REDMOND – Central Oregon has had a golf course boom over the past decade or so, but Juniper Golf Club in Redmond is one of those rare courses in the area that has been around since the late Sam Sneed was in his prime.

The course – which opened its first nine holes on Memorial Day in 1952, with another nine added in 1987 – just celebrated its 50th Anniversary last week.

However, the existing course could soon be nothing but a memory. It is owned by the city of Redmond, and the club pays a fee to use it. The club’s lease runs out in 2006, making that the target year for the completion of a new course at a site near the Deschutes County Fairgrounds.

According to Bruce Wattenburger, head pro at Juniper Golf Club, construction could begin as early as this summer.

The current course – which has members but is also open to the public – wanders through Central Oregon’s lava flows, juniper trees and sage brush.

Mountain views abound.

From the No. 2 tee, where golfers are treated to a panoramic view of the Cascades, including the Three Sisters, Broken Top, Mount Bachelor, Mount Jefferson, Black Butte and Three-Fingered Jack.

The back nine is the tougher side of the course: it is shorter and tighter, with a premium placed on keeping the ball in play. The fairways are narrow on many holes, and sage brush, juniper trees and lava rocks await hooks and slices.

”It seems like the back nine is where people have higher numbers,” Wattenburger said. ”If a good player gets it going he might shoot that side in three, four or five under par.

”But (for the average golfer), it’s more likely that a triple-bogey will be made along the way.”

The course as a whole is not extremely narrow, but what’s on the sides of the fairways will give golfers the frustration of using a shot just to get back on the green stuff.

”With the lava rock, people are always turning rocks over, and they’ll find their ball in a hole,” Wattenburger said. ”It’s just a tough recovery to get out of there. That’s what makes the course hold its own.”

Otherwise, Juniper Golf Club is a fairly straightforward course: flat, with four ponds that come into play on six holes. The greens are small, making approach shots challenging, but they’re not fast.

A crucial stretch of holes is the last three, which Wattenburger described as make-or-break for your round.

Hole No. 16 is a 488-yard, par-five with a dogleg left and water left on the approach. Most players’ drives settle on a ridge, from where they can either lay up in front of the water or go for the green. Two bunkers protect the front of the green, giving golfers more incentive to lay up.

The green has a big hump down the middle, so players can have trouble if they’re not on the pin side.

The 130-yard, par-3, 17th is one of Juniper’s strongest holes. Three good shots are required for a par. A large pond with a waterfall guards the front left of the tiered green.

”You could make a birdie on 17, but also 3-putt or hit it in the water,” Wattenburger said. ”You could potentially make a big number.”

On the 18th, players hit their drives looking straight at Mount Bachelor. The long par-five is 546 yards from the blue tees. Water – surrounding the green to the right and back – comes into play on the approach shot, making for a challenging end to a round.

Those last three holes at Juniper Golf Club will help players remember the old Central Oregon course, even if it doesn’t exist after a few more years.