Tetherow Resort in Bend, Oregon, is like no other golf experience — in Central Oregon or anywhere else. To create Tetherow, world-renowned architect David McLay Kidd, who first made international waves with Bandon Dunes, brought together a traditional Highlands design style from Kidd’s native Scotland with Central Oregon’s High Desert. The result is a championship course that features thoughtful nods to Central Oregon’s natural wonder, awe-inspiring views of the Cascade Range, and creative holes that engage golfers of all skill levels. But Tetherow’s firm and fast fescues, deep bunkers, striking landscape, and hilly undulations create a golf thrill ride. Not surprisingly, Golf Digest has consistently ranked Tetherow as one of America’s 100 Greatest courses.
Best of all, anyone can play Tetherow. Public tee times are available daily, and resort guests (Tetherow was named the No. 1 Resort in the Pacific Northwest in the coveted Condé Nast Traveler 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards) enjoy special rates on the course.
The award-winning Tetherow Golf Academy is also one of Central Oregon’s most respected golf learning centers. It all adds up to an unforgettable golf experience in Central Oregon.
The Tetherow Golf Course Design is One-of-a-Kind
When he designed his Scottish Highlands-inspired, High Desert masterpiece, Kidd brought to life a course unlike anywhere else in the country. He must have liked it. Kidd moved to Bend when he designed it and still lives here today.
Like most of Central Oregon’s best golf courses, the views of the snow-capped Cascade Range are as pervasive as they are stunning. But what makes Tetherow unique is how it incorporates nature—Tetherow is one of the most environmentally sustainable courses in the Northwest—into its design while holding to its Highlands inspiration.
A good steward of the land
Just minutes from downtown Bend, Tetherow sits on land ravaged by wildfires in the early 1990s. Rather than leveling the natural features that survived, Kidd designed the course around those elements to showcase the region’s resilience and better connect golfers with Central Oregon’s desert landscapes. For instance, a handful of evergreen trees that stand tall in fairways represent a long-lasting bond with the area. Tetherow uses native plants throughout, including manzanita, rabbitbrush, bunchgrass, and ponderosa pines. And its fine fescue turf sips water compared to more conventional bentgrass. Even the bunker sand is from the Oregon Coast, another nod to regional beauty.
Both on the course and around the resort, you’ll see Tetherow’s sustainable practices on display in creative ways. “Living roofs,” made up of native vegetation, sit atop the Golf Academy, snack shack, and comfort station buildings. Sustainable, native landscaping is throughout the resort, and the course applies as few pesticides as possible. Tetherow was the first course in Oregon to earn the Audubon International Certified Signature Sanctuary designation—a reflection of Tetherow’s commitment to environmentally friendly policies and practices.
Sharpen Your Game at Tetherow
Tetherow is always an unforgettable test of golf, but it’s also a place for game improvement. Tetherow offers plenty of options for doing just that with golf specials that combine instruction with on-course play.
“Play with a Pro” and team up with a PGA professional for a supervised, guided package that includes a nine-hole lesson, a nine-hole round of golf, a discount to the Tetherow golf shop, and more. Meanwhile, the Fit To Hit package uses the latest precision software (which uses high-end cameras and radar technology) to analyze swings and find the best-fitting clubs for a golfer’s stature and skill level. The package includes in-depth analysis, discounts on new clubs, unlimited use of the Tetherow practice facility, and more.
Resort guests can take advantage of Tetherow’s Stay & Practice package—which includes personal coaching from the resort’s golf professionals, one-hour lessons each day of the stay, unlimited use of the practice facility, discounts on merchandise in the resort’s golf shop, and more.
Tetherow Makes Golfing Fun
Tetherow might be a traditional Highlands-inspired design but it also embraces the modern game. Finn Scooters are one such example.
Tetherow’s fleet of nearly three dozen Finn Scooters, single-rider electric carts with a low center of gravity, is the largest in the West. The sleek scooters allow more adventurous golfers to get around the course faster—all while minimizing damage to fairways and greens.
Of course, golfers can rent classic golf carts, too, equipped with touch screens that allow you to order food and drinks straight from the course digitally. Just place your order and pick it up from Tetherow’s snack shack at the turn.
The Fun Doesn’t End After the 18th Hole
Tetherow believes a good day of golf doesn’t begin or end with a round of 18. Instead, it can expand to include a trip to one of the best-stocked golf shops in Central Oregon or the state-of-the-art Tetherow Golf Academy.
If you need to replace or upgrade some gear, the resort’s golf shop has everything you need for an enjoyable day on the links. The fully stocked shop carries apparel, equipment, keepsakes, and other good-to-have items—such as windbreakers, sunblock, and additional tees.
Meanwhile, the Tetherow Golf Academy is a state-of-the-art training facility with a pair of hitting bays overlooking the driving range—which even have overhead heaters for those cool Central Oregon mornings. A staff of PGA professionals provides golf lessons for players of all abilities, offering on-site instruction, club fittings, video reviews, and more.
Of course, no round is complete until you’ve relaxed with some après-golf food and refreshments. Tetherow hosts three on-site eateries—The Row, a family-friendly pub; Solomon’s, a modern restaurant dishing inventive Pacific Northwest cuisine; and a café serving excellent quick-service fare.
So whether you’re looking to shake off the rust or enjoy a golf vacation, you’ll find plenty to love around Tetherow Resort—on and off the course.
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