Golfers finish the front nine at Big Meadow Thursday while they enjoy a picture-perfect day.

The day was like so many others at Black Butte Ranch during the summer. The weather was clear and mild, with enough afternoon breeze to keep golfers comfortable.

As is also so often during the long summer days, Big Meadow was teeming with golfers, all seemingly enjoying the respite that Black Butte Ranch’s two championship golf courses can provide.

Of course, golf is far less enjoyable without a well-conditioned course to play. This year, Black Butte Ranch believes the conditioning at Big Meadow and Glaze Meadow is the best in years.

But that is what Black Butte Ranch thinks, which would mean nothing if our guests did not agree. So this blog took a visit to Big Meadow to ask what the players, who are the lifeblood of our golf courses, to see if indeed Black Butte Ranch is on the right track.

The response, we have to say, was what we had hoped.

“I thought the course was in great shape,” said Rick Fry, who has traveled annually from his home in Sandy, Oregon, to Black Butte Ranch, for the last 25 years with a large group of friends. “The greens were perfect. The fairways were great. It was outstanding.”

Fry was not alone.

“One word: Fantastic,” said Bruce Stone, who was visiting from his homes in Wilsonville, Oregon, and Hope Sound, Florida, as he returned his he walked toward his car after his round.  “It was beautiful. It was good. Really, everything was good.”

Excellent work by superintendent Phil Lagao and his staff along with this year’s ideal weather, including a mild winter and relatively moderate summer, have combined to produce such a spectacular result.

And with the sight of smiles flashing from golfers walking off the 18th green or the friendly banter we could overhear at Robert’s Pub, the evidence was mounting that our guests seem to hold a similar opinion on the course condition.

“The greens are beautiful and they roll really well,” Stone said.

And while Black Butte Ranch considers this year’s conditioning to be superior to most years around, Stone said there is a reason why he makes an annual pilgrimage to Big Meadow and Glaze Meadow.

“It’s always in good shape, which is why we keep coming back,” Stone added. “There are a lot of places to go, but we come back here all the time.”

This is EXACTLY what Black Butte Ranch loves to hear.

Whether a Central Oregon local or visitor, making a trip out to Black Butte Ranch this summer will be well worth the effort.

“I would play it every day if I lived here,” Fry said. “It’s outstanding.”

To see the conditions for yourself book a tee time online, call 855-210-5305 or the Golf Shop at 541-595-1500.