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Rose City Golf Course
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About
Rose City Golf Course is the second oldest municipal track in the Portland area. In 1921, A.H. "Jay" Gould played his first round of golf ever at Eastmoreland Golf Course. After returning home, he decided to look for a good place to hit golf balls and came upon The Rose City Speedway. He spoke with C.P. Keyser of the City Park Bureau and obtained permission to burn the tall grass on the infield so that golf balls could be found.
Jay and friend Herbert George used shovels and hoes to carve out a nine-hole course on the speedway infield. Tin cans were used for cups, packing cases for tee-boxes, and iron rods and rags for flags. The Oregonian and Journal Newspapers ran a story on the new golf course and 30 golfers showed up the following Sunday to hit balls around on the burnt grass and dirt. The main hazard was a head-on train collision that occurred earlier in the summer and partially blocked the seventh green.
After a few weeks, the Rose City Golf Association was founded which marked the beginning of the course. Full cooperation from the city and donations from businesses and individuals solidified the construction. George Ott drew up a nine-hole plan and work began in the spring of 1922. Play continued in the spring, but was stopped in the summer due to long grass and no mower. Play started again in the fall, but stopped again due to motorcycle racing. In the winter of 1922-23, the viaduct on the west end of the track washed out and put an end to the races. On Jan. 31, 1923 the first green fee ticket was sold to Jay Gould and in the spring, more than 800 played in one day. The city then took over the course completely.
Today, Rose City Golf Course is an 18-hole, par-72 course with rolling fairways that are lined with a variety of large trees. Water comes into play on holes 10, 11, 14, and 15 and greenside bunkers are well placed.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 72 | 6552 yards | 71.7 | 123 |
| White | 72 | 6164 yards | 69.8 | 119 |
| White (W) | 73 | 6164 yards | 75.3 | 126 |
| Red (W) | 73 | 5589 yards | 71.8 | 118 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament M: 71.0/120 | 367 | 388 | 502 | 341 | 171 | 425 | 364 | 216 | 384 | 3158 | 475 | 465 | 200 | 367 | 329 | 133 | 473 | 414 | 423 | 3279 | 6437 |
| Blue M: 70.9/119 | 367 | 388 | 502 | 341 | 171 | 425 | 364 | 216 | 353 | 3127 | 475 | 465 | 200 | 367 | 329 | 133 | 473 | 414 | 423 | 3279 | 6406 |
| Blue/White M: 69.4/116 | 343 | 362 | 502 | 323 | 171 | 390 | 333 | 216 | 326 | 2966 | 475 | 465 | 200 | 351 | 320 | 133 | 473 | 378 | 405 | 3200 | 6166 |
| White M: 68.6/116 W: 74.5/120 | 343 | 362 | 476 | 323 | 154 | 390 | 333 | 190 | 326 | 2897 | 450 | 446 | 180 | 351 | 320 | 120 | 462 | 378 | 405 | 3112 | 6009 |
| White/Green M: 67.4/112 | 325 | 325 | 476 | 308 | 154 | 369 | 303 | 190 | 280 | 2730 | 450 | 446 | 180 | 298 | 262 | 120 | 462 | 353 | 395 | 2966 | 5696 |
| Green M: 66.5/108 W: 71.4/114 | 325 | 351 | 447 | 308 | 123 | 369 | 303 | 142 | 280 | 2648 | 424 | 432 | 166 | 298 | 262 | 77 | 416 | 353 | 395 | 2823 | 5471 |
| Red M: 62.7/103 W: 66.4/109 | 241 | 262 | 383 | 240 | 123 | 288 | 262 | 142 | 220 | 2161 | 353 | 365 | 142 | 260 | 262 | 77 | 416 | 275 | 294 | 2444 | 4605 |
| Red/Gold W: 66.0/108 | 241 | 262 | 383 | 240 | 123 | 288 | 262 | 142 | 205 | 2146 | 340 | 312 | 142 | 260 | 262 | 77 | 340 | 275 | 294 | 2302 | 4448 |
| Gold M: 62.1/100 W: 65.0/105 | 241 | 262 | 383 | 240 | 123 | 288 | 262 | 142 | 205 | 2146 | 340 | 312 | 142 | 253 | 230 | 77 | 340 | 220 | 294 | 2208 | 4354 |
| Handicap | 7 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 4 | 2 | |||
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 37 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 11 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
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Reviews
Reviewer Photos
great team
Our group had a great time . The course was in great shape. Pace of play good. It didn't hurt that the weather was great.
Rainy day at Rose City Golf Course
Excellent golf course with plenty of elevation and shot making skills required. Our only complaint was that they didn't have a storm warning system in place for warning us of lightning and/or thunderstorms. It rained very heavy and then started to hail which we took in stride. However, when it started to lightning and thunder, we knew it was a stop to all outdoor activities. Staff was very friendly and helpful and other golfers were laid back and not overbearing.
Great course for value
Had a great time. Course was in very good condition
First Round at Rose City
Bunkers and greens in excellent condition. Course pretty wide open but enjoyable. Back 9 much more scenic and hilly. Since 3 of the par 5's are on the back, it would be hard to just play nine.
muck!
The weather was very overcast and off and on rain. Staff helped me get out early and I met a few fellows on the 1st tee box that invited me to play with them.To say the course was soggy would be an understatement. Greens were slow(go figure), but well maintained. The fairways were a little thick,but it is because of the rainy season. I have played this course 1 other time and enjoyed the experience then. I am going to play the course again but next time it will be for revenge. Great muni course in town.
Not bad
For late February, my expectations were fairly low. The course is in OK shape for this time of year. Having no real driving range is a big minus for me. I brought a shag bag and warmed up but not ideal. The greens are very spotty, hard to put over a few feet without hitting some big bumps. Still it's a fun course to play with plenty of challenges for a golfer of my level.
The back is the gem of the course...
The club house and staff is way above par. These guys are kind and respectful to you. The mens club is a movie in its self, within the clubhouse...
This course is great year round.
Love the course. Desperately need new golf carts. Tryed four before found one exceptible. Staff is friendly. Greens are in great shape.
This is a classic Portland track. Dense, tree-lined holes require accurate tee shots. Its in decent shape for a muni track, but play is slow.
This is a classic Portland track. Dense, tree-lined holes require accurate tee shots. Its in decent shape for a muni track, but play is slow, much like all the other public PDX courses.
Great pace of play
The course maintained a steady pace. The greens are in great shape. They demanded some respect and didn't let up.
Everything was great that day except for...
Had a great round at RCGC at a great rate with my Dad out there.
We're in the shoulder season here in the PNW so the deciduous trees were making finding your errant balls very difficult. I understand that ground crews do their leaf blowing duties on a regular basis, but well maintained courses will do this more often to prevent ball-finding problems - even in some fairways.
The motored golf carts that they have are very sub par. Some just don't work and most are in a need of a overhaul to make them more enjoyable. They are of the type that you need to step on the accelerator to start the engine, but the engines are usually cold and go "ping ping ping" for minutes before the engines "kick in" when starting your round. They are also quite slower than the average.
Otherwise, the course played well. The greens were true and mostly in good shape. A little muddy in spots like most courses. They were doing some maintenance to re-fill the water hazard on holes 10-11 but there wasn't any problems with that.
Scored my first ever double-eagle on 11, so I can't complain. "Flag-sticked" it in from ~210 yards out on my second shot! What a surprise! I was happy. =)
Nice Old-School Course
Tried and true, always the same, always good. Easy walk...go early though because the back 9 has several holes facing the sunset making it hard to see the ball...that is, if it is sunny when you go - otherwise, its great. Fun place to play with lots of variety and very easy walk.
Great old course with some challenges
Rose City is an older course with tree lined fairways; very mature trees. This is probably the key challenge and as such, you better hit a straight ball! The greens are in great shape and I've never waited more than a few minutes on each tee box.
One fun fact: The squirrels will practically eat out of your hand. They seem to like granola bars.
This course has great feature.
I played rose city sevaral times. I reserved tee time through the golfnow.com. Golf course is very great. Golf fee is very cheap. However, Green has a little challenge. I am very satisfied. I will suggest my friends this golf course.
Interesting challenges
I haven't golfed all 18 holes at Rose City in a few years and I'm reminded of the interesting challenges this course sets up. Side slopes on some fairways and a few other arrangements tend to feed balls toward undesirable approaches. But that's golf, right. I feel like the challenges offered are fair and can be fun to play. I want to go back and show that course who is boss.
Challenging but fun
Great place to pay in the city. Requires straight shots off the tee box but fairway layout is forgiving.
The greens need work. Too many fungus issues cause poor putting green conditions. Till a great pace to play tho.
Lots of twists
You downhill tee shots, dog leg left and right. Up to green, down to green. Some tight fairways.
The greens were smooth and fast the day I was there. Not always the case - anywhere.
Greens were in good shape, some bad spots in fareways, most tee boxes need help
There were some spots in the fareways with no grass. The red tee boxes had weeds and dirt and not much grass for the most part. Greens seemed to be in good shape and challenging enough.
Course is in great shape, but pace was slow.
Good trip back to Rose City after not playing it for many years. Fairways and greens were well-watered. Early on the pace was good, but we caught up with some kind of tournament on the back side and that bogged us down. Generally a good time with golfing buddies and great deal from GolfNow.
