Skamania Starts Over
A luxury resort on the Columbia Gorge tore up its 18-hole course and welcomed a new type of golfer—one who doesn’t even carry clubs.
On a clear day, the front nine of Skamania Lodge’s 18-hole golf course was a beaut—lush fairways that tumbled down toward the Columbia Gorge, the river sometimes visible in peekaboo views through the evergreens. The back nine cut chasms between Douglas firs. The only problem: Nobody had time to play the whole thing.
“That’s part of the challenge with the golf biz,” says Skamania golf professional Guy Puddefoot—who has overseen the resort’s golf program on and off since it opened—of an industry where he saw stagnancy as the best possible situation. Rumors that Skamania, a golf and conference resort east of Portland that opened in 1993, would mix up its traditional links began pre-pandemic; by summer 2021, the old 18 holes had morphed into three totally new experiences.
Read the rest of the article: Here
