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THE GOLF CLUB
AT NEWCASTLE
Coal Creek Course
PAR 5 621 YARDS
Newcastle, WA
425.793.5566
www.newcastlegolf.com
People flock to see the majestic clubhouse at The Golf Club at Newcastle and its
incredible view beyond: a 200-degree panorama of Seattle, Bellevue, two floating
bridges, freshwater lakes, a saltwater sea, and the serrated and frosted outline of the
Olympic Mountains. While the scene mesmerizes everyone from diners to wedding
reception attendees, the reality of Newcastle's Coal Creek course as a precise and
formidable test of golf comes as soon as the opening hole.
The par 5 first demands probably more thinking and execution than those still
infatuated with the view want to deal with, but there it is: a 621-yard hole that requires
three brave but careful shots. Hit it farther than 250 yards from the tee and you bound
into a wetlands area. Even landing just short of the wetlands and in prime position
leaves you with a downhill lie for a lengthy second shot over a hazard to a gradually
narrowing area 100 yards or more from the green. There is a creek on the left, mounds
on the right, and even if you've eluded those, your third shot is to a green that is
bisected front to back with a devilish mound.
The property at Newcastle opened in 1999 and features two 18-hole courses on
a commanding 350-acre site. The Newcastle project was the fulfillment of former
Microsoft executive Scott Oki's dream to bring high-end public golf to the Seattle
area. Including Newcastle, Oki Golf now owns and operates eight other properties in
Washington's Puget Sound region.
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Photographs by Rob Perry
