What are the best public golf courses in Bremerton, Washington?

Introduction

In this blog post, we explore some of the best golf courses in Bremerton, a captivating city located in the northwest of Washington state.

Occupying a coastal location on the Kitsap Peninsula, Bremerton is a stunning place and immensely popular with tourists and locals. 

Most people will get there in one of two ways. Either taking the short ferry ride across the Puget Sound from Seattle. Or alternatively driving up the WA-16, crossing the Puget Sound at Tacoma.

The city is known for its picturesque waterfront which benefits from magnificent views of the Olympic Mountains. It has also very easy access to a number of outdoor activities including hiking, fishing and boating. 

For history lovers, its rich naval and maritime heritage will inspire you. Visiting the USS Turner Joy Museum Ship is a must on the ‘to do’ list. 

But surprisingly, it also has its fair share of quality golf courses. Without any further delay, let’s jump into the best golf courses near Bremerton.

See also: What are the best golf courses in Seattle?

The best public golf courses in Bremerton

Best for…

1. Gold Mountain Golf Club (Olympic Course & Cascade Course)

We kick off our list of the best public golf courses near to Bremerton, with the outstanding, and immensely popular Gold Mountain Golf Club.

The club has two sensational championship golf courses, the Olympic Course and the Cascade Course. Both are carved out of the rolling mountainside, just a fifteen minute drive from central Bremerton. These courses epitomize the word ‘woodland’ courses.

In fact, woodland courses are kind of the general theme in this region, so get used to hearing about them. But boy does the Kitsap Peninsula, and especially Gold Mountain, do them well! 

The Cascade Course came first, opening in 1971. It was designed by Ken Tyson and Jack Reimer. Neither are particular A-list golf course architects, but the routing they devised at Gold Mountain is fantastic. 

Granted this is the shorter of the two courses, measuring 6,775 yards from the backs. But you tend to find this is actually the most popular. 

This is because the Olympic Course, despite it being consistently ranked as one of the best golf courses in the state, can be too difficult for the average golfer. 

It was designed twenty-five years later in 1996 by John Harbottle III. An epic layout, it features grand elevation changes, a huge variety of holes and true, undulating greens. But it is a physical layout, which demands every aspect of your game is on point. 

Whereas the Cascade Course is a strategic gem. The open fairways are misleading, requiring accuracy and strategy to score well.

All-in-all, Gold Mountain Golf Club offers two of the most outstanding public golf courses in Bremerton. It might even be the best two course public golf facility in the whole of Washington.

2. Port Ludlow Golf

Yep I get it, we’re getting quite far north of Bremerton. But Port Ludlow Resort is still within an hour’s drive of Bremerton. In fact, on a good run, you could easily do it in forty-five minutes. 

But either way, this is well worth the drive. A superb public golf course and one of the top choices in the area, I couldn’t recommend it more.

This is a luxury resort, featuring a delightful waterfront inn which overlooks the Puget Sound. Guests will also enjoy a marina, award-winning restaurant and various activities, which of course includes golf. 

The 18-hole championship layout was designed by the highly regarded Robert Muir Graves. Graves spent much of his architectural career designing golf courses in the Pacific Northwest, as well as in a selection of other countries.

But his speciality was carving sweeping layouts out of dense pine, fir and cedar forests. He even had a signature design feature, which was to leave a giant stump of a fallen tree in the middle of a fairway. And this same feature is on show here at Port Ludlow. 

The majestic layout is not only carved out of dense Washington forests, but is also a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. You’ll enjoy stunning views and plenty of wildlife. 

As for the 6,861 yard course, it features plenty of elevation changes and many tight fairways. 

This challenging layout requires pinpoint precision on a number of holes to position yourself for the approach and avoid the many hazards dotted about. 

Treat yourself and stay overnight!

3. White Horse Golf Club

Here we have a club which is located right up in the northern stretches of the Kitsap Peninsula. 

In fact, White Horse Golf Club is just a ten minute drive south of Kingston, one of the main ferry terminals across the Puget Sound. Driving north from Bremerton, the scenic route would take you forty-five minutes.

The club is owned by the Suquamish Indian Tribe who purchased the club in 2010, three years after it initially opened. Many people who come and play here end up staying overnight at the Clearwater Casino Resort, which is just a fifteen minute drive away.

Although the course was originally designed by Cynthia Dye McGarey, it is now arguably a John Harbottle III design. This is because immediately after purchasing the course, the Suquamish had plans to make the course more accessible to all levels of golfer.

The original design was tough and considered one of the most challenging courses in the state. So Harbottle III was asked to soften the course, which he did by removing many of the bunkers and opening up many of the approach shots. 

Today, these changes have clearly had the desired impact as White Horse is one of the most popular public golf courses near Bremerton.

Without doubt, the location plays its part. A plot on high-ground nestled between the Olympic and Cascade Mountains. The surroundings are peaceful and the views are spectacular. This is some place to come and play golf. 

See also: What are the best golf courses in Tacoma, Washington?

4. McCormick Woods Golf Club

Just north of Trophy Lake Golf & Casting Club, closer to Bremerton and Port Orchard, is the superb McCormick Woods Golf Club. 

Having opened in 1987, it occupies a huge plot of land, twice the size of its neighbor Trophy Lake. And this sizable plot is one of the few Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries featuring a golf course in Washington.

As you can imagine, the playing experience is delightful and the connection to nature is felt throughout. The routing is carved through an elegant fir and cedar forest, which features serene lakes and plenty of greenery. 

This is however one of the few courses to feature residential housing along most fairways. But rest assured, it is well detached from the course behind a canopy of foliage.

The architect was Jack Frei, who largely kept to designing courses in the Pacific Northwest. So this was a canvas well known to him. 

Yet be warned, this is not just a nice walk in the park. The layout can be challenging at times. Granted there is ample space when teeing off, and the greens are generally quite large. 

But the hidden lakes, ponds and streams will be sure to come into play.  As will many of the subtle undulations on the greens.

Great track and pretty good value too.

5. Trophy Lake Golf & Casting Club

On the southern side of the inlet that separates Bremerton and Port Orchard, is the superb Trophy Lake Golf & Casting Club. 

It is one of a number of clubs in the United States, which prides itself on having two primary activities to entertain members. These are golf and fly-fishing, the latter a hugely popular pastime in this part of the world. 

The club is positioned in a magnificent location. It is just fifteen minutes south of Port Orchard and twenty minutes from Bremerton. If driving up from Tacoma, it will take around half an hour. 

The layout was designed by John Fought and Todd Schoeder and opened for play in 1999. Ever since then, it has been consistently admired as one of the finest golf courses in Washington state, let alone Bremerton. 

It would also very likely make a top 10 list of the best golf courses around the Puget Sound. 

The consistent feedback given to Trophy Lake is how beautiful the site is. Tranquil and hidden away, it is pure nature. Aside from the clubhouse you’re unlikely to see any other buildings when playing your round.

Carved through the dense woodland, golfers will experience sloping fairways leading up to large expansive greens. There are over 80 deep-faced bunkers whilst from the back tees, the course measures just over 7,200 yards.

With both the golf course and the fly-fishing open to the public, make this a guaranteed stop on your next golf vacation to Bremerton. 

6. Rolling Hills Golf Course

Up in the Illahee Preserve in Illahee State Park, Rolling Hills Golf Course has a prime spot. It is also just a ten minute drive north of central Bremerton, crossing the Port Washington Narrows over to East Bremerton. 

Rolling Hills Golf Course is quite the opposite of some of the courses we’ve looked at so far. Where we’ve had isolated, dense forests and huge elevations, Rolling Hills keeps things a little less adrenaline filled. Which is not necessarily a bad thing! 

For starters, the course is much more manageable measuring 5,936 yards from the back tees. The terrain is easy to walk despite featuring a handful of subtle undulations. Also, the pace of play here just seems a bit more relaxed. 

Yes the layout is short. But fairways are generally quite narrow requiring accuracy off the tee. There are also plenty of blind shots and ample greenery to lose stray balls in. Mature trees frame most fairways making this a pleasant place to be.

There is a reason why this remains one of the most popular public golf courses in Bremerton. Location of course counts for something. But the informal, unpretentious nature also helps!