The 6 hardest holes to master on the Eastside

By Joel Willits | Photos by Chad Coleman

Aerial view of The Golf Club at Newcastle

Golfers in Bellevue have options. Lots of options. With five courses in the city alone, there’s plenty of choices for even the most diehard golfer. Open up your view a bit beyond the city limits and you’ll find a bevy of courses just waiting for you. So throw your irons in the car and don’t forget your driver – because these holes are just waiting to be conquered. 

1. Tam O’Shanter No.9

1313 183rd Ave. NE, www.tamoshanter.net

Hole 9 at Tam O'Shanter Golf Course in Bellevue.

Details: Features nine holes over 3,072 yards with a Par of 36.

Hole Info: Hole No. 9, 449-yard Par 4

Hole No.9 at Tam O’Shanter features a downhill tee shot that requires a fade to move around the big fir trees that spread the course. The hole doglegs to the left to add increased difficulty. And if that wasn’t enough, a big hill to the right of the green will collect balls and a approach shot short of the green could roll back more than 30 feet. 

Brian Coury, the Director of Golf and Recreation for Tam O’Shanter calls the hole “nearly impossible” to birdie, even for an experienced golfer.

Coury’s Advice: “It requires a very precise tee shot – and then your second shot is going to be very, very tough. The approach shot, you’re hitting a long iron from a downhill lie with the ball below your feet. That’s a tough, tough shot. You have to go uphill with a low-lofted club.”

Other features: Want to play Tam O’Shanter? Sadly, the only way to play the course is to own one of the 498 homes in the community. But as a homeowner, one gains access to four tennis courts, a community park with volleyball and basketball courts and a full-size community swimming pool. Tam O’Shanter boasts junior tennis, golf and swim programs with more than 100 kids in each. The golf course, staffed with two PGA golf pros, does offer lessons.

2. Eagle’s Talon No. 3, Willows Run

10402 Willows Rd NE, Redmond, www.willowsrun.com

Hole 3 on Eagle's Talon at Willows Run Golf Complex in Redmond.

Details: Eagle’s Talon, one of Willows Run’s two 18-hole courses, is a 6,792-yard Par 72.

Hole Info: Hole No.3, 368-yard Par 4

You might want to leave the driver in the bag for this hole. Eagle’s Talon No.3 features bunkers that border the landing area off the tee, around 150 yards out. Bunkers on the left and right, with an OB on the left and water hazards on the right make this hole one tough cookie.  

Shawn Beattie, Head Golf Professional at Willows Run, doesn’t mince words, calling the hole “demanding off the tee for anyone from a 20-handicap to a scratch golfer.”

Beattie’s Advice: “The best way is to not hit the driver for sure. Definitely hitting some kind of fairway wood or a long iron off the tee is your best bet. 

3. Coyote Creek No. 7, Willows Run

10402 Willows Rd NE, Redmond, www.willowsrun.com

Hole 7 on Coyote Creek at Willows Run Golf Complex in Redmond.

Details: Coyote Creek, the second of Willows Run’s two 18-hole course, is a 6,375-yard Par 72.

Hole Info: Hole No.7, 306-yard Par 4

It may only be the 11th-hardest hole on the Willows Run scorecard, but this hole is definitely the hardest on the course in most player’s eyes says Head Golf Professional Shawn Beattie. With water every which way, the fairway feels like it is on an island – and then you get an approach shot to a green with water behind and to the right, as well as a nice big bunker that just loves to collect balls.

Don’t let this hole fool you – it’s a bear. Beattie calls it the toughest to birdie on the entire course.

Beattie’s Advice: “If you’re a big driver, you can try to drive it. You’ll have to lay up before the water with some kind of iron and from there it’s 120-140 yards to a green that literally looks like someone has parked a bus on it. Anywhere you can hit that green with a mid-iron, you’re happy to two-putt and get out of there.”

Other Features: In addition to Coyote Creek and Eagle’s Talon, Willows Run features Heron Links, a 9-hole Par 3 course, as well as Rainbow Run, an 18-hole miniature golf course. 

4. Overlake Golf and Country Club No. 7

8000 NE 16th St., Medina, www.overlakegcc.com

Overlake Golf and Country Club, Hole #7.

Details:  Overlake Golf and Country Club features 18 holes over 6,678 yards with a Par of 71.

Hole Info: Hole No.7, 435-yard Par 4

A long, tree-lined Par 4, Hole No.7 is made all that more difficult with a tough green with multiple tiers and lots of slope. Trees make the second shot incredibly difficult, meaning golfers must be prepared to make two great opening shots to have a chance at putting for birdie, says Mark Sursely, Head Golf Professional at Overlake.

Sursely’s Advice: “Quite honestly you have to get up and commit to hit your best drive of the day to have a chance to hit it up on the green. Aim to the right-center, center of the fairway and pull the trigger – make a swing that you don’t want to get back. You do that and you’ll set yourself up about 175-200 yards out. Then you have to get up and hit a longer iron or a wood onto the green – and that green is not easy to hit.”

Other Features: Overlake Golf and Country Club in Medina was originally established in 1927. The existing club was founded in 1953 and offers an extensive program of golf, social, tennis and swimming activities with an emphasis on camaraderie and family. 

5. Coal Creek No. 7, Newcastle Golf and Country Club

15500 6 Penny Lane, Newcastle, www.newcastlegolf.com

Details: Coal Creek, one of Newcastle’s two 18-hole courses, stretches over 7,024 yards with a par of 72.

Hole Info: No.7, 426-yard Par 4

This hole, which plays uphill, features water on the right side that goes diagonal across the fairway. Fairway bunkers, the water features and the length of the hole all make this a tough cookie. Most players opt to lay up short of the water and wedge for a closer shot, said Todd Waltmire, Director of Golf for the Golf Club at Newcastle. 

Waltmire also notes that the green features a false front, meaning a ill-placed shot that fails to get all the way up to the green will roll back down another 50 yards towards the golfer.

Waltmire’s Advice: “You need to find the fairway with whatever club works for you. The biggest tip I give people is to take one, if not two, extra clubs because club selection on the second shot is absolutely key. Hit it to the middle or the back of the green, even over the green.

6.China Creek No. 16, Newcastle Golf and Country Club

15500 6 Penny Lane, Newcastle, www.newcastlegolf.com

Details: China Creek, the other 18-hole course at Newcastle, spans 6,716 yards with a par of 71.

Hole Info: Hole No.16, 447-yards

What makes this hole tricky, which is fairly straight, is the out-of-bounds to the right. Newcastle doesn’t feature many OBs, but this one is noticeable. The green here is tricky – maybe the toughest on the course – as it is a large, almost three-tiered green. Getting the right club is key says Todd Waltmire, Director of Golf for the Golf Club at Newcastle.

Waltmire’s Advice: “I like to tee up on the right-hand side of the tee box and play away from the OB. Balls coming into that fairway left-to-right will get a nice bounce. Club selection on that second shot is absolutely critical and the green is receptive to that fade. A nice fade, if you have that shot, is preferable.”