Juniper Golf Course: The Best Value in Central Oregon
High desert character and Cascade views without the resort price tag.
Redmond, OR
Juniper Golf Course sits just outside Redmond, Oregon — a stone's throw from the Redmond Airport, which serves as the main hub for visitors flying into the Bend area. It's a location detail worth knowing, because it's part of what makes Juniper so useful: you can tee it up here practically the moment your flight lands.
But convenience alone doesn't make a course worth playing. What keeps me coming back to Juniper is the tremendous value. Quite simply, it's the best bang for your buck in Central Oregon golf. The high desert setting offers you juniper trees, sage, native grasses, and lava rock framing the fairways, along with some incredible views of the Cascade mountains. It's a similar visual vocabulary as the Pronghorn courses at Juniper Preserve, but without the resort price tag to match.
That said, it's worth calibrating expectations before you arrive. Juniper doesn't have the immaculate conditioning or the memorable hole-by-hole drama of Pronghorn's Nicklaus or Fazio layouts. What it offers is something more accessible — a genuinely enjoyable round of high desert golf that delivers much of the same fun at a fraction of the cost.
One thing first-timers sometimes misjudge: the layout is relatively open, especially compared to a parkland course like Widgi Creek. But don't let that trick you into thinking it's forgiving. The mounding, native rough, and lava rock are all in play if you stray off the fairway. Bring a straight-enough ball flight and you'll score fine. If you start spraying it, the course will find ways to punish you.
Hole 4, Par 4
Hole 4 is short enough to be manageable, but it doesn't play that way emotionally. The approach shot comes with a stunning backdrop of the Cascade mountains — one of the better scenic moments on the course — and a ridge cutting through the middle of the fairway closer to the green complicates your read from the fairway.
The green sits about 15 yards above the fairway, making the approach feel more imposing than the yardage suggests. There are two small bunkers flanking the left and right sides, but otherwise the entry is clean. Get your yardage right, pick a side, and trust your iron. The view will make it feel harder than it is.
Hole 11, Par 4
Hole 11 has the most interesting tee shot on the course. You're playing from an elevated tee box with a dramatic rock ridge rising hard to your right — visually striking, and enough to make you second-guess your line on the first look. But the landing area is more generous than the tee box makes it appear. If you naturally work the ball left-to-right, this hole suits you well — a fade opens up the fairway nicely and takes the rocks out of the equation entirely. The fairway undulates like a proper links course, adding to the fun of this hole.
Tips For Your Round
