Aspen Lakes Golf Course near Sisters has been named one of the best new affordable public golf courses in the nation by Golf Digest magazine.

”We feel just really honored,” said Pam Mitchell, co-owner of the course. ”It’s been a lot of work, and to see this happen is just terrific.”

Aspen Lakes ranked No. 8 on the 2001 list, which appears in the January issue of the magazine, due out Dec. 12. Affordable public courses were defined by the magazine as those with greens fees of $50 or less.

More than 250 courses were evaluated by a nationwide panel of golfers. Twenty-five states have courses represented.

Aspen Lakes is owned by the Cyrus family, who farmed and ranched in the Sisters area since the 1800s before turning to the golf business.

”We’ve all put in our time on the heavy equipment moving the dirt,” said Mitchell. ”So to be ranked eighth in the nation feels pretty good.”

Greens fees at Aspen Lakes are $50 during the summer, and $40 during the spring and fall. The course opened with nine holes in June of 1997; an additional nine opened in May of 2000, making Aspen Lakes eligible for Golf Digest’s rankings.

”We feel that our architect, William Overdorf, deserves a lot of credit,” said Mitchell. ”He’s done a great job of designing a terrific layout and taking advantage of the natural beauty that was already here.”

Aspen Lakes is one of two courses in Central Oregon the other being Sunriver Resort’s Crosswater Club that has bent-grass tees, fairways and greens. Aspen Lakes is also a member of Audubon International’s Signature Program and has taken steps to make the course wildlife friendly.

Aspen Lakes was one of the host courses for the Pacific Amateur last fall.

It is also host to local high school tournaments during each spring.

Golf Digest also compiled a list of the best new upscale public courses (greens fees of $50 or more) and rated Pacific Dunes Golf Links in Bandon on the Oregon Coast first in the nation.

Pacific Dunes is the much-anticipated sister course to Bandon Dunes, which opened in 1999 and earlier this year replaced Sunriver’s Crosswater Club as Oregon’s top-ranked course in the magazine’s 2001 ranking of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.