Public

Great Blue Course

Heron Lakes Golf Club

Portland, OR, USA
Matt
tvg5421
migoplaywitkilo
sethex6766
glocar21
+17
18 holesPar 726,902 yds74/139

About this course

Great Blue at Heron Lakes Golf Club occupies a low-lying site in north Portland, sharing the property with its companion Greenback course. Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed the original layout in 1992, and Kyle Phillips completed a significant renovation in 2009 that reshaped greens, bunkers, and strategic elements throughout. The course sits on relatively flat terrain carved from former wetlands, with water features and mature trees defining many holes. The routing makes extensive use of the site's natural drainage patterns, and several holes play along or across ponds and streams that remain integral to the design. The Jones foundation emphasized length and target golf typical of early-1990s championship layouts, while Phillips introduced more ground-game options and visual clarity in his redesign. The bunkering now features more natural, ragged edges, and green complexes offer varied pin positions with subtle internal contours. Par threes play across water on multiple occasions, and the closing stretch includes risk-reward decisions around the property's most prominent water hazards. Heron Lakes operates as a public facility managed by the City of Portland, making Great Blue accessible for daily-fee play. The course has hosted regional amateur championships and qualifiers over the years. Conditioning standards remain high for a municipal property, and the layout provides a test that appeals to accomplished players while remaining playable from forward tees. The setting offers views of surrounding wetland preserves and distant mountain ranges on clear days, reinforcing the course's connection to the Pacific Northwest landscape.

Rankings

Ranked by CV ratings from golfers who've played this course. Positions are shown worldwide, by country, and by state; the Public column compares courses anyone can play.

2635

Best in World

2405

Best in USA

24

Best in OR

Quick facts

Location
Portland, OR, USA
Access
Public
Year built
1992
Holes
18
Par
72
Length
6,902 yards
Difficulty
74/139
Course Vaults score
7.1

Getting there

Most visitors arrive via Portland International Airport, a straightforward fifteen-minute drive north along Marine Drive to the Columbia River floodplain where Heron Lakes Golf Club resides. The route skirts the edge of the city's industrial waterfront before opening into the broad, flat expanse of reclaimed wetlands - a landscape of wide skies, migratory bird corridors, and the distant silhouette of Mount Hood on clear mornings. The club sits tucked within this unlikely urban sanctuary, accessible yet removed, its entrance marked by the quiet transition from pavement to parkland just beyond the hum of nearby runways.

FAQ

Common questions about Great Blue at Heron Lakes Golf Club

Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.

Great Blue at Heron Lakes Golf Club has a Course Vaults score of 7.1 out of 10 based on 22 logged golfers.

Great Blue was designed by Kyle Phillips and Robert Trent Jones, Jr..

Yes. Great Blue at Heron Lakes Golf Club is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.

Par at Great Blue is 72.

Great Blue plays 6,902 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.

The slope rating at Great Blue is 139.

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Course Reviews
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