Okanogan County has five golf courses. If great scenery is an important adjunct to challenging courses, every one should be sampled. Four of the venues are in an area about 40 miles square: Bear Creek in Winthrop, Okanogan Valley near Omak, Lake Woods in the Bridgeport area, and Alta Lake, at the confluence of the Methow and Columbia Rivers. Only the latter is an 18 hole track, with the others playing nine holes twice around from different front and back tees. The other course is the Oroville Golf Club almost on the Canadian border off highway 97.

All these courses are private or member owned, and their greens fees are in the twenty dollar range for 18 holes. Make no mistake, the low price does not indicate low quality. Very few who have played Bear Creek have met par, possibly due to the distracting scenery where the North Cascade mountains stab the sky only a few miles to the west. Being in a major tourist area, it is not uncommon to see a Porsche or BMW parked next to a local contractor's truck in the parking lot. Down valley, where the Methow meets the Columbia, known for its great fishing, Alta Lake can be seen from the recently installed back nine, a rolling links- like encounter punctuated by a lake and some challenging greens.

Less than 18 miles east of here, the Lake Woods course is a delightful tree-lined, small greened challenge. It is adjacent to the Bridgeport State Park and only a mile from imposing Chief Joseph Dam. Duck hook a ball on the ninth hole and it may end up in the Columbia River. Under 30 miles north, the Okanogan Golf Club is a literal walk in the park, with fairways lined by shade giving maple trees. The greens here again are on the small size, adding to the challenge and forcing the golfer to give a lot of thought to approach shots. North again on Highway 97 to Oroville, and find a course situated high above the Similkameen River, whose spectacualar scenery and greens can rival those of any U.S. Open.  Many agree they are the most challenging greens of any public course in the State.
Sheridan Green, near Republic on Highway 20, is off the beaten track, and a delight to behold after a country road drive of a few miles from the main highway. A great variety of deciduous and evergreen trees stud the course, and care must be taken on every shot for this is a tight layout. It is also at the highest elevation of all the county's courses and the evergreen forests give off a heady scent.

Even if you are not on a budget, the courses of Okanogan Country are well worth trying, The scenery is unrivalled almost anywhere else in the state, the people are friendly and shucks, if you can save fifty to a hundred bucks on a round of equivalent golf, it makes good sense.




QUICK FACTS
The Alta Lake Golf Course- three miles west of Pateros off Highway 153, (509) 923-2359
Bear Creek Golf Course- three miles southeast of Winthrop on the East Side County Road, (509) 996-2284
Okanogan Valley Golf Club -a few minutes west of Okanogan and Omak on Pogue Flat, (509) 826-6937
Oroville Golf Club -two miles west of Oroville on Nighthawk Road; (509) 476-2390
Lake Woods Golf Course -two miles north of Bridgeport, (509) 686-5721