Centennial Golf Club in Medford, OR, is a prized possession of Southern Oregon golf boasting a pristine and open layout of farmland links-style holes . It’s meandering green fairways contrast the golden fields of fescue at this vacation worthy venue that compliments the surrounding beauty of its Rogue Valley setting. With a central location in the heart of the small city of Medford, and in the shadows of wine country, Centennial is a top notch course for area residents and a doubtful-to-disappoint destination for visitors. Transformed from its original state as a century old pear orchard, Centennial was designed by acclaimed architect John Fought and built to the likes of pre-depression, Golden Age golf courses. Defined by wonderfully plotted holes and immaculately maintained grounds amid natural hazards of sprawling fescue, this young gem represents the inspiring new age of golf course design. The entire course offers an open vista of the Rogue Valley, but the unforgiving, native grasses and intricate contours demand a narrowed focus. Yet little concentration is required to observe the oblivious beauty of Centennial Golf Course, which properly represents the Southern region of Northwest golf.
Centennial Golf Club is generously sprawled out among mildly rolling terrain, and incorporates the pre-existing land characteristics. Proper directional lines are apparent from the tee boxes which, combined with roomy fairways, provide a level of confidence for any golfer. Miss the fairways and you will have to contend with thick, grabby rough. Miss the rough, and you will be taking a customary lateral drop out of the relentless fescue. This nearly treeless landscape may look harmless, but errant shots will have you wishing you had a recovery opportunity to advance your lie. There is no OB on the course, but a shot into the native grasses is virtually irretrievable, if not unplayable. Centennial also has a notable amount of water hazards, mainly in the form of greenside ponds that come into play on nearly half of the holes. And like any “links-style” golf course, bunkers are well used throughout in both the directional and greenside form to help tighten things up. While hitting greens in regulation is manageable here, perhaps the biggest challenge of Centennial lies in rolling the subtle, as well as obvious breaks, of the greens. The putting surfaces are large, fast and true, but the multitude of contours throughout any given green will test even the best of putters.
