Hardest Public Golf Courses in Oregon
The hardest public golf course in Oregon is Tetherow Golf Club in Bend, with a slope of 150 and a course rating of 75.2 from the KIDD tees (7,298 yards). It is a resort course that is open to public play. Some resorts hold the best tee times for hotel guests, so call ahead. Next are Heron Lakes Great Blue (slope 146) and RedTail Golf Course (slope 144).
4 hardest public courses in Oregon, by slope
Every course here has had its public access checked against a named source.
| Rank | Course | City | Access | Slope | Course rating | Tee | Yards | Access checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tetherow Golf Club | Bend | Resort | 150 | 75.2 | KIDD | 7,298 | Nov 2026 source |
| 2 | Heron Lakes Great Blue | Portland | Municipal | 146 | 74.2 | Gold | 7,016 | Nov 2026 source |
| 3 | RedTail Golf Course | Beaverton | Municipal | 144 | 74.2 | Black | 6,790 | Nov 2026 source |
| 4 | Coos Golf Club | Coos Bay | Semi-private | 144 | 72.1 | BLUE | 6,403 | Nov 2026 source |
How this list is built
Each course is ranked by the highest slope rating from its men's tees. Women's ratings are used only where a course publishes no men's rating. Only regulation 18-hole courses are included; nine-hole courses are left out.
Only courses whose public access Stymie has checked against the club's own site or another named source are listed, and private clubs are left out. That is why this list differs from the hardest golf courses in Oregon, which ranks every rated course.
Courses are checked in order from the highest slope down, and the list stops at the first course whose public access has not been checked yet, so nothing here skips over an unchecked course. Courses that were checked and could not be confirmed as open to the public are left out. 133 golf courses in Oregon have a slope rating on file, and Stymie has checked access for 6 of them so far.
Resort courses may require a stay or hold tee times for guests. Semi-private courses limit public tee times. Call ahead before you plan a round.
Oregon public course FAQ
What is the hardest public golf course in Oregon?
Of the Oregon courses Stymie has checked for public access, Tetherow Golf Club in Bend has the highest slope rating: 150 from the KIDD tees, with a course rating of 75.2. Heron Lakes Great Blue is next at 146. Courses are checked from the highest slope down, so no unchecked course ranks above the ones listed.
What is the hardest municipal course in Oregon?
Heron Lakes Great Blue in Portland, with a slope rating of 146 from the Gold tees. It ranks No. 2 on this list of checked public courses.
Can anyone play Tetherow Golf Club?
Yes. Tetherow Golf Club is a resort course that is open to public play. Some resorts hold the best tee times for hotel guests, so call ahead. Stymie checked its access in Nov 2026 against tetherow.com. Tee-time policies change, so confirm with the course before you go.
How is difficulty measured?
By slope rating, which measures how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer. It runs from 55 to 155, and 113 is standard difficulty. Each course is ranked by the highest slope from its men's tees, and only regulation 18-hole courses are included. Course rating, the score a scratch golfer is expected to shoot, is shown alongside.
More Oregon golf
- Hardest golf courses in Oregon, private clubs included
- Easiest public golf courses in Oregon
- Every rated course in Oregon
- All Oregon golf courses