East/South at Sahalee Country Club

Sahalee Country Club sits in the forested hills east of Seattle, where towering Douglas firs and cedars create narrow, cathedral-like corridors through dense Pacific Northwest woodland. Ted Robinson designed the original twenty-seven holes in 1969, carving fairways through terrain that rises and falls across glacial ridges and ravines. The routing takes advantage of natural elevation changes, with holes climbing through the trees and descending into secluded valleys where light filters through the canopy overhead.

The course gained national attention when it hosted the 1998 PGA Championship, won by Vijay Singh in conditions that tested every aspect of ball-striking and course management. Rees Jones made modifications before that championship to prepare the layout for modern professional play, adjusting bunkering and green complexes while preserving the fundamental character of golf through the forest. Keith Evans has also contributed design work to the property over the years.

The East and South nines combine to form one of the championship configurations, though the club rotates its three nines for member play. Sahalee's defining characteristic remains the enclosure created by the mature timber—fairways demand accuracy, and recovery from the trees presents constant challenges. The greens tend toward moderate size with subtle internal contours, and the absence of distant views keeps attention focused on the immediate tactical problems of each hole. The club maintains a private membership and has developed a reputation for conditioning that suits the temperate, wet climate of western Washington.