Editor’s note: This is another in a seasonlong series visiting each public and semiprivate golf course in Central Oregon.

My playing partner, a longtime friend, was in jail.

Not literally, of course. No, this incarceration was courtesy of Pronghorn Club’s Jack Nicklaus Course, a gorgeous, perfectly manicured, high-desert gem designed by the golf legend himself.

My friend, a notoriously wild-hitting lefty, had just missed the seemingly razor-thin fairway on the par-5 15th hole and found his tee shot under a juniper tree in native desert brush.

His only escape on this cool, breezy day was to invoke Pronghorn’s “desert rule,” a local rule that allows a golfer to play the native desert as a lateral hazard.

Lying three, with soaked shoes and socks (we’ll get to that later) and staring at another tough shot to set up his approach, he turned to me and declared: “This is a great golf hole.”

Is my friend a masochist?

No more than any other recreational golfer. He was just taking in the full experience of playing Pronghorn’s semiprivate golf course, which can be an unforgiving challenge, an exhilarating roller coaster and a beautiful nature walk all in one.

Pronghorn officially began taking public tee times on Nicklaus last year for the first time.

But Nicklaus is no ordinary public golf course.

Golf Digest ranked Pronghorn’s Nicklaus Course No. 23 on its 2011 list of the 100 Greatest Courses in the U.S. But no more evidence of how the facility is different was needed after the starter offered a friendly reminder to our group of slobs that golfers needed to tuck in their shirts at Pronghorn.

Nobody will ask you do that at Meadow Lakes.

Nicklaus’ ranking is well earned, and it has nothing to do with the dress code. Nor does it have anything to do with the course’s cool extras, including cups on the tee boxes of all four par 3s that allow golfers to practice their putting while waiting for their tee shot.

Nicklaus is one of the best-conditioned golf courses in the region (seriously, the tee boxes are like hitting off putting greens), and its bentgrass greens offer some of the truest rolls you’ll find anywhere.

Most of all, Nicklaus is a blast to play.

The course has its challenges, such as the 15th hole, and the par-5 eighth hole that plays 625 yards from the tips. Water runs along the right side for nearly the entire length of No. 8, where the prevailing wind moves from left to right and pushes skyward balls perilously toward a watery grave.

But Nicklaus also features a number of enjoyable holes, such as the signature par-4, 13th hole. The 378-yard hole doglegs around a large pond and the tee shot, which is not particularly difficult, must be carried over a portion of the lake.

On quiet days when no groups are immediately ahead or behind, the hole begs a golfer to hit two shots. The first shot counts, and it should be played conservatively into the generous fairway.

The second shot requires that 10-year-old ball buried deep in your bag to find out if you can carry the entire length of the pond and reach the green. From the rust tees, the shot requires about a 300-yard carry. You likely won’t make it, but it is fun to try.

My playing partner barely made it over the pond on his first shot, skimming along the surface of the water and just onto dry land. Unfortunately for him, he is a lefty, which placed his stance directly in the water.

Relieved to make it over the water, he played the shot while standing ankle deep in water. I couldn’t stop laughing, and he soon joined me after his shot landed safely on dry land.

For the next three holes my partner’s shoes squished with every step. He was uncomfortable, to be sure. But he was also smiling.

Our scorecards were a mess, and his shoes were drenched. But without question, we were having a good time.

Difficulty of course

Pronghorn’s Nicklaus course is no doubt a stiff challenge. But the course is more intimidating than it is punitive.

Nicklaus uses deception often on the 7,379 layout, making a hole feel more difficult than it is. Case in point would be the 472-yard, par-4 10th hole.

From the tee box, the dogleg right looks unforgiving with the use of a fairway bunker on the right side and a fairway that slopes down out of a golfer’s vision. But just past the bunker is a massive fairway that even a golf writer could hit.

In other words, average or better golfers likely won’t shoot their career best, but they won’t shoot their career worst either.

Nicklaus is no course for a golfer just taking up the game. But less-than-average golfers will still be able to make their way around the course if they play the right tee.

Favorite hole

The signature 378-yard 13th hole, a par 4 with a large pond to the right and a waterfall near the green, is the most eye-catching of the Nicklaus Course holes. But two holes later is Nicklaus’ best.

The 543-yard, par-5 15th hole is a spectacular golf hole that snakes along using natural high-desert attributes. A narrow-looking chute with multiple rock outcroppings — one on the right side and two to the left — makes for a nervy tee shot that has a bit more room than it appears.

Aggressive golfers will have a tough second shot into the elevated green because the fairway begins to narrow about 80 yards before pay dirt, with a rock-surrounded bunker and a juniper to the right and another outcropping to the left. The right side of the relatively shallow green is guarded by another small bunker.

More-conservative players can avoid much of that with a roomy layup area around the 150-yard mark.

Strategy

Part of playing the Nicklaus Course well is trusting the yardage book, as many of the holes look more difficult than they really are.

Actually, most of the fairways at Nicklaus are generous. And on those it is OK to be aggressive.

Play approach shots below the hole on the firm and fast greens. And be wary of the collection areas around the greens. Off-the-mark approach shots often slide off the green and into small valleys that make for tough up-and-downs.

Once on the green, golfers will find the truest roll in Central Oregon. So find and trust the line to roll in putts.

No matter how a golfer plays Nicklaus, keeping the ball in the fairway is a must. Drifting into the juniper trees and natural vegetation of the high desert that gives the course its character is nearly always trouble. Nicklaus has no out-of-bounds area, and you can play “desert rules” from the native vegetation, allowing extremely wayward shots to be played as lateral hazards. But those penalty strokes can pile up quickly.

Extras

Upon driving through the gates of Pronghorn, a golfer is hit with the reality that the facility is no ordinary golf course. The gorgeous and massive clubhouse is the first sight.

Near the full-size driving range — where players practice with high-end range balls — is the PGA Tour Academy, a state-of-the-art indoor practice facility. The pro shop, just west of the main clubhouse, is large and offers just about everything a golfer could want — with a Pronghorn logo, of course.

Nicklaus Course’s exceptionally large practice putting green sits just off the first tee, which is nice when waiting to tee off. Nearby is a top-notch short-game area, with a practice bunker. Pronghorn makes plenty of practice balls available near the short-game area for all to use, which is a nice touch.

Value

At $175 during prime time, which includes the use of a cart, Nicklaus is no value golf course. But golfers play the Nicklaus Course for the experience of playing a world-class facility, not for the price.

More budget-conscious golfers can play Nicklaus for $100 after 2 p.m. every day. For a track that is literally among the most heralded golf courses in the country, that is not a bad price to pay.

Pronghorn Nicklaus

The basics

General information about Pronghorn Club’s Nicklaus Course

Number of holes: 18

Status: Open year-round, weather permitting

Location: 65600 Pronghorn Club Drive, Bend

Information: 1-888-541-9424

Course stats: Par 72, 7,379 yards

Greens fees: Through Oct. 31, $175 daily (includes cart, range balls); $100 after 2 p.m.

Head golf professional: Nolan Halterman

Course designer: Jack Nicklaus (2004)

Extras: Driving range, putting green, short-game area, indoor training facility

Website: www.pronghornclub.com

Breaking down the course

A closer look at Pronghorn Nicklaus.

Difficulty

Nicklaus twists its way through the high desert, punishing severely those whose shots drift too far away from its manicured fairways. But the course’s fairways are also deceptively generous, allowing most golfers to get through 18 holes, even if the scorecard isn’t pretty.

Strategy

Take advantage of the deceptively generous fairways. But be precise with your approach shots because those that miss the mark of the hard and fast greens will likely fall into the Nicklaus Course’s many collection areas surrounding the green or a deep bunker

Extras

Pronghorn Club literally has it all, from a full-size driving range to a perfectly tended practice green and short-game area just off the first tee. The PGA Tour Academy, an indoor practice facility loaded with state-of-the-art technology, offers lessons near the range.

SCORECARD

Hole Par Yardage

No. 1 Par 4 380 yards

No. 2 Par 5 572 yards

No. 3 Par 3 253 yards

No. 4 Par 4 331 yards

No. 5 Par 4 467 yards

No. 6 Par 4 511 yards

No. 7 Par 3 187 yards

No. 8 Par 5 625 yards

No. 9 Par 4 425 yards

Out Par 36 3,751 yards

No. 10 Par 4 472 yards

No. 11 Par 4 462 yards

No. 12 Par 4 342 yards

No. 13 Par 4 378 yards

No. 14 Par 3 173 yards

No. 15 Par 5 543 yards

No. 16 Par 5 571 yards

No. 17 Par 3 205 yards

No. 18 Par 4 482 yards

Out Par 36 3,628 yards

*All distances from back tees

Pronghorn