Salish Cliffs Recognized by Pacific Northwest Golfer Magazine
In the June 2025 issue of Pacific Northwest Golfer magazine, the par-3 third hole at Salish Cliffs Golf Club in Shelton, Wash. is recognized as one of the “Great Holes of the Northwest,” one of just four holes selected each year by the Northwest’s largest and longest-running golf publication.
After playing the first two relatively benign opening holes, standing on the tee of this daunting downhiller, the urge is to double-check the scorecard to make sure that this is, indeed, a par 3. And it is.
Measuring 291 yards from the Championship tees, on down to 184 yards from the Forward tees, if playing the proper tees, this hole is doable. With the elevation change, choose the club accordingly. Don’t think of the yardage. Let gravity be your friend. The green is large and welcoming, and laying up short is not a bad place to be. With a large sunken greenside bunker on the left, the bailout is to the right, with a benevolent sideboard there to kick any shots onto the putting surface.
The Squaxin Island Tribe and Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, Wash. have set out on a commitment to keep its most high-profile amenity, Salish Cliffs Golf Club, atop the best golf courses not only in Washington state but also to stay on top of the ratings for top casino courses in the U.S. and to be recognized in the national rankings of all courses.
Not that the Gene Bates-designed layout, built on 320 acres with 600 feet of elevation change, has gone unnoticed since it opened in 2011. Quite the contrary, the course and facilities have already collected numerous awards and media accolades, including Top 10 Casino Courses in the U.S., and Top 100 Public Courses in the U.S.
This summer, Salish Cliffs will be hosting the PNGA Master-40 Amateur on August 4-8, a championship it also hosted in 2017.
With a direct-mailed circulation of over 120,000 households, Pacific Northwest Golfer magazine has been the voice of golf in the Northwest for over 30 years. It is the only Northwest golf publication with a verifiable demographic of its readership. It is the official magazine of the British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Alaska and Pacific Northwest golf associations, as well as the Pacific Northwest Section PGA. Published by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, a 501c3 charitable international amateur golf association, Pacific Northwest Golfer is a member benefit delivered to Golf Canada members in British Columbia and to those who utilize the USGA GHIN Handicap System through clubs of the PNGA’s member associations in the U.S., either public or private.
