Apple Tree Resort Yakima, WA www.appletreeresort.com
A pleasant, fun and exciting Golf Course
set in and along a 100 year
old apple orchard
Washington State has long been famous for its apples, which are absolutely the best in the world and come in numerous varieties and colors, but there’s one Washington apple you might not yet know of, but which is going to become your favorite apple of all once you taste its delights…the Apple Tree Resort in Yakima.
Apple Tree Resort opened in 1992, and has remained mysteriously quiet since then, at least outside the state of Washington. The course is outstanding in every aspect of the word, and it is one of the most beautiful and exciting courses I’ve ever played. In fact, as I started the course I took way more pictures of the first few holes than I normally do, knowing the course couldn’t continue to be as interesting or beautiful as it starts out. I was wrong…it kept getting better and better! After the seventh hole I actually had to start rationing pictures, as I was already well over 100 pictures into a finite supply of 186 on my digital card.
The clubhouse sits high atop a small knoll and offers a spectacular panorama of the entire countryside, from Mt. Rainier and the Cascades on the west to rolling hills, plains and desert mountains to the distant east. Closer in you get a great view of the entire Yakima Valley, and nearer yet, you see the emerald fairways and brilliant blue lakes and streams of the Apple Tree Resort, including a dramatic view of the huge double green shared by the 9th and 18th holes. This gigantic green complex sports a bunker in the middle, somewhat dividing the two greens and causing havoc for anyone with a terribly wayward approach shot in to either target. Yes, it’s legal to chip from a green, but woe to those who take a divot!
The course was cut into a hundred year old apple orchard which is still in production, and the combination of colors and textures is astounding. Added to this visual scene every afternoon and evening is a savory aroma wafting from the kitchen as the chef slowly prepares the specialty of the house – Applewood Smoked Prime Rib. If you stay for the sunset, enjoying one of the locally crafted microbrews or fine wines out on the dining patio or from a window seat in the award-winning Apple Tree Restaurant, the combination can cause a sensory overload – but oh, what a way to go!
The course starts with a friendly 416-yard downhill shot with plenty of room to make a mistake and still find the fairway. The second shot is uphill to a very generous sized green, which turns out to be one of the smaller greens on the course. You’ll discover this as you play your way around the course – Apple Tree Resort has huge greens! The second hole is the first introduction to these huge greens, and you’d better heed the pin position before teeing off up the steep hill to this medium length, but long-playing par 3. Head down to the far tee box for a shot you won’t forget – just don’t pull your tee shot left. Like any truly fantastic par 3, this hole can vary by four or five clubs from the same tee box, depending on the pin position and winds.
The path from the second green to the third tee winds through one of the many apple orchards on the property, and from late August through early October you might be able to snag a delicious snack as you drive by. Just don’t tell anyone I said it was okay to do so! The third hole is a real challenge, especially if the prevailing wind is up. After another quick jaunt through another orchard you arrive at the 4th tee box and prepare for one of the really strong holes on the course. This hole plays 435 yards, but it is quite interesting as the tee shot plays slightly downhill, then way down hill into a sodded valley, then back up that hill plus a little more to an elevated green of monstrous proportions. It’s a dogleg right so it’s possible to cut a little off the distance, but missing this green can be penal and hitting the wrong part of the giant undulating green can be worse!
The fifth hole is a much shorter hole, especially if the wind is at your back as it tends to be most days throughout the year. The tee shot for the black, blue and white tees play through a really wide chute, then you take the cart path up about 100 yards through a narrow, tall line of poplars to the two forward sets of tees which sit well to the left, absorbed in another grove of trees. These tees bring a whole new perspective to the hole, and are worth the short walk over if you’re into getting a different view on life every once in awhile. The fairway is long, and it narrows as you get closer to the green, where water comes into play for the first of 11 holes on the course. The approach shot is not as dangerous as it looks from about 150 yards out, but you’ve got to miss right if you’re going to miss the green. This is another large green, extending way out into the lake towards the number 8 green, and giving you a very beautiful scene into which to fire your second shot.
The 17th hole at Apple Tree Resort is one of the most unique and memorable in golf, and has been named as the best par 3 in the state of Washington, but for my money, the 6th hole is as good as you’ll ever find for a well-designed and fun to play par 3 challenge. It plays uphill, just over 200 yards from the back tees, with all kinds of beautiful trouble to effect your mind and your shot. The most prominent of these distractions is the stream running diagonally across the fairway starting from the right side of the green and flowing along the natural contour of the land through a series of four small waterfalls. As if this wasn’t enough, a shot long enough to be pin high but pushed a little to the right will find the pond from which the stream emanates, a shot short left might find a lovely little beach, and a shot to the wrong part of the green has a good chance to be putted three or four times before it falls into the hole.
The 7th hole is one of the great risk reward holes around. It’s a short par 4, with a nice big fairway enticing a big swing, but the approach can be a tricky affair. The green on this hole is wide, but not too deep and many people over shoot the green, worrying about the pond in front but ending up out of bounds and out of luck. Any shot that misses the green short is going to most likely be wet, as the green is fronted by water all the way across its width - and more. Any lost balls can be quickly made up for by looking back towards the 5th green and up the 5th fairway to the mountains behind. This is another gorgeous view, and should get your mind back on the straight and narrow, which is where it needs to be for the tee shot on number 8. This hole is about as deep into a grove of trees as a tee can be and still be green, making for a tough tee shot and even tougher conditions for the superintendent. The fairway bends slightly to the left as you approach the green, with the lake which encircles the 17th green well off to the right and behind this gigantic green.
You pass behind the back of the 17th green as you make your way to the ninth tee box, and you can see how beautifully designed and crafted that hole is. The stonework alone is worth the price of admission, and the bridge crossing to the famous apple-shaped green is an added bonus. The ninth hole plays back towards the clubhouse, with a huge lake featuring a floral island decorated by a one-of-a-kind fountain sitting to the right. This makes for quite a sight, as you gaze across the lake to the ninth fairway, with the elevated green lying halfway up the hill on which the beautiful clubhouse sits. The 18th green is on the far side of this same green complex, and there’s a huge apple-shaped bunker cut into the hillside in front of that part of the green, filled with crushed red lava rock instead of the white sand found in every other bunker on the course.
That's just the front nine, and these are only a few of the special touches you’ll find at Apple Tree Resort. The best way to discover and enjoy the course and the extra amenities you’ll find on the course is to play it yourself. It’s hard to believe, but the back nine is even better than the front, and I have the front rated as one of the best nine holes of golf I’ve ever played. The course has won numerous awards and high praise, including being rated four-stars by Golf Digest, but I can’t figure out where the other star went. All I know is that Apple Tree Resort is one of the most enjoyable, rewarding and memorable golf courses around.