One sure sign Black Butte Ranch is at peak-season perfection is when Phil Lagao becomes hyper-focused on the detail work — the little things that really only him and his staff on the maintenance crew really notice. Lagao, the longtime superintendent at Black Butte Ranch, is always busy. But the tasks change as the season progresses. This has been an atypical year at Black Butte Ranch, after a snowy winter left both Big Meadow and Glaze Meadow under a blanket of snow for far longer than would be considered normal. But finally, Lagao is doing the kind of work [...]

The move to all things digital has revolutionized the way all of us communicate with one another. We book flights, consume news, and even read about our favorite golf resorts online. But booking a tee time online is another matter. Golfers have been relatively slow in warming to online booking, gradually shifting from phone call to online marketplace. In fact, in 2015 it was estimated that only 15 percent to 20 percent of golf bookings were made online, compared with more than 50 percent of hotel and plane bookings. Black Butte Ranch has seen a similar trend. The vast [...]

A windy day can be menacing foe to a golfer. Sure, we all know the wind will blow the ball off target. But the real damage to a round can come from the psychological toll wind plays, forcing uncertainty into the swing as the round goes along. No matter where you play golf, wind will be an issue. At Black Butte Ranch, Central Oregon’s High Desert breezes can creep up from time to time, too. So most of us know that unsure feeling, and it’s on the tee box where it so often rears its ugly head. We have [...]