shuttle back to the ferry dock area, walked around downtown Kingston for a bit, exploring its shops like tourists, and then ate a nice dinner at the Main Street Ale House. Afterwards, the ice cream shop across the street stole our attention before we ferried our full bellies back to our car in Edmonds and called it a day.

It was a unique experience that turned a normal round of golf into a mini-vacation.

So what’s the kink in the White Horse’s armor? 

The one and only problem, and it was a minor one considering the maturity of the golf course, was with White Horse’s greens, which could have doubled as odd-shapped cul-de-sac’s they were so firm. Even lob wedge-approaches were rejected and bounced over the greens into trouble. Playing a bump and run game to the golf course’s well protected greens didn’t work either. If a bunker wasn’t blocking the pin, the turf surrounding the greens was soft, preventing bounces to the putting surface.

The slopes on the 441-yard, par-4 7th hole are diabolical -- it must run in the Dye genes. Good luck getting an approach shot to stick on this green!

Scoring at White Horse was difficult, especially on a first pass. Don’t go there and expect to shoot within your handicap. If you are like me and don’t mind a round every now and then that tips the ghin index towards higher numbers, then you won’t mind that 80-something on your scorecard after 18-holes at White Horse. If you like to play darts with your irons and abhor the short game, skip the cool boat ride and slate greens for now and wait until next Spring.

White Horse has an excuse for its greens. The golf couse is only two years old. Perhaps, with some maturing, the it will fulfill its destiny and land on Golf Digests’ Top 10 list, but for now, White Horse is struggling with its playbility factor. Golf course designer Cynthia Dye (niece of the legendary and wicked architect Pete Dye) has a vision for the future of White Horse, which is that it, “the golf course mirrors the vision of (owner/developer) Bob Screen in that if offers championship-level play for the price of a municipal golf course.”

Let’s hope that vision comes true. In terms of the hard greens, Dye put the onus on White Horse’s surprisingly arid location (less than 30-inches of rain per year) and the sagging economy by saying, “aeration is the key to keeping the greens soft, and when you are a public course it’s hard to do the maintenance that is required because of economics, but also because it often turns players away. Now that White Horse has been awarded the Washington State Amateur a lot more attention will go to getting the golf course, and especially the greens, in prime condition.”

In 2010, White Horse GC will play host to the Washington State Golf Association’s Amateur State Stroke Play Championship. 

Signature Holes:

#7 — listed at 441-yards, the par-4 7th hole is pure evil. An uphill tee shot through an alley of trees leads to a fairway that slopes hard from left to right. If you are lucky enough to be in this fairway, club way down and aim way left. Balls hit anywhere on this green end up long, and in trouble.

#13 — a fairly benign-looking par-3, the green on this 206-yard hole will eat your lunch. It’s possible to 3-putt from 15-feet away here.

The view from the tee on the 435-yard, par-4 18th hole is both beautiful and intimidating.

#18 — probably the best hole on the golf course, and dramatic from the tips, the 18th is a 435-yard par-4 where water comes into play on both the tee shot and approach. The 18th green, like the 13th, is three-putt territory.

Value: White Horse charges a reasonable $47 for 18-holes during the week, and $63 on weekends. A golf cart will set you back another $15. Memberships are also available. Click here for more information on rates.

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