The Golf Club at Newcastle

The Golf Club at Newcastle sits on a forested ridgetop between Lake Washington and the Cascades, on land with a layered past: coal was mined here from the 1860s into the twentieth century, later strip-mined, and a landfill operated on the site until 1992. Seattle-area businessman Scott Oki acquired the property in 1994 and transformed it into a 350-acre, two-course public complex anchored by a 44,000-square-foot clubhouse. Architect Robert E. Cupp, working in consultation with Masters champion Fred Couples, designed both layouts. The flagship Coal Creek course opened in 1999, stretching past 7,000 yards, followed by the shorter, gently rolling China Creek in 2001. On clear days the higher holes deliver sweeping panoramas of the Seattle skyline, Mount Rainier, and the Olympic Mountains, making the views as memorable as the golf.