Desert Peaks

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, May 7, 2008

MADRAS The city of Madras only golf course is located in a part of town where tractor-trailers are just as common as golf carts.

Desert Peaks, a nine-hole municipal course in the northwest section of Madras, is hardly a spectacular track.

It offers one of the flattest golf courses in Central Oregon, and it has relatively few trees.

But what Desert Peaks does offer is a regulation-length nine-hole golf course, and the most affordable greens fees in the region.

On weekdays, a golfer can play all nine holes at the 3,231-yard, par-36 course for just $10. A second nine holes, for a total of 18, is just $7 more.

And those are prices that can fit in even the most frugal golfers budget.

Weve had people that have stayed down there (in Bend or Redmond), and they cant afford to play down there, so they come up here (to golf), says Dean Ditmore, who manages the clubhouse. We havent advertised that much, and a lot of people still dont know about us. But as they find us, they come back.

Despite being on a small, flat piece of land between an industrial zone and the Madras Airport, the golf course offers some of the best views of the Cascade Mountains from any Central Oregon golf course.

On a clear day, golfers at Desert Peaks can see Mount Hood to the northwest and Mount Bachelor to the southwest and every peak in between.

Its a nice setting, and a bonus for those who choose to make the drive to Madras, about 45 minutes north of Bend.

Desert Peaks is a particularly family-friendly golf course, catering specifically to large groups and families on weekends, Ditmore says.

And that is enough to keep the golf course busy most Saturdays and Sundays.

We get quite a few outside people, Ditmore says. But the weather has been so bad that we dont even get the locals. But weekends, if the weather is good, we pretty well fill up.

Desert Peaks is perfect for inexperienced golfers who are ready to take the step up from the driving range to a real golf course.

The course offers little trouble in the way of trees or water, but it is long enough to be a challenge.

Three holes in particular the par-4 fourth hole, the par-5 No. 5, and the 569-yard, par-5 ninth hole force a golfer to muscle up to get to the green in regulation.

But because Desert Peaks features few hazards, beginners have the freedom to go for a little more with their shots than they would on holes of similar length at other golf courses in Central Oregon.

People come out (to Willow Creek Driving Range in Madras) a long time before they come up here, Ditmore says. Its really hard to talk (beginners) into going to a golf course. I tell them that all they have to do is show up once and they are part of (the golf course).

The rough at Desert Peaks is a bit patchy right now. And the greens are slow and choppy, but they are improving, Ditmore says.

The slightly elevated green on the 353-yard par-4 No. 1 is the toughest approach on the course. A small pond that stretches from the left side of the green to the rear makes the approach shot more troublesome than most approaches on the course.

Some holes offer slight doglegs, but for the most part Desert Peaks is as straight a design as a golfer could find.

Length is really the golf courses main defense, particularly for a golfer who is relatively new to the game.

But, Ditmore says, the regulars at Desert Peaks are mostly friendly and helpful, especially to beginners.

Out here, everybody looks out for you and helps you, Ditmore says. Its a good place to start playing golf.

DESERT PEAKS: At a glance

COURSE FACTS

Year Opened: 1992. Slope: 116. Rating: 69.2. Par: 71. Yardage: 3,231*.

SCORECARD

Hole Par Yardage

No. 1 Par 4 353 yards

No. 2 Par 4 355 yards

No. 3 Par 4 392 yards

No. 4 Par 4 412 yards

No. 5 Par 5 561 yards

No. 6 Par 3 172 yards

No. 7 Par 4 316 yards

No. 8 Par 3 101 yards

No. 9 Par 5 569 yards

Out Par 36 3,231 yards

*All distances from back tees

GREENS FEES

Weekdays: $10 for nine holes, $17 for 18. Weekends: $12 for nine, $20 for 18.

Information

Phone: 475-1044; Website: www.desertpeaksgolf.com.