Outdoor living in gorgeous Oregon
Luxury Oregon golf resort lures mild-weather lovers
With over 300 days of sunshine per year and easily accessible by air, Bend, Oregon is teeming with possibility. Golf, microbrewery tours, fishing, cycling and whitewater rafting are just a few of the summerfall draws, while winter–early spring offers skiing at Mount Bachelor.
Pronghorn Golf Club and Resort, 15 minutes from Bend by car has superb Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio courses open year-round. People are known to tee off in February.
“I have golfed every month of the year here,” said golf professional Joey Pickavance, while dining on fresh scallops at the clubhouse Chanterelle restaurant.
“It’s a little chilly in February, but you get those sunny days and it’s magic.”
With views of the grand Cascade Mountains, Bend is attractive to Canadians who love the outdoors but not the price tags of more exclusive locations. A town of 77,000, with just the right mix of good eats and entertainment, Bend has a lot to offer both tourists and residents.
“It’s got that small-town feel. It’s safe and there are lots of fun things to do, including good concerts,” said Ted Bainbridge.
Ted and Leslie Bainbridge, formerly of Tsawwassen, B.C., moved to Bend in 2001, simply because they loved it.
“It’s a great place for kids to grow up and for grown-ups to play. It reminded us of B.C., but with bigger landscape — bigger mountains, bigger rivers, better golf,” said Bainbridge, from his home in Bend. The couple looked around California and Utah, but kept coming back to central Oregon, where it’s desirable year-round.
A publisher in the tourism industry, Bainbridge is familiar with what is available for golf resorts in the western U.S. and Canada.
“Pronghorn is the best. The golf courses are tremendous, the clubhouse is top-notch and the staff knows how to treat you right,” said Bainbridge. “Mike knows how to make a decent cocktail in the lounge too. Very important!”
Pronghorn was originally an exclusive golf community and became accessible to the public with the opening of the 48-suite lodge in 2010. In 2012, The Resort Group purchased Pronghorn. Prestigious Auberge Resorts now manages it, making Pronghorn the first and only luxury-branded five-star resort in the Pacific Northwest.
“The changes are great for business, service and a positive atmosphere,” said Spencer Schaub, general manager of the resort.
There are properties for sale along the Nicklaus and Fazio courses and completed custom residences ready for occupancy through fractional or full ownership.
The homes woven alongside the golf courses enjoy fabulous views of the fairways and the Cascade Mountains, with architecture integrating nature and bringing unity to the community. Membership is included in the price of all real estate purchases, offering access to all of Pronghorn golf club and resort’s amenities.
In the first private residence club in the Pacific Northwest, the spacious units offer amenities of a second home without the maintenance on the 18th hole of the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.
Members of the Residence Club own an undivided interest, with purchase options of 1/12 fractions and prices ranging from $75,000 to $100,000. The furnished units range in size from 2,000 to 2,600 square feet for three or four bedrooms and offer Internet access, garage, private guest suite with separate entrance, quality appliances, granite countertops and hardwood floors, fireplaces and full storage services. The Residence Club is in the Registry Collection, the world’s largest vacation exchange company.
Full ownership homes start as low as $495,000 for a threebedroom villa at 2,820 square feet to $3.95 million for an estate home. Good value resales are available.
A 5,500-square-foot home on Hole 2 of the Nicklaus course, once for sale at $3.6 million, is now available at $1.97 million. A three-car garage, wine cellar, Venetian plaster walls, circular foyer, Telluride Goldstone fireplace, and Smart Wire security are just a few of the features that make this home special.
For the Bainbridges, Pronghorn is their favourite golf destination for visitors, especially in the fall, when days are still warm and sunny with slightly cooler evenings.
“We had a couple visit from Arizona, and we took them golfing at Pronghorn, whitewater rafting, hiking, dining and we asked them what their favourite thing to do was. Without hesitation they both said golf at the Fazio course at the Pronghorn.”