I had the great pleasure of playing Jackson Park Golf Course while on a trip to Seattle, Washington a couple of weeks ago, and I want to take this opportunity to suggest if you ever get the chance you should give it a try yourself.

Jackson Park is one of Seattle’s municipal golf courses. Located just a couple miles north of downtown, in the summertime expect it to be full from dawn to dusk. We decided to go out there on a Monday afternoon. it was sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and about 80 degrees outside. We arrived a little before our 2:40 tee time and I was immediately taken aback by the number of people at the course. The tee sheet was completely full and people were lined up at the first tee waiting to tee off. I asked my buddy who joined us and is from Seattle if anyone worked up here and he said, “when it is sunny out here, everyone gets sick.” I believe it.

For a muni course, Jackson Park Golf Course is a really great course (most in the northwest are – the weather allows for faster greens and everything stays lush year round). it isn’t the longest thing you’ve ever seen, but for $28 bucks to walk, it’s a great deal (it costs another $30 to ride in a cart – maybe their roundabout way to prevent pollution and encourage walking).

Reviewing a Seattle golf course like this is an easy thing to do. The pace of play, though not great, was bearable, considering the number of golfers, and the service was relatively good.

The course starts out with a par five undulating down and then up a hill. it symbolizes the game you need for the entire course – hit it in the fairway and you are guaranteed a fun round. Hit it in the rough, and in all likelihood you are pitching out, not because the rough is that long or arduous, but because trees large and small line every hole, and more than likely if you end up in the rough you will be behind or under one.

My favorite hole on the course is number 7, a drivable par 4 (if you hit a bomb). it is tempting because the tee box is elevated, the green is large, and it looks shorter than it really is. there is water guarding the front right side of the green, but a sliver of fairway allows a perfectly placed tee shot to make its way to the green (I hit it in the water, but managed to get up and down for par).

If you are going to try to make it out to Jackson Park Golf Course in the summertime, make sure to get a tee time. and be careful, they have a weird rule that if you don’t show up at least 15 minutes early they reserve the right to give your tee time away. I didn’t experience this first hand but read about it on the Internet, so it must be true!!

Jackson Park – A Great Seattle Golf Course