50 Words or Less
The Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course is a beautiful, sneaky tough test located in Bend, Oregon. Tee shots require accuracy as well as distance control. Approach shots demand precision.
Introduction
“Resort course” is generally used to describe a track that’s built for the high handicapper on vacation: scenic and easy. The Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course certainly has the “scenic” part covered, but is the course a good fit for the high handicapper? I played a round to find out.
Practice Facilities
Pulling up to Pronghorn Golf Club, one of the first things you’ll see is the massive driving range. It can accommodate a huge amount of golfers hitting off grass tees to several target greens. Additionally, it checks the critical box of being very close to the first tee.
The Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus course also has its own practice putting green. In addition to being large, it’s one of the most attractive practice greens I’ve seen. It’s surrounds by juniper trees with one right in the middle.
Amenities & Customer Service
At the Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus course, you’ll find all the amenities you’d expect at a high end resort course. The carts have outstanding GPS units which give you the exact distance to the pin on a color touchscreen display. There’s also a full service turn station and a beverage cart that gets around the course quickly.
Juniper Preserve, the resort which is home to the Pronghorn Golf Club, is similar in having everything you would expect from a premium resort. We had lunch at the Trailhead Grill restaurant, which was very good. They have lodging for groups of all types and sizes in their hotel and rental homes. Activities are outdoor and wellness focused with many offerings for families, too.
Learn why Central Oregon is one of the best golf destinations HERE
Beauty & Scenery
Before we played our round, several people in our traveling party were hyping up Pronghorn Golf Club for its beauty, and the course did not disappoint. The look is unique – part desert golf, part juniper forest. At times I felt like I was in Arizona more than Oregon, until I looked at the snow-topped mountains in the distance.
The hallmark of the Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course are the juniper trees. While the live junipers are beautiful – and they smell great – the ones that have been struck by lightning are unlike anything I’ve seen. The twisted trunk and branches are right out of The Nightmare Before Christmas, giving the course a genuinely unique aesthetic.
Tee Shots
The fairways at the Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course pinch and swell dramatically, defying my normal rating of narrow, average, or wide. Additionally, they snake left to right, adding to the difficulty of selecting a target. Jack is also no stranger to centerline hazards, as you can see above.
One other element that’s harder to appreciate is the elevation, or lack thereof. This course is fairly flat overall, so you aren’t provided with bird’s-eye views of the fairways. The hole above is a good example: the GPS may tell you to play over the fairway bunker on the left, but without being able to see the landing area, it’s hard to confidently play that line.
If you drive it wildly at the Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course, you’re likely to lose a lot of golf balls. It’s possible to find your ball in the desert areas, but you need to know precisely where it went in, which is unlikely during your first round. There’s a healthy amount of rough between the fairway and the desert but not so much that you can spray your tee shots.
There are five sets of tees at the Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course ranging from 7,397 to 5,256 yards. There are also three combo tees. Being humble in your tee box selection will lead to having a much better time.
Where many golf courses beef up their yardage with long par 3s, the Nicklaus course does not. Additionally, there are two short par 4s. That means that the other par 4s and the par 5s are all brawny, and because there is so little elevation, there is no “free” distance. After you read the next section, you’ll understand better why you’re going to want more short irons in your hand.
Approach Shots
While it’s no slouch off the tee, the Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course really tests players on shots into the green. The level of challenge is not immediately obvious. There is only modest movement in the fairways, giving players good lies and stances. The elevation changes into the greens are generally minimal to moderate. There is meaningful rough, but it’s thicker than it is long.
The challenge starts with the size and shape of the greens. They are generally no more than average in size. The shapes are not bizarre, but they’re set up to minimize room for error. A green might be wide but shallow. It could be wide at the front but very thin toward the back. The designs are subtle enough to give players a false sense of confidence then punish them for a lack of precision.
Additionally, the greens at Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course are thoughtfully defended. The number of greenside bunkers isn’t overwhelming, but they’re placed for maximum impact. It’s possible to create angles where you don’t need to play over them, but that requires a level of precision off the tee that’s not realistic. Ending up with an unobstructed look at the green is as much luck as skill.
Finally, the turf at the Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course is firm. This does open up the ground game, but the aforementioned bunkers close it off most of the time. All that makes very high, soft shots the required option if you want to get close to the flag.
Greens & Surrounds
If you miss the green at the Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course – and you’ll miss quite a few – you need to be prepared for a variety of situations. That starts with different cuts of rough. Around the greens, you’ll find everything from very tight fairway cuts to light fringe to fairly thick rough.
There are some large collection areas, as you can see above. While the short cut may lead you to think these are the preferred spots, it really depends on your short game strengths. Putting is an option, but these areas are significantly slower than the greens, so your speed control needs to be extremely good. If you can’t chip and pitch off tight lies with precision, you might be better off in the longer grass.
If you’re taking bold lines at the flag, you can expect to find yourself in several bunkers at Pronghorn Golf Club. They vary in size and depth, but the sand is uniformly excellent. Competent bunker players shouldn’t have much difficulty getting their ball out and on the green. If you’re scared of the sand, you’ll be forced to play timid lines into the greens.
After playing at Tetherow [review HERE], most greens looked very tame to me. However, after a couple holes, I recognized that the greens at the Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course are anything but flat. There are not many eye-popping undulations, but several greens are clearly segmented, and they all have character. Making long putts here requires strong green reading abilities.
Overall Design
“Sneaky tough” is the phrase that I keep coming back to when describing the Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course. Nothing here is going to scare golfers away. There aren’t a bunch of blind shots or insane elevation changes. The greens don’t look like roller coasters. For the most part, the course is right in front of you, telling you where to hit it.
The difficulty, which is hard to appreciate immediately, is in executing those shots. Your targets are much smaller than you may realize. You might land the ball on the green but without adequate spin or height to keep it there. A drive can be good and still find trouble.
Additionally, the course is relentless. The shots are challenging, one after another. You never look at a shot and think, “That’s impossible,” but you don’t get any freebies either. This is a fun course to play if you like to challenge yourself, but if you need to go low to have a good time, you should be playing this one from some very short tees.
Favorite Holes
#12 – Par 4 – 342 Yards
This short par 4 is an absolute gem. The severe pinch of the fairway (above) forces you to make a choice between laying back and going for it. Driving it onto the elevated green is nearly impossible as it’s shallow and protected by a bunker in front. There is no easy second shot: laying up leaves a longer club in your hand and getting close produces awkward angles. This hole may be short, but it’s not easy.
#7 – Par 3 – 187 Yards
I chose this because it’s a great example of Pronghorn’s sneaky difficulty. This is a mid-length par 3 with just one bunker and a surround that’s mostly cut tight. While that may seem easy, a closer look at the green reveals that the triangular shape requires tremendous control of distance and line. Additionally, the green is elevated and ready to send short approaches running back toward the tee.
#13 – Par 4 – 378 Yards
The prettiest hole on the course is also one of the best opportunities to score. It starts with a cape-like drive where you can bite off as much as you want. Getting closer not only shortens your approach, it improves your angle and takes more water out of play. After you take a couple pictures, focus on your shots and take advantage of one of the true birdie holes at Pronghorn.
Conclusion
The Pronghorn Golf Club Jack Nicklaus golf course is a treat for your eyes and a stern test for your game. Bring a thoughtful, strategic eye and your best ball striking, and challenge yourself against a course that will make you earn every birdie.
Visit Pronghorn Golf Club HERE
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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2 Comments
Hi Matt
I loved the detail of your article on Pronghorn golf club. I have golfed this course over three hundred times and you got the Nuances of the Jack Nicklaus Course down pat. Excellent write up.
Thanks, Bob!