Woodlands Golf Course at Sunriver Resort, in Sunriver, OR, is a challenging resort course and the most complete test of golf among the two Sunriver tracks. Woodlands Golf Course is a great destination for Sunriver community vacationers, owners and connected nearby residents seeking a traditional high desert golf experience on a nicely maintained course. Despite their close locales, the two courses of Sunriver have notably different traits. The Woodlands Course has many of the classic features for golf in this arid region of the Northwest. Sitting on higher and dryer land that is heavily lined with pines and plotted with directional bunkers, Woodlands plays much more narrow and unforgiving. There aren’t a lot of panoramas on these grounds, amid the tall Ponderosas and Lodge Poles, but a few holes offer straight on views of Mt. Bachelor. While the scenery is just fine, it’s the Woodland’s difficult design and demanding course management, that will have your attention on this solid resort golf venue.
Woodlands Golf Course, built on a bit of a ridge within Sunriver proper, has a fair amount of mild elevation change. The majority of the holes involve gradual to sharp doglegs through tree-lined layouts. Beyond the well-groomed fairways lies thick rough, and beyond that are areas of dirt, rocks and wild desert brush within the pines. The holes often bend near ideal landing zones, and are further guarded by handfuls of fairway bunkers. Aggressive play comes at a high risk, and conservative play will leave a lot of ground to make up. Consider that the greens, too, are heavily defended with sand, and it’s easy to see why the Woodlands Course is so challenging. Furthermore, the sand traps tend to be deep and steep, and are plentiful throughout. One reprieve here is that water is fairly minimal, or at least does not come into play often. Aside from the Par 4 18th, which doglegs through two large ponds, staying dry is manageable thanks to peripheral placements of the water features. The greens are relatively flat with subtle to average contour, and a true roll. When they firm up in season, the greens can become very slippery in speed and break.
