by Eric Flowers for River’s Edge Golf Course
Yes there are officially two weeks remaining until the autumnal equinox, marking the official start of fall. But let’s not kid ourselves, the school buses are already rolling, college football has kicked off and I officially spotted the only sign that really matters, leaves turning color on the tree branch. I caught it out of the corner of my eye as I drove to work with the defrost set on high (for the second time this past week) Yes, summer is un-officially over. And that’s no reason to mourn. There is just so much to love about fall, including the golf. Now is the time to savor the season and suck in the last of the shorts and shirt sleeve weather before those of us in the high desert officially trade our collective pitching wedge for powder skis. That said, here are five reasons to love fall golf.
1. The Weather: Cool crisp mornings that round perfectly into warm, but rarely baking afternoons are perfectly suited for a game where adding and removing layers isn’t a problem. It also means no more oily sunscreen on fingers and rummaging around your medicine cabinet for the Gold Bond powder.
2. Traffic: Or should I say the lack thereof. With back-to-school schedules, fall sports and the rapid decline of tourism traffic, now is the time to find the perfect combination of course conditions and relative solitude. That means that on most days the pace of play is whatever you want it to be.
3. The Price: Fall is the time when most courses are rolling out some of their best deals of the year as they try to lure in a few last rounds before the snow starts to fly. After Sept. 29, River’s Edge Club members play just $36 for 18 holes any day of the week and $23 for 9 holes.
4. The Scenery: Any excuse to get outside over the next month or so, is a good one. And a golf course is as a good place as any to observe autumn’s golden hymn to winter. Yes, you’ll have to clear the occasional path across the putting green sweeping pine needles and leaves for a clear run at the hole, but that’s part of the fun.
5. The Consolation Prize: It doesn’t matter if you hit them straight, slice them wild, go low or blow up big. Whatever happens on the course is just a pre-cursor. It’s an appetizer to whatever is the main course for the weekend whether that’s a big match-up at Autzen, a showdown in Corvallis, an elk trip to the Ochocos or a day of swinging flies to wild steelhead on the lower Deschutes. When you live in Central Oregon, golf is the icing on the cake. So dig in this fall.
Eric Flowers is a Bend-based freelance journalist and the former editor of Bend’s Source Weekly. His work appeared in 1859 Magazine, Oregon Business, Central Oregon Visitors Association and the Drake. He spends his free time with his wife and two daughters, chasing trout, fresh snow, firm trails and an even-par round of golf.
