Central Oregon has long been known as a destination for great golf.  In fact, Golf Digest has named Central Oregon one of the Top 25 Golf Destinations in the world.  They continued to pile on the praise this year when three of the more than 24 courses here made Golf Digest’s 2013 list of 100 greatest public golf courses.  Two courses have a Bend address and one is in Sunriver.

Pronghorn Club and Resort‘s Nicklaus Course ranks highest of the three at number 28.  When the course first opened in 2004 it was private but began allowing the public to play in 2011 but the Fazio course at Pronghorn remains private.  Nicklaus Design describes the course as the first “Desert Style” golfing experience in the Northwest.  Just 6.7 miles from downtown Bend, Pronghorn offers a private community with wonderful golf.  Pronghorn homes for sale.

The senior Central Oregon golf course on this list is Crosswater at number 49.  Part of Sunriver Resorts, this course opened for play in 1995 to acclaim from Golf Digest as the best new resort course of that year.  Perhaps not public in the truest sense of the word, Crosswater is open for play to club members and their guests and guests of Sunriver Resort.  For a number of years the course hosted the Jeld-Wen Tradition tournament as part of the PGA Champions Tour and rumor has it that a scene from the original True Grit movie with John Wayne was filmed at Crosswater.  If you are thinking about buying a home at Crosswater you won’t have to worry about a shootout between the Marshalls and outlaws just deer grazing and maybe a stray golf ball or two.  Crosswater homes for sale.

Coming in at number 66 is the newest course in Bend, Tetherow.  When it opened in 2008, Tetherow was named by Golf Magazine as the best new course of the year.  It is a links-style course designed by the same architect of the Bandon Dunes course.  Tetherow is a semi-private course meaning members get preferred tee times among other benefits.  Speaking of members, most real estate purchases at Tetherow include a full club membership.  Tetherow homes for sale.