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TACOMA
Country & Golf Club
PAR 5 500 YARDS
Lakewood, WA
253.588.2161
www.golftcgc.com
Some of architect John Harbottle III's best, and sadly final design,
work can be seen on the 16th hole at Tacoma Country & Golf
Club, a venerable place where four-time Major champion James
Barnes was the pro from 1910 to 1915. The workers of Scottish
companies in Puget Sound first played golf on prairie lands south
of Tacoma in 1892, and two years later formed Tacoma Golf Club,
making it the first golf club in the western United States. In 1904,
the golf club merged with Tacoma Country Club on the shores
of American Lake. Updates by the likes of Harbottle, along with
wonderful turf conditions and practice facilities, have lured
touring pros such as Andres Gonzales, Troy Kelly, Ryan Moore,
Michael Putnam, and Kyle Stanley into becoming members.
The 16th hole is a reachable par 5 if you've driven the ball in the
fairway. The second shot suggests a fade into a green tucked
into a hollow, but large trees on the left side of the fairway prevent
that. What remains is a shot working left over two bunkers
redesigned by Harbottle, who grew up on the course, and whose
parents—themselves national championship players—still live
on the course.
Tacoma Country & Golf Club is one of the great places to play
golf in the Northwest; a peaceful, poetic place that is demanding
without being demonic. The 16th hole is respectful of the grace
and seductiveness of the remaining 17 holes.
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Photograph by Dean Minor
