I had the great fortune of playing Sahalee in Spring 2023. I've played at a handful of…read moreChampionships courses and the staff, facility and course conditions were on par with the rest.
Sahalee is tucked away within the gated-Sahalee housing community, which well-maintained (obviously).
Upon arriving at the course, you're greeted with a beautiful club house at the end of the drive, with lush green grass, and a plethora of trees surround it and the course itself.
The driving range/practice facility is wonderful kept. It's pristine and emasculate conditions. There are a number of minor complementary items for guests, such as water, treats, and other things.
The course itself was in amazing condition. The fairways were well-kept, the roughs were cut to a consistent length and the greens were in great condition - easier than normal given that it has just rained.
It's definitely a narrow golf course, with trees consistently lining all fairways. It's an iron-first golf course, favoring consistency over distance. Drivers-beware.
There are a number of challenging shots across the course that are created due to various dog-legs, tight windows, and awkward angles created by the trees. Those who are able hit straight and/or create their shots via draw and fade should be able to manage fairly well here.
Of all the courses that I've played in the Greater-Seattle/Western Washington area, Sahalee stands out as not just being a great representation of "Washington Golf," with its vibrant green colors and majestic Douglas fir, red cedar and hemlock trees lining its narrow fairways; but because it's a player's course.
When you arrive, there's no tennis course, weight rooms, pools, or anything of the such, like at other country clubs, there's just a beautiful club house, perfectly maintained practice facilities, and an emasculate golf course with little to no noise interruptions heard throughout the round.
Additionally, we had a forecaddy who accompanied our threesome and they were extremely helpful with knowing where to place our shots, how to approach the greens, read the greens, etc. it was a unique experience - I hadn't used one before prior to this round. They helped not only know how to play holes, but they also shared numerous stories about the club and it's history. It was a nice narration to our round.
I absolutely loved playing here and I look forward to the next time I can get a tee time here -- and I would recommend that others do the same.