Portland may lose golf course to MLB

[tequila4kapp]

Portland Diamond Project in negotiations to purchase 164-acre RedTail Golf Course for potential MLB park

The PDP confirmed that the group is in negotiations with the City of Portland to acquire the 164 acres of RedTail Golf Course on the outskirts of the city.

www.koin.com

This course is like 5 miles from my house. It is THE best place I’ve ever seen for demoing clubs, has great kids programs and is a primary location for getting lessons. Also, Portland doesn’t have enough golf inventory - everything is packed and expensive since Covid. This would be a really big loss, IMO.

 

[sabig27]

I saw this! I agree about their pro shop and demoing clubs with Trackman. Best in the area by a mile

 

[darthweasel]

even worse, the traffic on 217 already is brutal, the transit would be awful. Hard no from me. I could walk to the games but would spite-avoid them because of the awful traffic implications. I get they would have enough room for parking but it just would be awful trying to move around.

 

[tequila4kapp]

even worse, the traffic on 217 already is brutal, the transit would be awful. Hard no from me. I could walk to the games but would spite-avoid them because of the awful traffic implications. I get they would have enough room for parking but it just would be awful trying to move around.

I mean, the traffic thing isn't even close. You can't get through that area now with just the golf course and mall. Could you imagine exiting the stadium and trying to get through the intersection of Hall and whatever it is with 40K other people? The idea is just cray cray. Plus that, wouldn't you think that land is worth WAY more than 50M?

 

[darthweasel]

I mean, the traffic thing isn't even close. You can't get through that area now with just the golf course and mall. Could you imagine exiting the stadium and trying to get through the intersection of Hall and whatever it is with 40K other people? The idea is just cray cray. Plus that, wouldn't you think that land is worth WAY more than 50M?

It is not unusual for me to go to Meriwether for a round simply because A) practice facilities better, B) Hole 7 at Red Tail and C) on course traffic means it takes longer to park t redtail, play 18 and go home than it does to drive to Merwiwether, practice a bit, play 18, stop to get Emily her coffee on way home and have time left over..


but yeah, 217 is a complete clown show right now and having experienced their frontage row plan...I think the new design was done by people who HATE people...it is not an improvement

 

[MWard]

I hope that doesn’t happen, losing a course is never a good thing :/

 

[Hawk]

An equally egregious crime is MLB is considering putting a team in Portland. Shrinking the league is the better option imo.

 

[Joshnoble01]

An equally egregious crime is MLB is considering putting a team in Portland. Shrinking the league is the better option imo.

That's not happening though. They are going to go to 32 teams. They probably want one of the two new teams to be on the West Coast. Portland makes sense. They just want the A's and Rays stadium situations settled before they announce.

 

[Hawk]

That's not happening though. They are going to go to 32 teams. They probably want one of the two new teams to be on the West Coast. Portland makes sense. They just want the A's and Rays stadium situations settled before they announce.

Blah. I hate it.

 

[tequila4kapp]

An equally egregious crime is MLB is considering putting a team in Portland. Shrinking the league is the better option imo.

I don’t think this is a baseball town. I would be really surprised if Portland could support a team.

 

[darthweasel]

I don’t think this is a baseball town. I would be really surprised if Portland could support a team.

we lost the triple A Beavers not once but twice. There was a time back in the Mavericks days when it was huge which is why the Beavers came the first time. And to be fair, attendance was really good when they were a Pirates farm club, and for a time with the Phillies until the Phillies drained all the talent and sold them. The Padres years were...mixed.

The first time they left it felt cheap. When they came back it was just a different feel.


But if they can't survive as triple a not sure why the thought major league would be. The Hops do well but they are low level and the games are relatively cheap. The price of an MLB these games means unless some vendor was taking me, I, who enjoy watching baseball, would go approximately zero times a year. I am not laying out 150 bucks for a decent seat for one of 162 games...the value proposition for me is nil. If you could get a decent seat for 20-40 bucks...I would go but yeah...people like me absolutely are not going to show up to support an MLB team.

 

[BrianW]

I used to play it alot when I lived in Beaverton. I also played Meriwether alot as well. I think it would be terrible if they replaced that course. It was still Progress when I was playing it. Excellent proshop.

 

[drfunk891]

Totally off topic but I figure I'd ask here since this seems to be a gathering of the PDX folks. MY family and I are strongly considering moving there soon so I'm trying to figure out all of the options for courses (public and private). Which are your favorite courses to play? I'm hearing great things about Columbia Edgewater, The Reserve and Rock Creek. Would love to get some input TIA!!

 

[Bunker Snot]

What happened to the idea of south side by the Willamette River? I think there's still some superfund clean up property that hasn't been turned to condos.

 

[tequila4kapp]

Totally off topic but I figure I'd ask here since this seems to be a gathering of the PDX folks. MY family and I are strongly considering moving there soon so I'm trying to figure out all of the options for courses (public and private). Which are your favorite courses to play? I'm hearing great things about Columbia Edgewater, The Reserve and Rock Creek. Would love to get some input TIA!!

I have never played Rock Creek. Sorry, but I have no idea.
Columbia Edgewater is up toward the airport. I’ve played it twice. From a design perspective it is a classic PNW layout - tree lined fairways, etc. it’s usually in excellent condition, great greens. It is a very long time host of an LPGA event.
The Reserve is further out west side. Two 18 hole tracks. They switch the private / public side every two weeks. I believe this is a golf club, not country club. It is a more modern design.

Maybe the way to approach this is to decide on the part of town you want to live in then look at clubs near you.

 

[tequila4kapp]

What happened to the idea of south side by the Willamette River? I think there's still some superfund clean up property that hasn't been turned to condos.

That might be the area that was used for expansion by OHSU.

 

[drfunk891]

I have never played Rock Creek. Sorry, but I have no idea.
Columbia Edgewater is up toward the airport. I’ve played it twice. From a design perspective it is a classic PNW layout - tree lined fairways, etc. it’s usually in excellent condition, great greens. It is a very long time host of an LPGA event.
The Reserve is further out west side. Two 18 hole tracks. They switch the private / public side every two weeks. I believe this is a golf club, not country club. It is a more modern design.

Maybe the way to approach this is to decide on the part of town you want to live in then look at clubs near you.

We're mainly looking in the forest heights area so I would have to drive a distance regardless. Country club setting is nice but honestly the golf has to come first. Been a member at a few clubs now where the golf is sub par and I always end up disappointed.

Back on topic would love to have an mlb team come to town more options for live sports is never a bad thing. I actually went to redtail to hit up the range while I was visiting a couple of months back would be a shame to lose that. Being open late is a huge asset!

 

[tequila4kapp]

We're mainly looking in the forest heights area so I would have to drive a distance regardless. Country club setting is nice but honestly the golf has to come first. Been a member at a few clubs now where the golf is sub par and I always end up disappointed.

Back on topic would love to have an mlb team come to town more options for live sports is never a bad thing. I actually went to redtail to hit up the range while I was visiting a couple of months back would be a shame to lose that. Being open late is a huge asset!

You’d be right off HWY 26. Consider Pumpkin Ridge.

 

[Supersport]

If you are looking in Forest Heights area, if you can swing Portland Golf Club, that would be my suggestions hands down. It is definitely one of the higher end private courses in the area but a great track!

 

[drfunk891]

If you are looking in Forest Heights area, if you can swing Portland Golf Club, that would be my suggestions hands down. It is definitely one of the higher end private courses in the area but a great track!

that is definitely one of the clubs on my list. I spoke with them earlier today but the fact that the initiation is so high without granting equity almost makes it a non starter.....

 

[CrashTestDummy]

Portland Diamond Project in negotiations to purchase 164-acre RedTail Golf Course for potential MLB park

The PDP confirmed that the group is in negotiations with the City of Portland to acquire the 164 acres of RedTail Golf Course on the outskirts of the city.

www.koin.com

This course is like 5 miles from my house. It is THE best place I’ve ever seen for demoing clubs, has great kids programs and is a primary location for getting lessons. Also, Portland doesn’t have enough golf inventory - everything is packed and expensive since Covid. This would be a really big loss, IMO.

That happened near me too. There was a local municipal course (Santa Clara Muni) near me that I went to almost every week to play and practice. It was across the street from the new 49er stadium. Great range, great chipping green, and the course was good track. They got rid of it for some retail and housing development for the 49er stadium. Also, a couple miles from there, they plowed an older golf range (Pin High) to put a TopGolf. I preferred the old Pin High range more because you could hit off grass and they had a chipping/putting green. I don't go to TopGolf really.

 

[drfunk891]

Seems to be happening everywhere. I'm in San Antonio right now and one of the nicer courses here that was designed by Palmer was sold off to developers to build high end condos. Last I heard their funding fell through and didn't even break ground. Course is still there but overgrown....

 

[darthweasel]

Totally off topic but I figure I'd ask here since this seems to be a gathering of the PDX folks. MY family and I are strongly considering moving there soon so I'm trying to figure out all of the options for courses (public and private). Which are your favorite courses to play? I'm hearing great things about Columbia Edgewater, The Reserve and Rock Creek. Would love to get some input TIA!!

Rock Creek is very affordable but...the course to me was very "meh". Lot of tight, target golf holes, nothing particularly memorable. Or if they were it was for the wrong reasons...like hole one, if you are maybe 20 yards left of the fairway you are in a house, if right you are in the driving range (which is...not a good driving range and completely unusable in winter, dark, or raining) and hole...8 or 9 which has that driving range right and powerlines overhead, with more houses tight left and it directs the ball that way. The back nine was better.

The Reserve has two courses, for a member they are okay, for casual play it feels a bit overpriced to me. They have a newish superintendent trying to change this but right now it is not playable in winter. You will spend more time looking for plugged balls in the fairway than golfing...during summer the value proposition is really good though.

Sounds like you are mostly looking for private and Frank already pointed you towards Pumpkin. If you decide to go more a public feel I am pretty familiar with pretty much every Portland course and then it becomes a question of what you like as far as course style, length, etc. As just one example, for me a personal favorite is Quail Valley...it is mostly forgiving with a couple target golf holes, but it tends toward the short side. I also really like Chehalem Glenn, but Frank, whose opinion I highly value, dislikes it for many valid reasons. So personal taste can have a lot to say about it.

Red Tail is 5 minutes from my house and seldom gets played because A) I don't like 5 hour rounds, B) Hole 7 is a crime against humanity and C) maintenance can be...lax. But the practice areas are great.

 

[drfunk891]

Rock Creek is very affordable but...the course to me was very "meh". Lot of tight, target golf holes, nothing particularly memorable. Or if they were it was for the wrong reasons...like hole one, if you are maybe 20 yards left of the fairway you are in a house, if right you are in the driving range (which is...not a good driving range and completely unusable in winter, dark, or raining) and hole...8 or 9 which has that driving range right and powerlines overhead, with more houses tight left and it directs the ball that way. The back nine was better.

The Reserve has two courses, for a member they are okay, for casual play it feels a bit overpriced to me. They have a newish superintendent trying to change this but right now it is not playable in winter. You will spend more time looking for plugged balls in the fairway than golfing...during summer the value proposition is really good though.

Sounds like you are mostly looking for private and Frank already pointed you towards Pumpkin. If you decide to go more a public feel I am pretty familiar with pretty much every Portland course and then it becomes a question of what you like as far as course style, length, etc. As just one example, for me a personal favorite is Quail Valley...it is mostly forgiving with a couple target golf holes, but it tends toward the short side. I also really like Chehalem Glenn, but Frank, whose opinion I highly value, dislikes it for many valid reasons. So personal taste can have a lot to say about it.

Red Tail is 5 minutes from my house and seldom gets played because A) I don't like 5 hour rounds, B) Hole 7 is a crime against humanity and C) maintenance can be...lax. But the practice areas are great.

Really appreciate this post! So informative!! I'm not completely beholden to the thought of joining a private club. I've found that its quite restrictive as I find it hard to justify paying to play any of the other local courses. Can't wait to get out there and give all of these courses a go.
Thanks for all the input. It's giving me a good list of courses to start with.
I'm so curious about hole 7 at red tail now......

Random question: Are mudslides an issue in the forest hills area? I'm seeing a lot of houses built on stilts.....

 

[tequila4kapp]

Really appreciate this post! So informative!! I'm not completely beholden to the thought of joining a private club. I've found that its quite restrictive as I find it hard to justify paying to play any of the other local courses. Can't wait to get out there and give all of these courses a go.
Thanks for all the input. It's giving me a good list of courses to start with.
I'm so curious about hole 7 at red tail now......

Random question: Are mudslides an issue in the forest hills area? I'm seeing a lot of houses built on stilts.....

I’ve never heard of anyone having issues. But beware the rare snow or ice storm. We don’t use šalt on roads here so you could have times where you are stuck for a few days.