By Kasturi Datta |
Construction is in progress on a new golf course designed by David McLay Kidd on a site near Vasco, Washington, overlooking the Snake River.
The layout will be the centrepiece of River Ranch Golf Resort, a new destination that is the vision of a group of locals who grew up boating on the river and exploring the land.
“I’ve been so fortunate to get to create courses on spectacular land throughout my career... from Bandon Dunes to the latest addition at Streamsong,” said Kidd. “The older I get, the choosier I become. With probably more courses behind me than ahead, I look even harder for those unique sites and opportunities.
“When I first set foot on the site for River Ranch, I knew I’d found another unicorn! Set high on a bluff overlooking the last reaches of the Snake River before it joins the Columbia, this site has breathtaking views, great contour as well as sand on which to plant my favourite grass, fescue. That fescue will give the firm, fast bounce and roll that makes golf the game we Scots intended.”
David Kidd’s routing for the River Ranch layout, on the banks of Snake River in Washington State (Image: DMK Golf Design)
“I get excited to come out and see the river, it just has that magnetic lock. It’s always been that way for me since I was a kid,” said Ben Harris, from the ownership group, in a video about the River Ranch project.
“From March to today there’s been no turnback. It’s been guns blazing to be this stage, so we’re all in,” said Brad Beauchamp, from the ownership group.
Kidd has planned fescue surfaces for the sandy site, for firm and fast conditions (Photo: River Ranch)
The course is expected to open in autumn 2027. Once complete, the resort, which will be managed by KemperSports, will include a clubhouse, guest houses and real estate.