The Golf Club at Newcastle - Coal Creek
I’ve always heard about a golf course in Seattle with a ridiculous view of the city. All that I could remember, though, is that it’s some sort of Castle. So when Dan decided to join me for the PNW merchandise show in Tacoma, and a round of golf obvi, I started googling Seattle Golf Castles, and found it! The Club at Newcastle - with two courses: China Creek and Coal Creek.
After some research, I determined Coal Creek would be the best option for us with fewer houses along the course and bigger views throughout the day. The downside: those extra views show up in the price tag. Located on a ridge SE of Seattle in the town of Newcastle, the grounds and clubhouse are quite striking. We had a fantastic lunch in the restaurant before our round and then used the expansive driving range which has roll-up doors, presumably for shutting out the west wind and winter rain. The facilities are all top notch - there were fleets on fleets of electric golf cars lined up which tells me they must do a ton of tournament business. An enormous tent was carefully tucked to the side of the clubhouse for large events and weddings (there’s no better view for wedding photos). This place is impressive for sure.
The first three holes were a little scary. Tight fairways and blind spots made for placement golf with errant shots penalized quickly. We instantly worried that we were in for a long and arduous round, but after hole 4 the course opened up and so did the view. The remaining holes on the front nine were much more forgiving and fun to play on a first round. We loved the back nine and were lucky to finish our round as the sun was setting over the city and the Olympic Peninsula.
Pros:
Gorgeous view of downtown Seattle, Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula
Beautiful club house - fantastic restaurant. We even found a Michael Schlicting painting on the wall which made us feel right at home
High-end facilities making it feel like a special day out
Well-placed nicely built restrooms “comfort stations” on the course - they even have heated seats!
Challenging course and layout
The greens were in great condition
Most of the periphery is marked with red stakes which makes the recovery from those errant shots much more palatable
They have little yardage guide maps available at the starter stand for first-timers - huge help for those blind shots I mentioned
Can’t beat that view, friends
Things to know:
This course clearly gets a lot of public play - divots abound
We played at the end of a long hot summer - there were quite a few dry spots around the green approaches
There is a big gap (800+ yards) between the forward tees and the next back (white) - A combo or an intermediate fwd tee would be a great option for them
Spendy - Coal Creek is well over $200 in high season so make a special day of it when you go
With big elevation changes between holes this is not a course you can walk
We didn’t see a drink cart and the turn stand was closed when we came through - make sure you have a roadie with you
All in all - the greens fees are steep and so are the cart paths, but the view makes this course worth every penny.