Tapps Island Golf Course

Tapps Island Golf Course occupies a distinctive setting on Lake Tapps, a reservoir located southeast of Tacoma in Pierce County, Washington. The course was designed by the Australian team of Peter Thomson, five-time British Open champion, and his longtime collaborators Michael Wolveridge and Ronald Fream. This partnership, active primarily from the 1970s through the 1990s, brought a strategic, links-influenced design philosophy to courses worldwide, emphasizing natural contours and playability across different skill levels. The routing takes advantage of the lakeside terrain, with several holes playing along or near the water's edge. The property features relatively gentle elevation changes typical of the Puget Sound lowlands, with mature trees framing many fairways and creating defined corridors. The design incorporates strategic bunkering and green complexes that reward thoughtful course management rather than relying solely on length or forced carries. Lake Tapps itself is a man-made reservoir created in the early twentieth century for hydroelectric purposes, and the surrounding community developed as a recreational area. The course serves both local members and daily-fee players, functioning as a neighborhood amenity within this lakeside residential setting. The Pacific Northwest climate ensures year-round play is generally possible, with the course maintaining its playability through the region's wet winters. The Thomson-Wolveridge-Fream design philosophy emphasizes ground game options and natural movement in the landscape, characteristics that remain evident in the layout's strategic variety and its integration with the lakeside environment.