Not your typical big-city golf experience

SEATTLE - Big-city dwellers who love golf might have the luxury of not needing to travel very far for great rounds, but manicured, serene courses that aren’t stampeded by thousands of players every day and don’t cost tons of money? Those are rare finds indeed.

So why not venture to the emerald tracks of the Pacific Northwest, specifically Seattle?

Sure, you might run into the infamous rainy season if you make the trek any time from late October through, well, maybe May and possibly June, but if you get a nice day, you’ll experience none of the little things that can sometimes bug you about metropolitan golf in other parts of the United States.

And if you go in the summer when the views of Mt. Rainier, the Cascades and the Olympic range pop out of the fog, the sun’s out all day, it’s 75 degrees and there’s fresh Alaskan salmon grilling up on the 19^th hole grill, even better, right?

In search of golf solitude at a fair price and without the chafing of a truly metropolitan golf system, my buddy Burnsie and I hit the Internet and picked a trio of Seattle golf options — three different price ranges, and, as the courses promised, three different golf “experiences.”

Well, make that the Seattle area.

That’s because we heard so many good things about Suncadia that we figured it was worth the trip to drive 80 miles east over Snoqualmie Pass and into the woods.

Decent ‘Exposure’
Astute pop-culture enthusiasts and TV freaks will note that Suncadia is the new resort in the town of Roslyn, Wash., made famous as the setting for the outstanding 1990s show “Northern Exposure.” This means that after your round, you can head into town, grab a frosty at The Brick, check out Dr. Fleischman’s office and peer into the KBHR studio where Chris Stevens delivered his morning missives.

Slide show Coming up aces A look at golf’s hot stars, on and off the course more photos

But you’ve got golf to play first, and Suncadia is one heck of a place for it.

So far, there’s one public course, called Prospector, and one immaculate, tournament-worthy private gem called Tumble Creek. Another public course, Rope Rider, is in the process of being routed through this pristine land of forest, streams and fresh mountain air.

Prospector is simply fantastic and worth every penny of the $75 to $100 that it will cost you. The vistas are stunning, the houses — this is a big-time vacation community — are actually cool, blending into the whole woodsy environment, and unobtrusive, and the fairways and greens are as perfect as you’ll encounter on a public golf course.

Steve Burns The signature par-4 10th hole on Suncadia’s Prospector course offers players the classic risk/reward scenario and an even better view.

The 10^th hole alone might be worth the money. The classic risk-reward par-4, with the elevated tee providing one of the most beautiful backdrops you’ll ever see on a golf course, gives big hitters the chance to rope one about 270 and have a chip shot in. If the Cascade and Cle Elum River valley view takes away your concentration, just bail out into a comfy landing area on the right.

Overall, Suncadia offers playability, excellent conditions and country-club amenities for a green fee that quite honestly is a bargain compared to a lot of overrated tracks that somehow are even more expensive.

But if you don’t feel like dropping a Benjamin to bathe Titleists in lakes and shrubbery, there’s at least one golf course in the Seattle area that provides as much bang for your buck as any in the country. Seriously.

Remember all the hubbub about Bethpage State Park’s Black Course outside of New York City, how you can play a U.S. Open-worthy track for under $40 if you get there at about 3 a.m. and wait in your car behind about 763 other people?

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