A SERIES OF frosty mornings and a couple of email messages inquiring about off-season rates have lead me to this: my yearly winter rate guide for courses on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Golfers in this area are truly lucky, seven quality courses within an hours drive (from major cities in Clallam and Jefferson counties), and all of them open year-round for players to indulge themselves.
Here are the winter rates for Peninsula golf courses (all rates are general adult rates unless specified).
Clallam County course rates:
■ Peninsula Golf Club (Port Angeles): Frost delays are something the general public will have to worry about only on the coldest of days.
The public can play Mondays and Fridays starting at 11 a.m., and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays starting at noon.
Winter rates through March are $13 for nine holes and $26 for 18 holes.
Non-members may reserve a tee time three days in advance of play by phoning the golf shop at 360-457-6501.
Peninsula is closed for member play on Thursdays.
■ SunLand Golf & Country Club (Sequim): The public can play this semi-private course on Saturdays and Sundays.
Winter rates are $27 for 18 holes and $14 for nine holes.
It’s worth it. I had a great time playing nine there in late fall.
Tee Time reservations are available a week in advance by phoning 360-683-6800, ext. 13.
■ Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course (Sequim): Monday through Thursday from now through February golfers can play 18 holes for $29 or nine holes for $17.
On weekends from Friday through Sunday, greens fees are $30 and $18, respectively.
For more information, phone Cedars at 360-683-6344.
■ SkyRidge Golf Course (Sequim): The Peninsula’s only links-style course, now with a great new clubhouse, has rates of $16 for nine holes and $22 for 18 holes every day of the week.
For more information, phone 360-683-3673.
Jefferson County course rates:
■ Port Townsend Golf Club: Golfers can play Port Townsend for $17.50 for 18 holes or $13.50 for nine holes seven days a week through February.
For more information, phone the course at 360-385-4547.
■ Port Ludlow Golf Club: Golfers can play 18 holes for $30 on weekdays and $35 on weekends.
Nine holes are available Monday through Thursday for $18 and weekends for $21.
Phone 360-437-0272.
■ Discovery Bay Golf Club (Near Port Townsend): Golfers can play 18 holes for $22 and seniors can play for $17.
Nine holes are available for $15.
Twilight winter rates after 1 p.m. are $15 and $9, respectively.
Phone 360-385-0704.
27-hole Winter Links
SkyRidge will hold a 27-hole Winter Links event on Saturday, Feb. 2.
Tee time (barring frost) is 8:30 a.m.
“It’s a little technical but a really fun tourney,” SkyRidge’s Jeff Pedersen said.
Here goes: form a four-player team with a total handicap index of 24 or higher.
Divide the team into two squads for nine holes of scramble play, then switch partners and play nine holes of two-person best ball.
For the last nine, switch to the final partner and play alternate shot.
Each team will end up with a 54-hole score after 27 holes of golf: the two scramble scores for the first nine holes is one 18-hole score, the two better ball scores after a partner switch for the second nine holes gives you another 18-hole score, and both alternating shots scores with your final partner for the last 18-hole score. Then combine these scores for your 54-hole total.
A total of 216 is par for the 54 holes.
Cost is $160 for each four-person team, with lunch from Soren’s Grill at the new clubhouse, range balls, four KP’s and an LP contest. Optional honey pot is $80 per team.
Carts are $15 per seat for the 27-hole event.
Get in the game by phoning SkyRidge at 360-683-3673.
Sixkiller Super Bowl
Cedars at Dungeness in Sequim is offering a chance to play golf with University of Washington football Hall of Famer Sonny Sixkiller.
The Sonny Sixkiller Super Bowl Scramble will tee off at 9:06 a.m. (a nod to the No. 6 Sixkiller wore for the Huskies) on Sunday, Feb. 3.
The four-person scramble event is limited to 18 teams.
Why so few teams? It’s set up so Sixkiller can join each group for one hole and play as a fivesome.
Entry fee is $76 per player with $1,006 available in competition prizes, based on a full field of 18 teams.
If every member of a foursome wears football jerseys that foursome will have two strokes deducted off their score.
And don’t worry, the tourney will wrap well before Super Bowl kickoff at 3:30 p.m.
Arctic Open signups
A format change has been made for Port Townsend Golf Course’s 27th annual Arctic Open golf tournament set for Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 9-10.
Port Townsend’s “major” tourney is popular with course regulars and golfers around the Peninsula.
This year, the format will be a two-person scramble for 18 holes followed by 18 holes of two-person best ball.
Entry fee is $200 per team and includes a Friday practice round, play on Saturday and Sunday with lunch both days.
Players will also compete for hole-in-one and KP prizes.
Golfers are encouraged to bring their all-weather gear and be ready to play since this tourney goes on regardless of snow, sleet, rain, freezing temps or wind.
Stop by the Port Townsend course or phone the pro shop at 360-385-4547.
Tiger and Rory on film
Rory McIlroy joined Nike Golf as expected Monday, signing an undisclosed deal to rep their growing line of golf equipment, apparel and shoes.
An introductory commercial was released featuring the company and the game’s two biggest players: McIlroy and Woods.
I love it.
The spot begins with Rory and Tiger hitting range balls toward a cup, with each player’s shot bouncing up to strike the flagstick.
There’s some good-natured ribbing, Rory calls Tiger “old man” and Tiger fires back with “Is that your real hair?”
Then it switches to a game of “anything you can do I can do better” hitting shots into golf analyst David Feherty’s juice and a bowl of soup at a Chinese restaurant.
I won’t ruin the rest, just comment that the spot reminds me of the classic Michael Jordan versus Larry Bird trick shot commercials from the early 1990’s.
Watch the whole thing at tinyurl.com/RoryTigerNike.
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Golf columnist Michael Carman can be reached at 360-417-3527 or pdngolf@gmail.com.