Xinghui’s Golf Report

Daddy’s golf day at Pronghorn

 

Our family originally planned to go to Yellowstone NP this July 4^th weekend with other families, but given mommy’s inflexible work schedule, daddy had to find a new destination for shorter vacation, and Bend came to mind right away. Bend is a place we had planned to visit for some time, and finally this is the time to go.

Bend is known for its spectacular golf courses, and a trip to Bend is not complete without a nice round of golf. With encouragement from friends and the help of poor economy which forces some private courses to open to public play, I decided to take a plunge to play at the prestigious Pronghorn Nicklaus course at $100 twilight special. It’s considered a great deal by many golf fans, but still feels expensive to me (The most I had paid for a round of golf was $50 at Suncadia earlier this year, mommy does not like this trend J).

Tee time was set for 4pm on Sunday. The drive to Pronghorn is very scenic with views of many snow peaks, and after a 4-mile drive on a private road, I finally arrived at the gate of Pronghorn resort. I told the guard at gate about my tee time, he checked his guest list and let me through. After driving another mile through some nice houses, I was greeted by a young man in front of the clubhouse. He took my golf clubs, gave me a ride to the nice restroom, and then drove me to the practice area. After a few swings and putts, I was ready to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Standing at the 1^st tee box, I can appreciate why this course is so highly ranked. The course is beautifully landscaped in a spectacular high desert setting, and the pictures cannot do justice to the course. Pronghorn-Nicklaus is the best maintained course I have ever played and it must cost a fortune to keep it in such good shape. Its fairway is better than some of the greens I have played.

I immediately hooked my first drive to the left, and after a disastrous trip to the greenside sand trap, I carded an eight for the first hole.

Scores started to get better in the next few holes after I settled down, but the excitement of playing on this course makes the score secondary concern.

On seventh hole, I caught up with the group in front of me (an older couple named Mike and Susan). They joined the club a few months ago and play here every day, how lucky they are!

I played the rest of round with them, and their familiarity of the course certainly helped my shot selections, which showed on my scorecard.

Before I even knew it, the round was over. It was such a wonderful experience playing here, definitely worth a hundred bucks.

On the drive back, watching the beautiful sunset over the snow peaks, I was already thinking about coming back next year …

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