We finished our quick trip to Bend with a round at Juniper Golf Course on the way out of town. Juniper is in Redmond and very convenient to Highway 97, the main road through the area. The course’s location allowed us to easily get back on the road to Portland after our round.
Juniper is a mid-shelf course that I’ve never really heard much about, at least when compared to other similar-priced courses such as Widgi Creek or Aspen Lakes. Honestly, I have no idea why Juniper doesn’t get more press – I thought it was a fantastic course! Maybe it is because Juniper doesn’t have the wooded look like those two courses I mentioned do. I’m sure the locals don’t want my good news to get out though, so if you read this and play here, don’t tell anyone I suggested it. Ha!
Juniper is a John Harbottle III design and it opened in 2005. Similar to the setting at nearby Pronghorn, Juniper is located out in the untouched desert landscape without any homes surrounding the course. The high desert and no housing result in a rugged, natural look which I thought was pretty stunning. The bunkers have wispy grass around the edges, something I love. Lots of jagged volcanic rocks, golden brown fescue and the juniper trees give the golf course a great look, as well as its name.
Just like the look of the course, I thought the design at Juniper was very good too. I’ve played a couple other Harbottle courses and enjoyed his work. Overall, Juniper seems to balance challenging elements with playability. As you’ll see in the pictures the course is friendly off the tee and the only trees in play are those shorter juniper trees. Plus, the desert is cleared out to help with playability. However, the course gets more challenging on the approach shots and around the greens. The greens have narrow tongues and angle in interesting ways. There is just enough elevation change to have the first-time golfer guessing at the best spots to land the ball.
We played the green tees which are 71.2/126/6653 and the mixed yardages are another thing to like about the course. The par-3’s are between 135 and 207 yards, the par-4’s are between 262 and 461 yards and the par-5’s are between 490 and 616 yards. It turned out to be one of those courses where I hit almost every club in the bag. I think the key to scoring well here is to take advantage of the short holes.
I’m not sure there is a signature hole at Juniper, but there are many good golf holes that kept me interested throughout the round. The front nine has the 5th and 6th, which were challenging. The 5th is a mid-length par-4 (413 yards) that plays uphill. The tee shot is straightforward before the approach plays over a hill in the fairway. That hill completely obstructs the view of the green, which is guarded by two bunkers to the left and the rocky terrain over the back. The 6th is a massive 616 yard par-5 with another grassy upslope in the fairway. I’m an average length hitter and it took me two solid hits to get to the top of the hill for a clear look at the green.
The back nine has a driveable par-4 and brings some water into play. The 12th is a short par-4 and at only 262 yards it tempts you to go for the green. The green sits up on a small hill with a depression short of the green. Tall grass, a bunker and a juniper tree surround the green complex. It is a fun hole. The 15th and 18th are scenic, with good color, since both holes have water to the right.
We paid $60 to walk for a noon tee time and I thought the value was good, at least as far as pricing goes for golf here in Bend. The conditions were very nice. The turf throughout the course was lush and the tees, fairways, rough and greens played as good as everything looks in my pictures. The greens were quick and smooth – I actually thought the greens rolled better here than at Tetherow, where we played yesterday.
Personally, I cannot find much wrong with Juniper. If I lived in Bend I’d play here regularly as I prefer the layout over the other more dramatic, but less playable, mid-shelf courses – at least out of what I’ve played so far. If you are doing a golf trip to Bend and looking to add in a sub $100 round, then Juniper gets my vote. I left the course pleasantly surprised in multiple ways.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):