Some golf courses just seem to carry the spirit of the season with them all year long. That’s especially true of golf establishments that contain the name Christmas in their title, like Christmas Valley Golf Course, Christmas Lake Golf Course, and Christmas Mountain.
Built in 1964, Christmas Valley Golf Course was Oregon’s longest 9-hole course for a number of years. Located in south-central Oregon, the course features long, narrow fairways, challenging greens, and roughs that quickly transition to native desert habitat. The area is also popular for other outdoor recreational activities including fly fishing on the Chewaucan River, birding, or hiking the many trails.
Recently, Golf Digest magazine listed Christmas Lake Golf Course as one of the top 75 public golf courses in America, while Indiana Business magazine rated the course as the 7th most challenging in Indiana. Christmas Lake Golf Course is located in picturesque southern Indiana and features tree-lined fairways, rolling hills, valleys, and sparkling lakes. The course was designed by renowned golf course architect Edmund Ault in 1967. Ault’s other credits include designing the Tournament Players Course at Avenal in Potomac, Md., and remodeling of the Congressional Country Club. The front nine at Christmas Lake is relatively flat and has just one dog leg. The back nine, however, is very hilly and not quite as open. Appropriately, the golf course is located in Santa Claus, Ind.
The final holiday-themed golf course is Christmas Mountain, which is Wisconsin Dells’ premier golf and ski resort. Etched into the rolling hills, Christmas Mountain offers 27 holes of championship g
olf. The golf courses at Christmas Mountain received 4 stars by Golf Digest’s annual round up of “Best Places to Play.” Tourism has played a major role in Wisconsin Dells since the mid 1880s when the first boat tours ventured up the Wisconsin River, introducing vacationers to the Cambrian Sandstone Cliffs that make up the dells. During winter months, the area is popular with cross-country skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts.
No matter what time of year you visit Christmas Valley Golf Course, Christmas Lake Golf Course, or Christmas Mountain, their respective names will provide a gentle but constant reminder of the holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Rick Stedman is an avid golfer, RVer, and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. Rick writes a golf column, “The RV Golfer,” which is published every month in rvlife.com. He can be reached at rstedman@gmail.com.
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