The Classic Golf Club

The Classic Golf Club opened in 1992 in Spanaway, a community in Pierce County south of Tacoma. Bill Overdorf designed the course on rolling terrain characteristic of the Puget Sound lowlands, where the layout takes advantage of natural elevation changes and mature stands of Douglas fir and cedar. The property sits in the shadow of Mount Rainier, visible from several points on the course when weather permits, providing a distinctive Pacific Northwest backdrop. Overdorf routed the course to incorporate the site's existing topography rather than impose dramatic earthwork, resulting in a layout that moves through corridors of evergreen forest with fairways that rise and fall across the natural contours. Water features come into play on several holes, and the design emphasizes strategic positioning off the tee to set up approach angles into greens that vary in size and complexity. The course serves a public-access facility, making championship-length golf available to a broad range of players in the South Sound region. The Classic has hosted regional amateur competitions and qualifiers over the years, drawing competitors from throughout western Washington. The course remains a fixture in the Spanaway area for both daily-fee play and organized tournaments, offering a mature tree-lined experience typical of established Pacific Northwest golf courses built during the development boom of the early 1990s.