Aspen Lakes

Aspen Lakes Golf Course is very much a family affair. In the late 1980s, after purchasing a 1,000-acre property adjacent to their farm in Deschutes County, the Cyrus family then set about building an 18-hole layout, under the supervision of architect William Overdorf.

Family members were hands on during construction; staking the ground, operating the earth-moving equipment, clearing and ditching then seeding the fairways. “Sand” for the bunkers was sourced from the Cyrus property, with eco-friendly crushed red cinders used to fill the hazards.

Aspen Lakes isn’t like the high desert courses found locally as it’s essentially a tree-lined parkland track with creeks, ponds and lakes incorporated into the routing. Built on rolling terrain, the fairways – many of them doglegged – are set in a beautiful location with a fabulous mountain backdrop.

The 450-yard 11th (“Faith”) is regarded as the signature hole here, wrapping itself around a rather intimidating lake which sits on the left side of a fairway that leads to a two-tiered putting surface – it doesn’t rate as the strongest hole on the stroke index but golfers who underestimate it do so at their peril.