Portland Golf Club

Portland Golf Club was founded back in 1913 and nine holes on the present site opened for play in 1914. A few years later, club professional George Turnbull added a further nine holes. Subsequently Portland has received numerous makeovers, including one from Robert Trent Jones who is attributed today as Portland’s course designer.

Ben Hogan claimed his first Major title here at Portland Golf Club, winning the 1946 PGA Championship. The following year the club played host to the Ryder Cup that nearly didn’t happen but resulted in a comfortable win for the USA team. Numerous other important events, including the U.S. Senior Open (won by Miller Barber) and the 2015 U.S. Women's Amateur (won by Hannah O'Sullivan) have been hosted at Portland, but the club is rarely billed alongside other historic golfing venues.

Measuring a modest 6,700 yards from the back tees, the parkland Portland is not the longest course in the Beaver State but it’s still a challenging test which demands attention right from the off. The opener is a tough par four which requires an accurate tee shot that must avoid the avenue of trees to set up a mid-iron approach to a shallow, well-defended green. There’s no letup at the plus 400-yard 2nd, where the elevated tee shot provides a clear view of the task at hand. This was once voted among the best 18 holes in Oregon by The Oregonian newspaper.

Portland’s most picturesque hole is the short par four 7th called Bristol – so called as it was funded and designed by Henry Bristol. The 350-yard hole features a lake, which cuts in front of the green. The lake was dredged from former swampland by horses in the 1920s and is perhaps the most memorable hole at Portland Golf Club.