Crosswater Golf Club
PGA Tour veteran Fred Funk mastered Crosswater Golf Club in winning the 2010 Champions Tour’s Jen-Weld Tradition, which was held in August, by shooting 12-under par on the difficult 7,683-yard, par-72, Robert E. Cupp layout, with a final round 69. Did the Champions Tour play the golf course from the tips? According to the member I played with they played from a variety of locations.
The tips, or back tees at Crosswater present a different golf course compared with the ‘championship tees’, or the men’s tees. Since I was playing with a couple of members it seemed respectful to play from the championship tees with them, rather than stepping back to the tips on my own, even though the furthest tee is typically the best place to review a golf course from.
The bridge to a better tee box. . .
Playing the Silver tees only lasted 9 holes. On just about every hole the the tee box for the tips looked more pristine and was typically isolated away from the others, but not so far away that playing from them would result in a day full of hybrid approach shots. After bombing the ball around the front nine and getting no results on the scorecard, my yearnings for a better tee box led to switch to the tips on the 10th hole, with the encouragement of my playing partners.
Reviewing a golf course from the ‘next set of tees’, rather than from the tips where the architect designed the course, is folly. Even if the reviewer doesn’t have the game to hang from the distances presented by some championship golf courses – that’s sort of the point. To illustrate this point – the front nine at Crosswater was blur, but I remember every shot on the back nine.
From the rocket 3-wood off the tee on the 10th to the hybrid from the sand, in the dark on the 18th, only to get up and down for par, the back nine at Crosswater remains deeply embedded in memory, and I chalk that up to reviewing the golf course from where Crupp wanted. His vision from the far tees was expansive, vast, majestic and crisp – the Bend backdrop lending to a massive feeling golf course that winds its way around the gold-medal fishing worthy Deschutes River, and through a scenic high-alping valley. Bend is a most serene backdrop, especially in the Fall.
I’m not suggesting every amateur who tees it up at Crosswater play from the Gold Tees. In fact, that would be a disaster. Every now and then though, there’s nothing wrong with stepping back to that lonely tee box and firing off a drive, or two. Plus, those tee boxes are typically pristine with no one playing on them.
Funk played Crosswater well because he stayed in the fairway. Length, although it sounds necessary at over 7,600-yards, is ironically not necessary. Those holes that required a forced carry over water or wetlands were made for a consistently straight, 260-yard drive from the tee. With Crosswater, Crupp put a premium on accuracy and tempts players with forced carries, but also offers wide fairways that reward straight drives with plenty of roll. The near mile-high altitude also helps melt away some of those 7,600-plus yards.
The members I played with pointed out a number of quirks on the golf course, such as the house where George W. apparently parties with his crew during the Jen Weld. They helped me read the surprisingly tricky greens and we finished the round at dusk. It was a beautiful day all the way around; the golf course was in spectacular condition and the weather in Bend over-the-top nice. With Bend becoming somewhat of a golf mecca offering a plethora of choices, Crosswater could potentially get lost in the shuffle, simply because it seems drab compared to the ultra hard Tethrow, or the ultra-beautiful courses at Pronghorn.
In terms of having a pleasurable experience, however, the round at Crosswater was tops. That conclusion is based mostly because of the company, but also because of the amazing customer service offered by Sunriver, combined with a crisp and clear, blue-skyed, 75-degree afternoon and a championship golf course in perfect condition.
Here are some photos:
–end
PNW Golf Review 
No trackbacks yet.