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Hardest Golf Courses in Oregon

The 25 most challenging golf courses in Oregon, ranked by maximum slope rating.

The hardest golf course in Oregon on Stymie is Tetherow Golf Club in Bend. It carries a maximum slope rating of 155, stretching 7,298 yards from the back tees, placing it well above the USGA's neutral 113 and into the territory where bogey golfers should expect to lose 8-12 strokes versus their handicap. These 25 courses below are ranked by maximum slope rating, the single best proxy for "how punishing this course is" for the average golfer.

Across the full Stymie directory, the average maximum slope in Oregon is 131 — above the typical US state benchmark around 125. 35 courses in Oregon carry a slope of 140 or higher; a slope of 140+ is considered very difficult and demands accurate driving, distance control on iron shots, and patience around the greens.

If you're testing yourself or planning a buddy trip built around difficulty, start at the top of this list and play from a tee one set forward of your normal handicap range. Course difficulty is not the same as course quality — many of the hardest courses below also rank among the most enjoyable in the state, but the slope rating tells you to bring your A-game.

Ranked

Peak slope

155

Avg max slope

131

Slope 140+

Hardest Easiest Longest Oldest Newest

#	Course	City	Par	Slope
1	Tetherow Golf Club 7,298 yds · Par 72Bend	Bend	72	155
2	Oregon Golf Club 7,070 yds · Par 72 · Ken Kavanaugh · 1992 · PrivateCanby	Canby	72	153
3	Salmon Run Golf Course 6,057 yds · Par 72 · Troy Claveran · 1999Brookings	Brookings	72	152
4	Crosswater Golf Course 7,683 yds · Par 72Bend	Bend	72	151
5	Salishan Golf Links 6,386 yds · Par 73 · Fred Federspiel · 1965Gleneden Beach	Gleneden Beach	73	150
6	Broken Top Club 7,161 yds · Par 72 · Tom Weiskopf · 1993 · PrivateBend	Bend	72	149
7	Stone Creek Golf Club 6,840 yds · Par 72 · Jacobsen Hardy Golf Design · 2003Oregon City	Oregon City	72	148
8	Lakeridge Golf Course 6,715 yds · Par 71 · Charles SullivanLakeview	Lakeview	71	148
9	Canyon Lakes Golf Course 6,949 yds · Par 72Kennewick	Kennewick	72	147
10	Heron Lakes Great Blue 7,016 yds · Par 72 · Robert Trent Jones · 1993Portland	Portland	72	146
11	Aspen Lakes Golf Course 7,302 yds · Par 72 · Bill Overdorf · 1997Bend	Bend	72	146
12	Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club 6,834 yds · Par 71Hillsboro	Hillsboro	71	146
13	Portland Golf Club 6,944 yds · Par 72 · George Turnbull · 1914 · PrivateBeaverton	Beaverton	72	145
14	Widgi Creek Golf Course 6,763 yds · Par 72 · Robert Muir Graves · 1991Bend	Bend	72	145
15	Lost Tracks Golf Course 7,003 yds · Par 72 · Brian Whitcomb · 1996Bend	Bend	72	145
16	Camas Meadows 6,631 yds · Par 72 · PrivateCamas	Camas	72	145
17	Coos Golf Club 6,403 yds · Par 72 · H. Chandler Egan · 1923Coos Bay	Coos Bay	72	144
18	RedTail Golf Course 6,790 yds · Par 77 · Ervin Thoresen · 1965Beaverton	Beaverton	77	144
19	Myrtle Creek Golf Course 6,754 yds · Par 72 · Graham Cooke · 1997Myrtle Creek	Myrtle Creek	72	144
20	Indian Creek Golf Course 6,191 yds · Par 72 · Dave Martin · 1989Hood River	Hood River	72	144
21	Creekside Golf Club 6,887 yds · Par 72 · Peter Jacobsen · 1993Salem	Salem	72	144
22	The Reserve 7,172 yds · Par 72 · PrivatePortland	Portland	72	144
23	Chehalem Glenn Golf Course 6,887 yds · Par 72Newberg	Newberg	72	143
24	Bandon Dunes Golf Resort 7,327 yds · Par 73Coos Bay	Coos Bay	73	143
25	Awbrey Glen Golf Club 7,019 yds · Par 72 · Gene Bunny Mason · 1993 · PrivateBend	Bend	72	143

Frequently asked questions

What is the hardest golf course in Oregon?

Tetherow Golf Club in Bend, Oregon is the hardest ranked course with a maximum slope rating of 155. Slope rating measures the difficulty of a course for a bogey golfer relative to a scratch player — 113 is average, 140+ is very difficult, and 155 is the maximum.

How many golf courses in Oregon have a slope rating of 140 or higher?

35 golf courses have a max slope rating of 140 or higher in Oregon based on the scorecards in the Stymie directory. A slope of 140 or above is considered very challenging for bogey golfers.

How does Oregon's average difficulty compare to the rest of the US?

The average maximum slope rating across golf courses in Oregon is 131, versus a US average around 125. A higher state average indicates courses that are, on the whole, tougher for mid-to-high handicap golfers.

What makes a golf course hard?

Course difficulty is driven primarily by slope rating (how much harder it plays for a bogey golfer than a scratch golfer), course rating (how a scratch golfer would score), total yardage, hazards (water, bunkers, forced carries), green speed, and rough length. Slope rating is the single best proxy for "how tough this course is."