BLACK BUTTE RANCH — Something was inviting about the way the first fairway of Black Butte Ranch’s Glaze Meadow course looked from the tee box.

On this day, the turf’s deep green popped under a blue and gray sky. On the course before me, ponderosa pines frame a generous fairway as it moves downhill and turns right to reveal just a sliver of the green 395 yards away.

This par 4 is no longer a claustrophobic double-dogleg par 5 with a pine tree standing in the middle of the fairway. THAT first hole was anything but inviting.

Nothing contrasts the old and new Glaze Meadow — which reopened in June 2012 after a $3.75 million renovation by well-regarded architect John Fought — more than the first hole.

This was my first chance to play Glaze Meadow since I played here in the weeks before it reopened. (I know, lucky me.) I was blown away then by just how different the 7,007-yard course played after the rebuild.

Nearly two years later, I am still impressed.

What once was an overgrown and antiquated design is now among the must-play courses in Central Oregon.

Nowhere is this more noticeable than the course’s first five holes, which have all been dramatically altered to better include that section’s natural attributes that feature a breathtaking view from behind the first green of a natural pond and the surrounding meadow.

Fought also put one notable stamp on the course. Its throwback features — grassfaced bunkers and massive turtleback greens popular during the 1920s era of golf architecture — are unique in Central Oregon.

“Besides Waverley (Country Club in Portland) and a few in Seattle, the old designers just weren’t in this region (the Northwest) yet,” says Jeff Fought, director of golf at Black Butte Ranch and brother of the course architect. “I think it is awesome that we have something that is WAY different than what anybody else has.”

Nestled deep in ponderosa pines and aspen trees, Glaze Meadow has always been a beautiful setting. The renovation simply opened up the original layout of legendary Central Oregon pro and designer Gene “Bunny” Mason and put that landscape to better use.

I brought a close friend, an out-of-towner playing either version of Glaze Meadow for the first time, in part to see how he would react to the course.

“This place is something else,” he said as we walked off the green of fifth hole, a gorgeous par 3 bordered by water on two sides. “I don’t remember being this impressed with some of the courses I have played here (in Central Oregon).”

No longer is Glaze Meadow Black Butte Ranch’s “other course.”

Glaze actually drew more rounds in 2013 than Big Meadow, the popular original course at Black Butte Ranch, for the first time in memory. In fact, says Jeff Fought, Glaze Meadow is attracting golfers it has never seen before.

“We had a group from Atlanta come here that had also played Pronghorn (Club) and played Tetherow (Golf Club),” says Fought, naming two Bend courses that are among Central Oregon’s most heralded golf facilities. “We’re starting to get those people that come into Central Oregon that are traveling from different parts of the country.”

Those golfers will find with Glaze Meadow an abundantly playable gem.

Neck and neck throughout the day and fighting a light rain, my playing partner and I both marveled at how forgiving the course actually was while demanding sound strategy to set up manageable approach shots into those subtly brutal greens.

There is the diabolical approach shot into a tough green on the par-4 13th, and a scintillating finish that brings all of the course’s best attributes to the last three holes.

Those finishing holes got the best of me on this day, costing me the match. Still, I finished 18 with a desire to play a few more.

As we walked down the slope behind the 18th green my playing partner summed Glaze Meadow up best: “This is a course I could see myself playing every day.”

Difficulty of course

The renovated course never feels overly difficult even though it can be quite a challenge. Credit architect John Fought for striking that balance with forgiving fairways that will keep most golfers in play. And fairway bunkers, present on every hole except the par 3s, offer more guidance than resistance off the tee.

It is around the firm, turtleback greens that Glaze Meadow will show its teeth. Those greens — which have edges that almost universally run away from the center — are mostly massive surfaces that create a plethora of opportunities to tuck pins. Once on them, the surfaces present subtle breaks that make only the shortest putts a gimme.

The end result is a round that will have you thinking you are playing well … at least until you add up the scorecard.

Favorite hole

On a course with a wonderful set of five par 3s, two really set themselves apart. First, the 164-yard fifth hole opens up behind the green to reveal a view of the picturesque pond set just behind the green and Cascade mountain views off in the distance, making this hole the most visually pleasing on the course.

Best to play a conservative tee shot. The hole plays downhill over a small brook that runs across the fairway. Any shot long of the green will meet a watery grave.

Nowhere is the old-school influence of in the renovation more clear than on the 196-yard 11th hole. Two stacked grass-faced bunkers protect the left side of the elevated and spacious green, making for a difficult shot with a long iron. If a ball finds its way to the bottom bunker, bogey becomes the goal.

How to approach the course

Glaze Meadow is still a position course, with plenty of doglegs and a multitude of fairway bunkers. Let the bunkers guide your tee shot while you stay aggressive, taking advantage of the course’s mostly generous fairways.

Cutting off some distance from the tee will put a shorter iron into a golfer’s hands on approach. This is necessary, as Glaze Meadow demands precision shots into its difficult greens. In most cases, account for the firmness of the greens by playing approach shots short of the hole.

No matter how short a putt, pay attention. Subtle contours on the greens will punish any golfer who loses focus.

Off the course

The renovated driving range is plenty spacious and has been opened up to reveal mountain views. A nice short-game practice area, with a bunker and target green, have been added. And the new practice putting green is massive.

The clubhouse, too, has been remodeled. It now has a well-stocked pro shop, snack bar, seating area around a big-screen television, and a roomy deck that surrounds the exterior of the building.

Verdict

Glaze Meadow has been transformed into a must-play design worthy of the highest echelon of Central Oregon’s public courses.

At $77 during peak times during the summer, Glaze Meadow is not inexpensive. Nor is it unreasonable for such a high-quality course. And golfers who can play after 3 p.m. will pay far less.

Most important of all, though, is that the course is a blast to play and will have most golfers wishing after their round that they could play at least a few more holes.

Editor’s note: This is another installment in a seasonlong series in which Bulletin golf writer Zack Hall visits each public and semiprivate golf course in Central Oregon.

— Reporter: 541-617-7868, zhall@bendbulletin.com