The Sahalee Country Club
is a private 27-hole golf course and country club in Sammamish, Washington, a suburb east of Seattle. In the Chinookan language, Sahalee means "high heavenly ground." The course is located on a heavily-forested plateau immediately east of Lake Sammamish.
Sahalee is best known as the site of the 1998 PGA Championship, the first major championship won by Vijay Singh of Fiji. It was also the host of the 2002 WGC-NEC Invitational, won by Craig Parry of Australia. The course's original architect was Ted Robinson. In preparation for the PGA Championship, Rees Jones redesigned the course in 1996, 1997, and 1998. The course has been listed on Golf Digest's Top 100 Courses list for over twenty years, and is the host of the Sahalee Players Championship, a top amateur tournament in the region.
After the success of the 1998 PGA Championship, Sahalee was selected in 1999 to host the championship again in 2010. However, that decision was reversed by the PGA of America in January 2005, when the 2010 event was abruptly moved to Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which had recently hosted the very profitable 2004 PGA Championship and set new attendance records. The PGA of America stated tha it was concerned about the possibility of reduced financial support in the Pacific Northwest; the 2010 PGA Championship is scheduled to be held less than six months after the conclusion of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC. As of 2008, the PGA of America has yet to commit to return to Sahalee for a future PGA Championship.
In February 2007, the USGA selected Sahalee to host the 2010 U.S. Senior Open, scheduled from Thursday, July 29th, through Sunday, August 1st.
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SAHALEE COUNTRY CLUB TICKETS
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General information
Since Sahalee is a private course, guests can only play with a member; green fees for guests are $85. The
pro shop is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The
dress code states that
denim is not allowed and that a
collared shirt required; slacks or non denim shorts are allowed. Metal spiked shoes are not allowed; neither are groups of five. The course is open year-round, and its
greens are aerated in May and September. The greens and fairways are both
Poa annua grass. Cell phones are not allowed within 100 yards of the clubhouse.
History
The course opened in 1969, following two years of construction at the then-remote site. The first head professional was
Paul Runyan, a
PGA Tour player who won twice on the tour, including the 1934
PGA Championship. He played for the
United States on the
Ryder Cup team four times, and won the
Senior PGA Championship in 1961 and 1962. The original
clubhouse was replaced in 2001 with a new 43,000
square foot structure.
Course information
Sahalee is made up of three sets of nine holes; South, North, and East nines. PGA tournaments have been held on the combination of the South and North nines. The course is like many in the
Pacific Northwest, with tall
evergreen trees, primarily
douglas-fir and
red cedar, lining the narrow
fairways. The course has many
bunkers and several
water hazards.
On average, each hole has five or six hazards. The East Course has two
ponds that come into play on two of the holes. This is the same for the North Course and South Course. The North Course's fairways are slightly hilly, whereas the South Course and East Course have relatively flat fairways with the occasional hump to create an uneven lie.
The combination of the North and South courses creates a
par 72 layout. From the black (back)
tees, the course measures with a
slope rating of 74/138. From the blue tees the course measures and has a slope rating of 73.7/135. From the white tees the course measures with a slope rating of 71.6/130. From the red tees the course measures with a slope rating of 73.6/129. For the 1998 PGA Championship, the course played as a par 70 of .
The combination of the South and East courses creates a par 72 layout. From the black tees the course measures with a slope rating of 74/138. From the blue tees the course measures with a slope rating of 73.7/135. From the white tees the course measures with a slope rating of 71.6/130. From the red tees the course measures with a slope rating of 73.6/129.
The combination of the North and East courses creates a par 72 layout. From the black tees the course measures with a slope rating of 74/138. From the blue tees the course measures 6,769 with a slope rating of 73.7/135. From the white tees the course measures with a slope rating of 71.6/129. From the red tees the course measures with a slope rating of 73.6/129.
As a par 70,
Greg Kraft holds the course record of 65, which is five under par. As a par 71,
Robert Allenby holds the course record of 63, eight under par.