Tumwater Valley Golf Club

Tumwater Valley Golf Club sits in Tumwater, Washington, just south of the state capital of Olympia in the Puget Sound region. The course was designed by Roy Goss and Glen Proctor, both Pacific Northwest architects who worked on numerous layouts in Washington and Oregon during the mid-to-late twentieth century. Their design here reflects the regional approach of routing golf through forested terrain with elevation changes characteristic of the area's glacially-shaped landscape. The course occupies rolling ground with mature stands of Douglas fir and other native trees framing many holes. Water features come into play on several holes, typical of courses built in this part of Washington where streams and wetlands are common landscape elements. The routing takes advantage of natural contours, with holes moving through corridors of evergreens and across more open areas where views extend toward the surrounding hills. Tumwater Valley serves as a daily-fee facility accessible to the public, fitting the pattern of community-oriented golf courses that emerged in smaller Pacific Northwest cities during the latter half of the twentieth century. The course provides a straightforward test of golf without severe length or extreme hazards, designed to accommodate a range of skill levels while presenting enough variety in hole character to maintain interest throughout the round. The setting offers the wooded, temperate atmosphere common to golf in western Washington, where the climate supports year-round play despite frequent rainfall.