Located just an hour north of downtown Seattle, Avalon Golf Links has rebounded from the early part of the century and is flourishing. Avalon was the host site of the 1994 and 2001 US Open Qualifier, host site of the 2007 Pacific Northwest PGA Senior Championship and 2009 Pacific Northwest PGA Championship.
Avalon Golf Links, a 27-hole public course just a few minutes off Interstate 5, opened in 1991. It is located perfectly halfway between the huge metropolitan centers of Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.
Its 27 holes offer golfers great variety, and the fact there are no homes anywhere on the course offers perfect solitude. Robert Muir Graves added a nice touch by designing an interesting and challenging collection of three nines.
Despite a promising start, changes in agricultural regulations that allowed more courses to be built in nearby Canada and the 9/11 terror attacks that closed down borders, business took a hit. Local golfers from Seattle benefitted from a wide-open tee sheet.
That introduced the course to players who’d never had the opportunity to visit.
Avalon’s 27 holes with no houses make it a perfect setting to get out of the Seattle area and leave your troubles behind.
“Avalon was intended to be your day away from that,” said owner Ron Hass said. “What really we wanted was a unique golf course that didn’t have houses.”.
“We took a little bit of a gamble, and we knew it at the time, being a stand-alone golf course,” Hass said. “People always ask us where’s the housing development, when is it going to begin.
The three nines were intended to be evenly matched in difficulty, but the North and the South are the true tournament course, and the West is the more sporty nine. It doesn’t play quite as long, but includes more water and more doglegs. Many golfers, however, consider the West as their favorite nine.
The South and North nines together are 6,803 yards.
“I think the North and South are on par with any 18 around as far as putting together 18 challenging holes, with challenging greens to compliment the layout. They are very fair, and yet very challenging,” Hass said.