b'GOLF ALASKAA quiet interior is what I discovered the following day on Chena Bend Golf Course, located in Fort Wainwright. I thought I might hear AWACS and heli-troop carriers taking off and landing during my morning round with Grahek. Instead, I heard birdsong and Chena River ripples set within a serene environment where sylvan confines embrace 14 of the holes without a hint of military presence or, in fact, any civilization at all. The uniquely Alaskan features on Midnight Sun and Fairbanks Golf Course add a certain novelty to playing them, however I would step onto Chena Bend anywhere. Black spruce, aspens and birch stand sentry along manicured fairways and the 180-yard-plus par 3s to undulating greens demand ones focusThis summer, play a little midnight golf at Midnight Sun GC. on Alaskas No. 2 golf course. You always want to play Chena Bend last, says Grahek. There are plenty of pretty (and pretty challenging) holes here, but I favor 12 through 15 as they skirt the Chena River. I also love how most greens and tee boxes are separated by a couple of minutes walk through the woods. I prefer playing a variety of courses, but when Grahek tells me two of his fellow academic retirees reserve the same 9:30 tee time Monday through Friday, I understand completely. Though my round yielded no birdies, I made up for it later when photographing statuesque sandhill cranes as they stage in Creamers Field prior to migrating south. The cranes, their crimson crests complemented by dusky grey feathered bodies, provided a prelude to one mandatory itinerary pause regardless of ones passion for nature: a visit to Denali National Park. Like Alaska, everything about Denali is supersized, from the 7-ft tall, 1,600-pound, 16-point bull moose we observed preparing for the rut, to the Denali peak itself, at 20,030-ft, the tallest summit in North America. I saw 12 grizzlies, including two sows with cubs, another wildlife photographer told me as we stood tripod to tripod, setting up shots of moose framed in the rusts, rouges, and yellows of autumns tundra foliage. Im heading home tomorrow, but I plan to drive right back here when the spring thaw hits, he told me. And I live in Wisconsin.In other words, experience Fairbanks three courses, which offer unique challenges set in equally intriguing environs. But do not miss Denali. Like teeing off at Midnight Sun, Fairbanks, or Chena Bend, its a drive well worth taking. 8 GOLF ALASKA| JUN2025'