Pacific Northwest: A Greater Pumpkin?

by Ken Van Vechten

At the risk of mixing metaphors, Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club has positioned itself as the 800-pound-gorilla of Portland-area golf. Both private Witch Hollow and public Ghost Creek have seen their share of big competitions, from USGA championships to the season-ending showdown of what is now the Nationwide Tour, with winners surnamed Woods, Duval, and then Lunke prevailing in a playoff that Annika Sorenstam didn’t reach because she uncharacteristically unraveled on the 72nd hole.

And despite the fact that the private side of the house has seen most of the high-end action, including two U.S. Women’s Opens, a U.S. Amateur and a U.S. Women’s Amateur, that wasn’t really the plan.

“We always thought Ghost Creek was better designed to handle tournaments,” says founding partner Marvin French. “The back nine in particular is really set up to handle tournament golf and the crowds that go with it. Witch Hollow was always intended to be more for private play.”

With that intent in mind, designer Bob Cupp was back on the site three years ago assessing how to re-master Ghost Creek. Strategy, not just length and finding new teeing grounds, was the watchword, according to French, and every bunker, every green and every aspect of the course was given a “fresh look.” Despite summertime press reports that changes were imminent, French stresses that Cupp has yet to be given marching orders.

French laughs when he says it’s going to be a hard sell getting the USGA participants off Witch Hollow, but assuming that comes to pass, few should grouse. After all, Ghost Creek is a study in contrast and movement. The line of play rolls out easily, defined by subtle lateral turns, edging grasses and in places a patchwork of fir, maple, oak and ash. The looping nines rise, crest and then trickle back down. The cadence is smooth and easy, but there’s nothing formulaic or repetitive to the rhythm. As for the seemingly silly things that ultimately speak volumes about a course, deer playing the margins of the fairways seem to equal golfers in number.

As rankings go, Witch Hollow presently gets the nod. But it’s not easy for mortals to nail down a round. And that’s not such a life-lessening reality since Ghost Creek annually ranks among the best publicly accessible courses in the nation.

What will the rankings show when Ghost Creek is pumped up a bit?