I was headed up to the Portland area for a long holiday weekend and planned in a round at Centennial Golf Club. I have driven past the course many times now on prior trips to and from Portland and finally decided to give Centennial a try.
Centennial sits on some open land in the Rogue Valley right off I-5 so it is quite convenient to travelers. My hesitation to play here has always been making a long travel day even longer – adding a round of golf onto the 10 hour drive! I haven’t played any other courses locally, but Centennial looks to be the top public choice in the Medford/Ashland area.
Centennial is a John Fought design and I’ve enjoyed my experiences with Fought’s work over the years. He designed Sand Hollow Resort in Utah and Ridge Creek Golf Club in California – both courses that I love. So, needless to say, I was anxious for a round at Centennial!
I played from the purple tees which are 73.5/127/6900. From those tees Centennial fit right in with Fought’s other designs. Centennial is playable off the tee with plenty of room to find wayward drives. Like the other Fought designs I’ve played, Centennial then requires accurate approaches to put together a good score.
Besides requiring accurate approaches you’ll also need to avoid the bunkering, four water hazards and fescue grass, which separates the holes. Thankfully, the fescue was cut down during my visit. Centennial is unique in the fact that it is an Oregon course west of the Cascades that is virtually treeless. In fact, I’d even go as far as saying Centennial has a links-inspired look to it, with all its openness.
Another thing that stood out to me about Centennial is the rolling terrain that the course occupies. There aren’t any severe elevation changes, but many holes had a gradual rise and fall to them. That means plenty of semi-blind shots (local knowledge would help) and many similar looking golf holes. I wouldn’t say there is a signature hole, but the 472 yard par-4 18th was a strong finisher.
The conditions were good and well worth the $60 green fee that I paid. If Centennial was closer to a major city then that green fee would likely be much higher. The greens rolled quick and pure. The greens were also firm which made it tough to get shots close, at least without the perfect touch. The bunkers were only “okay” as they were heavy and clumpy.
I enjoyed my time at Centennial and would recommend a round here. The course’s setting isn’t the most inspiring (right next to the interstate), but if you can overlook that then the course offers a lot. I’m a fan of Fought courses and Centennial was no exception.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):
