Owen McClain, Teaching Professional
www.owenmcclaingolf.com
Some talent is recognized very early on. Other talent takes a little more time to develop. This is also true of golf courses. Does Chambers Bay ring a bell? Locally, Moses Pointe quickly gained prominence hosting multiple Washington State Amateur Championships. But let us not forget that courses of lesser stature go through the years under the radar, getting little attention. As time goes by, steady improvements—a little project here, a tweak or two there—can transform a layout which lacked the adornments which grab publicity into a surprisingly solid track. These layouts remain unnoticed, like links courses in Scotland not on the British Open rotation. Unnoticed, except by those fortunate enough to discover them.
Such a course is Lakeview Golf and Country Club in Soap Lake, where I joined “drill team” member Dr. Doug Beaudry for a mid-November round. As Dr. Beaudry (who attended dental school with my Everett tooth and gum man, Dr. Bob Lee) pointed out the details of the course, I could see that Lakeview is a solid, well maintained facility which possesses excellent shot values, and has steadily improved itself. A broad variety of shots are required: tee shots should fade and draw, approach shots ranged from 4 wood to sand wedge. Many top players make Lakeview their home course for good reason, yet the layout is quite beginner friendly, with playable rough, minimal forced carries, and green complexes which challenge without being overly severe.
In charge of maintaining the course is Kevin Smith, formerly of the Desert Canyon Golf Resort in Orondo, where top playing conditions were not an option, but a requirement for the destination resort.
Head professional Mike Schoner, the 2009 Northwest Open champion and the CWCPGA Match Play winner, provided additional details about the club, including its junior camps, a bit of history (founded in 1949), and affordability (family monthly dues less than what many pay for cable). That affordability extends to the club’s restaurant, which is open year-round, providing high quality food service at good prices. The club has very good practice facilities, and the swimming pool is probably quite popular—just not in November.
My numbers for the day were not very impressive, due to a run of holes on the back nine where minor errors compounded by short game mistakes resulted in a long string of bogeys. Driving the ball well simply isn’t a match for misreading the greens, which were rolling perfectly. Nonetheless, there were good moments, such as holing out a long putt for birdie on number 6, a par four with a good view of Soap Lake and a two level green. Those moments may have led Dr. Beaudry to believe I might have made a half-way decent dentist. At days end the weather was good, the hospitality warm, and the course itself provided an excellent challenge.
Should you happen to know a Scot who is feeling homesick, The Lakeview Golf and Country Club in Soap Lake might just warm their heart. It did mine.
If you’d like to know more about Lakeview, call Mike Schoner at (509) 246-0336.
