September 2015 - Black Butte Ranch

30 09, 2015

Lower rates help stretch the golf season into fall at Black Butte Ranch

The leaves of the aspen trees at Black Butte Ranch are beginning to show their autumn colors. The mornings are a bit more crisp. The sun is chased away a bit sooner each evening. Yes, fall is officially here. But golfers should not put away their golf clubs … at least not yet. Fall can actually be a pleasant and affordable time of the year to squeeze in a few rounds. On Oct.1, Black Butte Ranch will be lowering its rates for the remainder of the golf season. Green fees will drop to $47 during prime time (down from [...]

22 09, 2015

Battle at the Butte offers golfers one last chance to play in a premier event
Battle at the Butte offers golfers one last chance to play in a premier event

Battle at the Butte offers golfers one last chance to play in a premier event

Nothing else is quite like an individual stroke-play golf tournament. The pressure of having to go it alone when every stroke counts is only matched by the exhilaration felt by playing well under such conditions.With this in mind, two years ago Black Butte Ranch created The Battle at the Butte Individual Championship, a 36-hole stroke-play championship that will be held for the third consecutive year Oct. 2-4 at both Glaze Meadow and Big Meadow.At stake is a chance to go it alone while taking on top-notch players from around the state.“The tournament was fashioned off the Mirror Pond Invitational (Central [...]

18 09, 2015

September can be the best time to golf at Black Butte Ranch

What would make ideal golf conditions? Gorgeous weather that tops out in the 70s? Golf courses in peak shape with emerald green turf shimmering under the sun? Relatively light crowds in restaurants and hotels? How about the Cascade peaks bursting in the background with a gorgeous fresh dusting of snow? Welcome to September golf at Black Butte Ranch. “It’s beautiful today boy, that’s for sure,” said Bob Canfield, of Palm Desert, California, as he and his wife Jan warmed up on the Big Meadow driving range. “Black Butte is really beautiful. It’s our first time playing here. We played [...]

16 09, 2015

McCleery Tip: Thinking of your swing as a clock can help.

You’ve put yourself in nice position, pin-high just off the green. It seems like such an easy up and down with only a nice, little chip standing in the way between you and par. You take a couple of clean practice swipes and then step to your ball. You take your club back just a bit, make your move, strike the ball and watch as the ball either trickles toward the green well short of its intended target or blows past the hole. Most amateur golfers know this horrid feeling. Heck, it even happens to the greatest golfers in [...]

10 09, 2015

Strategy: Approaching Glaze Meadow’s greens takes precision
Strategy: Approaching Glaze Meadow’s greens takes precision

Strategy: Approaching Glaze Meadow’s greens takes precision

Scoring well at any golf course is set up by a well-placed approach shot. A great shot sets the stage for an easy two-putt, at worst. A bad one brings all sorts of trouble into play. There is more to a great approach than knowing the yardage, though. Knowing what a golf-course designer is trying to get a golfer to do is crucial. For instance, John Fought’s redesign of Glaze Meadow is inspired by the Donald Ross era of course design, bringing to Black Butte Ranch all kinds of classical elements. None of those elements dictate strategy more than the [...]

8 09, 2015

Strategy: Big Meadow’s mounding opens door to be aggressive
Strategy: Big Meadow’s mounding opens door to be aggressive

Strategy: Big Meadow’s mounding opens door to be aggressive

When Black Butte Ranch renovated Big Meadow a decade ago, a project completed with the help of Big Meadow original architect Robert Muir Graves, there was a concerted effort to adapt the venerable golf course to the modern game. The course became more playable, with bunkering and hole design that better stood up to the advances in golf equipment. The bunkering, 65 in all throughout the course, required a level of precision off the tee. But the renovation of Big Meadow also put driver back in the hands of golfers. But that was not the only important change at [...]

4 09, 2015

Black Butte Ranch pro wins Northwest Section Senior Championship
Black Butte Ranch pro wins Northwest Section Senior Championship

Black Butte Ranch pro wins Northwest Section Senior Championship

One of the best teaching pros in the business showed off his playing skills this week. George Mack Jr., the longtime director of instruction at Black Butte Ranch, earned one of the most important wins of his career on Thursday. Mack shot a final-round 68 to card a 140 total to dominate the Pacific Northwest Section Senior Championship at The Home Course in DuPont, Washington. He finished four strokes clear of runner-up Mark Keating. With the win Mack also earned an opportunity to take on the best senior club professionals in the nation at the 27th Senior PGA Professional [...]

3 09, 2015

Conditions: Black Butte Ranch in ideal shape as seasons begin to change
Conditions: Black Butte Ranch in ideal shape as seasons begin to change

Conditions: Black Butte Ranch in ideal shape as seasons begin to change

The early fall can be among the most spectacular times at Black Butte Ranch. Indeed, the Ranch has already begun the transition from summer to fall. Some signs of the change of seasons are noticeable: a trace of frost in the early morning, leaves beginning to change color, and needles falling from the ponderosa pines. But before you mourn those long, hot days of summer, this is actually great news for golfers. For one, the September weather provides pleasant, warm afternoons and the aspen leaves are set ablaze with color. Another benefit, of course, is that both Big Meadow [...]

1 09, 2015

Black Butte Ranch Homeowner-Guest in the books, who came out on top?

The Homeowner Guest Classic Invitational can always be counted on for a good time. And this year was no exception. One of Black Butte Ranch’s oldest and most popular traditions was again played over the weekend. Played across three flights, the 36-hole tournament featured nine holes of scramble and nine holes of Chapman in Saturday’s first round at Glaze Meadow. On Sunday at Big Meadow, a final round of best ball determined the winner. And as always, great food and drink as well as contests spread throughout the weekend only added to the enjoyment. So who came out ahead? [...]