Waterton Lakes Golf Club - Waterton National Park, Alberta

If you ever find yourself with golf clubs and a few hours to spare (or as the case was in 2004, your girlfriend being sick of you during a long road trip) while visiting the Waterton National Park in Alberta just north of Glacier National Park, there's a pretty cool and pretty scenic golf course to be found. According to their website, it's "inspired by Stanley Thompson." Nine of the holes may have been designed by Stanley Thompson, however, and I definitely noticed some similarities to design concepts of Banff Springs and Sleepy Hollow when I played there in 2012.

During my first visit, I wasn't expecting much but was hugely surprised by the quality of the course. With my follow up visit eight years later, some of the duller holes were more noticeable, but there was still quality golf, especially on the back nine.

On the front nine, I felt that the two par 5s were the better holes, making good use of the land movement to add intrigue despite rather level fairways. The first par 5 (hole 2) is reachable in 2 for the longer hitters but your second shot is likely blind. The second par 5 (hole 6) is a bit of a test, especially from the back tees. The third hole is a reachable par 4 but blind off the tee. I hit what I thought was a pretty good drive but never found the tee shot as there was trouble pretty close to the green.

I wasn't particularly fond of the three par 3s on the front as two are pretty long and have tree trouble close to the greens.

The ninth hole takes you back to the clubhouse with a nice view of the surrounding mountains.

 

The back nine has more elevation changes and plays closer to the edges of the mountains and the cliff sides. After a pretty dull 10th, the fairways become more tree lined (as demonstrated by the 14th) and the doglegs get sharper, especially at the short par 4 16th.





One word of caution. When playing later in the day, watch out for wildlife. If you look closely at the photo, there's a bear playing through on the tee box.

I started talking very loudly but noticed it was a bear cub. It was a bit worrisome as I had no clue where the mother was (and I was playing as a single so I had no one to outrun but myself). I ended up seeing the mother up in a tree about 100 yards away.

Personal Doak Ratings - Oregon Golf Courses

Quick ranking of Oregon golf courses played based on the Doak Scale. This is according to my personal ratings.

Golf Course	City	State/Country	Score
Pacific Dunes	Bandon	OR	10
Old Macdonald	Bandon	OR	8
Bandon Dunes	Bandon	OR	7
Bandon Trails	Bandon	OR	7
Pronghorn - Fazio	Bend	OR	7
Bandon Crossings	Bandon	OR	6
Broken Top	Bend	OR	6
Crosswater	Sunriver	OR	6
Pronghorn - Nicklaus	Bend	OR	6
Pumpkin Ridge - Witch Hollow	North Plains	OR	6
Running Y Ranch	Klamath Falls	OR	6
Sheep Ranch (C&C)	Bandon	OR	6
Tetherow	Bend	OR	6
Aspen Lakes	Sisters	OR	5
Awbrey Glen	Bend	OR	5
Bend Golf Club	Bend	OR	5
Black Butte - Big Meadow	Black Butte	OR	5
Brasada Canyons	Powell Butte	OR	5
Eagle Point	Medford	OR	5
Juniper	Redmond	OR	5
Pumpkin Ridge - Ghost Creek	North Plains	OR	5
Sheep Ranch (NLE)	Bandon	OR	5
Silvies Ranch (Craddock)	Seneca	OR	5
Silvies Ranch (Hankins)	Seneca	OR	5
Stone Creek	Oregon City	OR	5
The Preserve	Bandon	OR	5
The Reserve - South	Aloha	OR	5
Tokatee	McKenzie Bridge	OR	5
Eagle Crest Resort - Ridge	Redmond	OR	4
Eastmoreland	Portland	OR	4
Emerald Valley	Creswell	OR	4
Florence Golf Links (Sandpines)	Florence	OR	4
Heron Lakes - The Great Blue	Portland	OR	4
Langdon Farms	Aurora	OR	4
Lost Tracks	Bend	OR	4
Meadow Lakes	Prineville	OR	4
Mallard Creek	Lebanon	OR	4
OGA Golf Course	Woodburn	OR	4
Quail Run	La Pine	OR	4
Shorty's (19 holes)	Bandon	OR	4
Sunriver - Meadows	Sunriver	OR	4
Sunriver - Woodlands	Sunriver	OR	4
The Reserve - North	Aloha	OR	4
Widgi Creek	Bend	OR	4
Crooked River Ranch	Terrebone	OR	3
Indian Creek	Hood River	OR	3
River's Edge	Bend	OR	3
Santiam Golf Club	Aumsville	OR	3
Salem Golf Club	Salem	OR	3
Charlotte's	Bandon	OR	3
Trysting Tree	Corvallis	OR	3
Eagle Crest Resort - Challenge	Redmond	OR	2
Eagle Crest Resort - Resort	Redmond	OR	2
Big River	Umatilla	OR	1

   

Personal Doak Ratings - Washington State Golf Courses

Quick ranking of Washington State golf courses played based on the Doak Scale. This is based on my personal ratings.

Golf Course	City	State/Country	Score
Chambers Bay	Tacoma	WA	7
Gamble Sands	Brewster	WA	7
Wine Valley	Walla Walla	WA	7
Gold Mountain - Olympic	Bremerton	WA	6
Inglewood	Kenmore	WA	6
Tacoma CC	Tacoma	WA	6
TPC Snoqualmie	Snoqualmie	WA	6
Tumble Creek	Roslyn	WA	6
Avalon	Burlington	WA	5
Broadmoor	Seattle	WA	5
Druids Glen	Covington	WA	5
Harbour Pointe	Mulkiteo	WA	5
Loomis Trails	Lynden	WA	5
McCormick Woods	Port Orchard	WA	5
Oakbrook	Tacoma	WA	5
Sahalee	Samamish	WA	5
Semiahmoo	Semiahmoo	WA	5
Shuksan	Bellingham	WA	5
The Classic	Spanaway	WA	5
The Home Course	Dupont	WA	5
Trophy Lake	Port Orchard	WA	5
White Horse	Kingston	WA	5
Desert Canyon	Orondo	WA	4
Eaglemont	Mount Vernon	WA	4
Elk Ridge	Carson	WA	4
Everett CC	Everett	WA	4
Gold Mountain - Cascade	Bremerton	WA	4
Hawk's Prairie - Links	Lacey	WA	4
Hawk's Prairie - Woodlands	Lacey	WA	4
Homestead Farms	Bellingham	WA	4
Kayak Point	Stanwood	WA	4
Meadowwood	Spokane	WA	4
Newcastle - Coal Creek	Newcastle	WA	4
North Bellingham	Bellingham	WA	4
Port Ludlow	Port Ludlow	WA	4
Redmond Ridge	Redmond	WA	4
Snohomish	Snohomish	WA	4
Suncadia - Prospector	Roslyn	WA	4
Suncadia - Rope Rider	Roslyn	WA	4
Tri-Mountain	Ridgefield	WA	4
Washington National	Auburn	WA	4
West Seattle	Seattle	WA	4
Allenmoore	Tacoma	WA	3
Bear Mountain Ranch	Chelan	WA	3
Camas Meadows	Camas	WA	3
Eagle's Pride	Fort Lewis	WA	3
Horseshoe Lake	Port Orchard	WA	3
Kahler Glen	Leavenworth	WA	3
Lake Padden	Bellingham	WA	3
Lake Spanaway	Spanaway	WA	3
Legion Memorial	Everett	WA	3
Mount Si	North Bend	WA	3
Newcastle - China Creek	Newcastle	WA	3
North Shore	Tacoma	WA	3
Riverbend	Kent	WA	3
Sand Point	Seattle	WA	3
Sudden Valley	Bellingham	WA	3
Willows Run - Eagle Talon	Redmond	WA	3
Battle Creek	Marysville	WA	2
Bellevue Muni	Bellevue	WA	2
Camaloch	Camano Island	WA	2
Capitol City	Olympia	WA	2
Cedarcrest	Marysville	WA	2
Echo Falls	Bothell	WA	2
Interbay	Seattle	WA	2
Jackson Park	Seattle	WA	2
Jefferson	Seattle	WA	2
Lynnwood Muni	Lynnwood	WA	2
Walter Hall	Everett	WA	2
Willows Run - Coyote Creek	Redmond	WA	2
Gleneagle	Arlington	WA	1
The Nile	Edmonds	WA	1
Wayne	Bothell	WA	1

Personal Doak Ratings - Golf courses in the United States (non WA/OR)

Quick ranking of United States Non-Oregon and Washington State golf courses played based on the Doak Scale. This is according to my personal ratings.

Golf Course	City	State/Country	Score
Bethpage Black	Bethpage	NY	8
Streamsong - Blue	Streamsong	FL	8
Streamsong - Red	Streamsong	FL	8
TPC Sawgrass	Jacksonville	FL	8
Old Barnwell	Aiken	SC	7
Spyglass	Monterey	CA	7
The Dunes Club	New Buffalo	MI	7
The Olympic Club - Lake	San Francisco	CA	7
World Woods - Pine Barrens	Brooksville	FL	7
Bethpage Red	Bethpage	NY	6
Cog Hill - Dubsdread	Lemont	IL	6
Eagle Eye	Bath	MI	6
Fowler's Mill	Chesterton	OH	6
Innisbrook - Copperhead	Palm Harbor	FL	6
La Quinta - Mountain	La Quinta	CA	6
Old Works	Anaconda	MT	6
Olympia Fields - North	Olympia Fields	IL	6
PGA West - Stadium	Palm Desert	CA	6
Poppy Hills	Monterey	CA	6
Princeville	Kauai	HI	6
Sleepy Hollow	Brecksville	OH	6
Amelia Island - Long Point	Amelia Island	FL	5
Cantigny	Wheaton	IL	5
Coeur d'Alene	Coeur d'Alene	ID	5
The Course at Wente Vineyards Forest Akers - West	Livermore East Lansing	CA MI	5 5
Hawk Hollow	Bath	MI	5
Hawk's Nest	Creston	OH	5
Innisbrook - Island	Palm Harbor	FL	5
Kauai Lagoon - Kiele	Kauai	HI	5
Maumee Bay	Maumee	OH	5
Morongo Golf Club - Champions	Beaumont	CA	5
Morongo Golf Club - Legends	Beaumont	CA	5
Oak Valley	Beaumont	CA	5
PGA West - Nicklaus Tournament	Palm Desert	CA	5
SCGA Golf Course	Murrieta	CA	5
The Glen Club	Glenview	IL	5
The Highlands of Elgin	Elgin	IL	5
Timber Ridge	Bath	MI	5
World Woods - Rolling Oaks	Brooksville	FL	5
Amelia Island - Oak Marsh	Amelia Island	FL	4
Amelia Island - Ocean Links	Amelia Island	FL	4
Aviara	Carlsbad	CA	4
Cherokee Run	Conyers	GA	4
College Fields	Okemos	MI	4
Innisbrook - North	Palm Harbor	FL	4
Innisbrook - South	Palm Harbor	FL	4
La Quinta - Dunes	La Quinta	CA	4
Luana Hills	Oahu	HI	4
Manakiki	Cleveland	OH	4
Metropolitan Golf Links	Oakland	CA	4
PGA West - Norman	Palm Desert	CA	4
Redhawk	Temecula	CA	4
Royal Amelia	Amelia Island	FL	4
Steele Canyon	Jamul	CA	4
Torrey Pines - South	La Jolla	CA	4
Del Monte	Monterey	CA	3
Detwiler Park	Toledo	OH	3
Mallard Creek	Columbia Station	OH	3
Ottawa Park	Toledo	OH	3
Rich Harvest Farms	Sugar Grove	IL	3
El Dorado	Mason	MI	2
Forest Akers - East	East Lansing	MI	2
Grosbeck	Lansing	MI	2
Indian Hills	Okemos	MI	1
Royal Crest	Columbia Station	OH	1

Personal Doak Ratings - Non United States Golf Courses

Quick ranking of golf courses played internationally based on the Doak Scale. This is according to my personal ratings.

Golf Course	City	State/Country	Score
Royal Dornoch	Dornoch	Scotland	10
The Old Course	St. Andrews	Scotland	10
Cabot Cliffs	Inverness	Nova Scotia, Canada	9
Cape Kidnappers	Napier	New Zealand	8
Carnoustie	Carnoustie	Scotland	8
Highlands Links	Ingonish	Nova Scotia, Canada	8
North Berwick	North Berwick	Scotland	8
Banff Springs	Banff	Alberta	7
Cabot Links	Inverness	Nova Scotia, Canada	7
Kingsbarns	St. Andrews	Scotland	7
Kinloch	Kinloch	New Zealand	7
Macrihanish	Macrihanish	Scotland	7
Big Sky	Pemberton	British Columbia	6
Chateau Whistler	Whistler	British Columbia	6
Kauri Cliffs	Bay of Islands	New Zealand	6
Bear Mountain	Victoria	British Columbia	5
Nicklaus North	Whistler	British Columbia	5
Waterton	Waterton	Alberta	4
Whistler	Whistler	British Columbia	4
Struie	Dornoch	Scotland	3
Furry Creek	Furry Creek	British Columbia	0
Motutara	Rotorua	New Zealand	0