Seattle · Golf
The courses worth knowing around Seattle, Washington: who can play, how many holes, and a link to book each one.
Golf score
30th of 94 golf cities for retirement golf
Golf score blends year-round playability (40%), playable access (20%), affordability (18%), course pedigree (14%), and the size of the mapped set (8%).
Flat creekside front nine, hillier back with downtown skyline views · H. Chandler Egan
A classic city muni where the front nine eases you in along Longfellow Creek before the hillier back rewards you with views of the downtown skyline. Walking is welcome any time, though the inward holes ask for steadier legs.
Opened 1940 · $ · Slope 119
Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Beacon Hill plateau with skyline and Puget Sound panoramas · Thomas Bendelow
Seattle's oldest muni sits up on Beacon Hill, with wide skyline and Sound views and a layout that has changed little in over a century. It is friendly to most skill levels and easy to fit into a week.
Opened 1915 · $ · Slope 120
Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tree-lined north-end course with a few steep climbs between holes · William H. Tucker
A leafy, well-priced muni in the north end that plays a touch shorter and stays approachable. Walking is allowed, with a couple of stiff climbs that are easier on the legs in a cart.
Opened 1930 · $ · Slope 115
Photo: Ragesoss, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Nine-hole executive par-3 between Puget Sound and old neighborhoods · Jack Nicklaus
A short nine-hole par-3 minutes from downtown, with a covered, heated driving range alongside. It is an easy spot to keep your short game sharp without committing to a full round.
Opened 1997 · $
Course profile
Hilltop layout with sweeping Lake Washington and skyline views · Robert E. Cupp with Fred Couples
A daily-fee splurge about fifteen miles east of town, perched on a hilltop with big views of Lake Washington, the city, and the mountains. Coal Creek is the tougher of its two courses, so save it for a clear day.
Opened 1999 · $$$$ · Slope 133
Treeless links along Puget Sound with towering fescue dunes · Robert Trent Jones Jr.
The Pierce County links that hosted the 2015 U.S. Open, a treeless walk along Puget Sound about an hour south. It is walking-only with free push carts, a true bucket-list day for golfers who enjoy a long stroll.
Opened 2007 · $$$$ · Slope 140
Photo: Atomic Taco, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons