WILDWOOD GOLF COURSE IS A LAIDBACK PORTLAND GEM

With its evergreen forests and rolling hills, this breathtaking Oregon track lets you come as you are.

KENDRA LITTLE

Visual storyteller at Lie + Loft

Hannah texted me early that morning: “Hey I want to play golf today.” 

So I said “Ok. Let me rack my brain for where we should go play.” 

I went through the various golf courses of Portland, and tried to keep it close to my hood (Northwest). Then I remembered Wildwood Golf Course. I had never played it — I’d spotted it two years prior, magically sitting in a valley on a sunny Sunday drive up Highway 30.  It came of great surprise for the course to appear; it looked beautiful.

Two years later, as fate would have it, Hannah and I were on our way to play Wildwood. (You can check out our Wildwood course maps here). 

I knew it was going to be packed as it was a beautiful day and a bank holiday, so a little anxiety kicked in. All my life I’ve always felt anxiety arriving at a busy golf course, and I’m not entirely sure why. 

We arrived to a full parking lot, and later I would discover it was one the busiest days that Wildwood has *ever* encountered. We checked in with the pro shop and discovered that we had been put with another twosome. Hannah and I were hoping we were going to get to play alone, just so that we could do our thing — she’s just getting into the game. But we met our playing partners a few short minutes later, and to our surprise and delight, it was another couple who were also just getting into golf: Heather + Po. We exchanged awkward pleasantries and pegged our tees in the ground, then set off on a new golf course with new homies and nothing but green grass and sunshine in front of us.

Hannah sending one down #1 fairway.
#1 fairway; a dogleg right Par 5 sending you into the mouth of the rolling hils.
Po laying up in front of a surprisingly fast moving creek through #1 fairway
Hannah eyeing a par putt...
...which she drained; an entire mood on your first hole of the day.

We made our way around the first few holes at what felt like a slow pace, but what I would soon come to learn about Wildwood is that time isn’t relevant there. When we got to the top of the #4 tee box I was stunned to see that we were actually keeping a good pace, yet the group behind us wasn’t visible, nor was the group ahead of us. 

Where was everyone? It didn’t matter. 

We were enjoying the golf course, the good shots, and the bad ones. Heather and Po, initially a little quiet, became more talkative. Organic conversation was underway and we soon learned that we all had quite a bit in common. 

#2 flagstick is almost twice as high as the rest; the green sits way up on the hillside.
Mt. Adams showing off in the distance to the east.
Wildwood encourages its golfers to come as they are; I took that literally.
Look good, play good.
Heather improved significantly as the round progressed; this was her best drive of the day.
This picture would make for an excellent caption contest.
Hannah's 100-Yard-and-In game is good, not just for a beginner, for anyone. She hit some great shots.
I feel like a major leaguer walking to the plate to hit a dinger in this one.
Hannah eyeing a long birdie putt!
Po looking to clean up for a respectable bogey.
When you can't shake the paparazzi...
...then you realize it's just Kenny.
Hannah's phone was blowing up when word got out she was playing well.
Po walking in a nice par save on #8 with the sun setting and our round coming to a close.
One last tee shot and one last swing thought: SEND IT.
4 balls on-ish the green on #9!

The end of the round came sooner than any of us had wanted. Golf — and the way golfers operate on a golf course — has a way of forcing you to get to know the people you’re playing with, and as an introvert, it’s definitely one of the things I appreciate most about the game. What other sport can you do that in? By the end of this sun-filled 9-hole round, Hannah and I had made two new friends. But the game isn’t the sole responsible entity in this scenario — so was the golf course. At Wildwood, you feel at home. There’s no pressure, there’s no uptight energy or atmosphere. Just evergreens, rolling hills, and 360 degrees of beautiful views. 

As Hannah and I drove out of the parking lot to grab some food back in Portland, I told her how much I enjoyed myself for the simplest of reasons. And that’s what I feel like Wildwood does best: the simple things. I’m so grateful that Hannah suggested we play golf on that day; a series of events has unfolded since that will eventually lead to more storytelling around Wildwood Golf course — more on that later. I hope that you have your own version of Wildwood in your neck of the woods. A place that encourages golfers of all skill levels, backgrounds, and wardrobes. If you’re ever in the Portland area, be sure to head up to Wildwood. 

———

Golf is home.  // 

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