Central Oregon Looks to Return to Glory Days - Part 3

By: Jeff Shelley

Like Tetherow in Bend - featured in Part 2 of this series - two other high-end golf-related developments in Central Oregon are also on the up and up now that the national economy and local housing markets have improved, adding even more glitter to the future of golf in this alluring part of the Pacific Northwest. Let's take a look at this pair.

Pronghorn

Developed by a California firm, Hix-Rubenstein Companies, 640-acre Pronghorn had serious aspirations when it debuted its private Tom Fazio 18 in 2006, followed by the resort-style Nicklaus 18 the next year. But because the project site is surrounded by 20,000 acres of federal land, access and infrastructure were difficult, and costly, before work could even begin on the two courses.

Utilities were brought in from Powell Butte Highway, and a winding, four-mile entry road was paved into Pronghorn's site. Once access was enabled, construction started on the estimated $150 million project. In addition to the two courses crafted by two internationally known architects, the original plans called for 700 housing units (later downsized to 400), a 55,000-square-foot clubhouse, 41-acre village center, tennis and conference facilities, extensive golf-practice areas later augmented by a high-tech golf academy, a lodge and spa. Almost a decade after the first course opened, all these amenities are near completion.

In May 2012, Pronghorn Golf Club & Resort announced a partnership with Auberge Resorts, a firm based in Mill Valley, Calif., resulting in the facility's new upscale moniker of "Pronghorn, An Auberge Resort." (Auberge also operates Auberge de Soleil, Calistoga Ranch and Solage Calistoga in Napa Valley, Calif.; Esperanza in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and other high-end resorts.)

After nearly 10 years of sitting idle on the drawing board, the final two elements - estimated to cost $20 million - are under construction. The 105-room Lodge at Pronghorn and the Auberge-branded Spa and Fitness Center are slated to be completed in late 2015.

"Our objective is to enrich the resort amenities and services that will be available to both our members and resort guests," said Pronghorn general manager Spencer Schaub. "We have an exceptional opportunity here and all parties are confident that we are on a clear path to establishing Pronghorn as the premier residential community and resort in the Pacific Northwest."

New Homes Rising in the Desert

When I visited in September 2014 the pounding of nails and sawing of timbers were aroar as workers were building the new Lodge and Spa as well as homes in the posh neighborhoods surrounding the golf courses and central village. I observed way more activity than during my previous two visits to Pronghorn.

The place - named after the antelope that once roamed Central Oregon and much of the West - is Californian-chic, with its tawny-colored, hacienda-style clubhouse and many of the massive homes (upwards of 5,000 square feet and more) sporting a Southwestern motif in these high-desert climes.

The Fazio course is open only to club members, who also can play the Nicklaus layout, the only venue open to the public. Pronghorn's play rates are the steepest in Central Oregon, with high-season fees of $210 at Nicklaus and $350 for Fazio, if you can get on it. Forecaddies are mandatory and an added expense. The conditioning of both courses is superb.

Pronghorn Golf Club offers a total of 790 memberships, 400 of which are classified as Premier, 300 Signature and 90 National. Currently, there are 260 Premier and 57 Signature members for a total of 317.

Through its "activity concierge center" Pronghorn is broadening its original marketing focus from wealthy empty-nesters to families seeking fun in Central Oregon. In pursuit of that wider demographic, the club arranges off-the-course adventures such as rafting trips, visits to local breweries (there are 26 brew pubs in Bend - a 20-minute drive away), fly-fishing, rock-climbing, mountain biking, trail hikes and all the other outdoor stuff that makes this part of the Northwest so appealing. Also available are kids' events at Camp Pronghorn and Base Camp along with two swimming pools, hot tubs, basketball and tennis courts, and a playground. Three dining options are on-site.

As usual, Central Oregon's mountain ranges are on full view from everywhere at Pronghorn, which with its expanded family-friendly outreach may have found an enduring identity. A pair of outstanding golf courses certainly helps. For more information, visit http://pronghorn.aubergeresorts.com.

Brasada Ranch

Like Tetherow and Pronghorn, Brasada Ranch has seen its number of challenges since opening in August 2007. Anchored by an 18-hole course co-designed by Oregon native Peter Jacobson and his Texas-based architect-partner, Jim Hardy, the 1,800-acre project was developed by Jeld-Wen - a Klamath Falls, Ore.-based window and door manufacturer that expanded into resort development over 20 years ago - before it was purchased by Connecticut-based Northview Hotel Group, a 2010 deal that also included Jeld-Wen's Central Oregon properties, Running Y Ranch in K-Falls and Eagle Crest Resort near Redmond.

Brasada Ranch's private course is open to members and on-site guests, who stay in suites within the Western-style Ranch House lodge or in pet-friendly "cabins" - actually one- to four-bedroom houses upwards of 2,100 square feet in size - that boast an outdoor patio, hot tub, fully stocked kitchens, voluminous living spaces, HD TVs, and all the accouterments of home. Multi-day stays here are a reason why one might seek to build their own residence at a place with some of the most striking vistas anywhere in Central Oregon.

Unlike Pronghorn, Brasada Ranch has focused from the beginning on attracting families; during my visit on a hot late-summer day the community pool was a beehive of activity with kids splashing in the water and enjoying the pool's manmade waterfall. The resort also features a fitness center and "The Hideout" for youngsters, and makes arrangements for a variety of activities, including helicopter tours, rafting trips, fly-fishing excursions and, appropriate for this place in horse country, equestrian lessons and trail rides.

Jeld-Wen originally intended to build 900 single- and multi-family residences along with the above amenities for its home-owning members. After a few years of inactivity caused by the nation's flagging economy, one that hit particularly hard here in Central Oregon, the residential work has picked up, with 19 new single-family homes under different stages of construction in September 2014.

With its Powell Butte address, the Ranch is situated about 10 miles from the Redmond Airport and 19 miles southwest of Prineville. The golf course is part of Central Oregon Legends Collection, which in addition to Tetherow and Pronghorn's Nicklaus Course includes the Glaze Meadow and Big Meadow courses at Black Butte Ranch in Sisters.

Brasada's golf operation is run by head pro Zach Swoffer, a Spokane native and Washington State University grad who moved to Central Oregon following a stint as the director of golf at Coeur d'Alene Resort in Idaho. Swoffer said that the club has space for 450 members (among current members is Nike CEO Phil Knight). For non-residents who stay on property, the golf play rate is $149, quite a bit less than either Tetherow or Pronghorn.

The personable Swoffer, who was scheduled to get married and close on a new house the same day a week after my visit (he got his realtor to delay the house deal to a later date), said that the club receives many reciprocal rounds from members of Northwest clubs as well as referrals from Tetherow and Crosswater, while people from Canada and elsewhere around the world opt for Brasada's reasonably-priced stay-and-play packages.

He noted that players enjoy Brasada's course, which isn't nearly as tough as Tetherow or Crosswater. "They like Brasada because they can shoot their handicaps," he told me with some pride of the layout that features an intriguing variety of holes, stellar vistas and excellent playing surfaces.

Swoffer added that his task is to take advantage of the improved economic climate and welcome new Ranch residents, continuing to give all Brasada golfers good bang for their bucks. "It's taken time for the word to spread . . . (My attitude is) let's bust our asses and give these folks some customer service."

Such words could also be said about boom-and-bust Central Oregon, which is seeing its high-end resorts doing everything in their powers to move toward a brighter, more stable future.

For more about Brasada Ranch, visit www.brasada.com.

To read the previous installments of the Central Oregon series, visit http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/central_oregon_looks_to_return_to_glory_days_part_1 and http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/central_oregon_looks_to_return_to_glory_days_part_2_tetherow.

Jeff Shelley is the editorial director of Cybergolf.

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