The happiest place in golf is in tiny seaside town of Gearhart, OR. All due respect to the Keiser family, whose Bandon Dune Resort is a close second.
How tiny? Gearhart has no traffic lights. How happy? Gearhart is home to Gearhart Golf Links. Originally built as a four-hole layout (with tin-can cups) in 1892, Gearhart Golf Links is the oldest 18-hole course west of the Mississippi – and one of the more accessible, historic courses in the country.
Gearhart might be the smallest destination on your bucket list.
Gearhart Links (6,551 yards, par 72 from the tips) has a lot of the features of a “true’’ links course – from corridor fairways (think Portstewart in Northern Ireland), a punch bowl green (14th) to the 640-yard (tips) 18th that is one of the great finishing holes the West.
None of the course’s original holes remain. In fact, the course looks considerably different than it did even 20 years ago when it was loaded with trees from a Depression-era work release project.
In 2013, Gearhart Golf Links owner Tim Boyle (CEO of Columbia Sportswear) initiated a renovation project aimed at restoring the course’s “links’’ heritage.
“We took out 400 trees,’’ said GGL General Manager Jason Bangild. “The original course had no trees. The work release program planted a bunch of trees and turned it into a parkland course. Kind of cute, but quirky.
“We took out all the trees and … boom. The course kind of revealed itself. It really elevated the experience. It allowed us to move the irrigation round and plant long fescue. We want the course to be as hard and fast as possible because links courses are all the rage these days.
“We’re very happy to play the “Junior Bandon’’ type of thing. A lot of the people from Canada and all over the U.S. fly to Portland (90 minutes from Gearhart) and drive to Bandon and then come here. Or they come first then go to Bandon.’’
Inside the Sand Trap Suite at Gearhart Hotel
This summer/fall it’s even easier to stay in Gearhart and play at Gearhart Golf Links. The Gearhart Hotel – just steps from the Links – has opened its new Sand Trap Suite, which features four private queen bedrooms ($750-$1,200 per night) designed for buddy trips and golf groups, as well as a shared lounge and large patio.
“It was the number one amenity that we didn’t have,’’ Bangild said. “When the opportunity came to create it, we jumped at the chance. It’s going to be incredibly popular for family reunions and weddings, along with golf buddy groups.’’
Other than the Links, the McMenamin Gearhart Hotel is the most popular place in town – best known for its beer and whiskey at the Pot Belly Bar. A short shuttle ride – perched on the edge of the Clam Bar putting green – is the Sand Bar, popular for its craft cocktails and quick-bites menu. Back at the Gearheart Hotel, the Sand Trap restaurant offers a menu that includes everything from pizza to steak.
“We have 235 members plus a wait list,’’ Bangild said of the Links. “And we’re home to a daily fee course. But we’re trying to identify closer to being a resort. You can park for a couple of days and play until you drop.’’
Feature Photo: Gearhart Golf Links
Photos: Kat Nyberg/McMenamins