Wine Valley Golf Club

The verdict

Wine Valley is the course that put Dan Hixson on the map and gave Walla Walla a golf reason to match its wine. Opened in 2009 on open farmland with not a single tree, it is the closest thing to true links golf the inland Northwest has, a par 72 that stretches to about 7,360 yards and is shaped almost entirely by the natural roll of the ground and the prevailing wind. The fescue framed fairways, deep bunkers and firm, fast turf reward the player who flights the ball and uses the contours.

It is regularly ranked among the best public courses in Washington and the wider region, and it plays as honestly as it looks: wide off the tee, but demanding in the angles and around greens that run away in every direction. For a traveling golfer it is the anchor of a brilliant golf and wine trip, a serious, walkable, value packed course in one of the most charming corners of the West.

The holes worth the trip

Wine Valley is a study in width with teeth. There are no trees and rarely water, so the fairways look enormous, but Hixson defends with angled greens, big sculpted bunkers and run offs that turn a slightly missed approach into a tricky chip from a tight lie. The wind is the constant, swinging the same hole from a flick wedge to a long iron depending on the day, and the ground game is not optional, it is the smart way to play.

The green complexes are the highlight, large and full of movement, with false fronts and gathering hollows that make distance control and shot shape the keys to scoring. The closing holes give the round a strong finish across the open valley, with the Blue Mountains on the horizon and nowhere to hide from the breeze.

It is a walkable, honest, repeatable course that rewards the thinking player, the kind that feels different in every wind. On firm summer turf it captures the spirit of links golf better than almost anything else inland in America.

Where to stay nearby

Walla Walla is one of the great small wine towns of the West, with boutique hotels, inns and tasting rooms a short drive from the course. It is built for a golf and wine escape, easy to pair a morning round at Wine Valley with an afternoon on the cellar trail, and an obvious base for a relaxed couples or buddies trip.

For a wider Pacific Northwest golf trip, Wine Valley pairs naturally with the region's other Dan Hixson work, including the reversible courses and goat caddies of Silvies Valley Ranch across the border in eastern Oregon.

Looking for a base in Walla Walla? See our recommended hotels and resorts.