Heron Lakes — Great Blue

About Heron Lakes — Great Blue

The Great Blue is the tougher of the two 18s at Heron Lakes, the City of Portland's 36-hole muni just north of downtown, and the course takes its name from the herons that nest on the property. Robert Trent Jones II laid out the fairways to ramble between Scottish-style mounds, and there's water nearly everywhere: the map survey puts water near 14 holes, with forced carries on nine, and about 97 bunkers on ground that's almost dead flat (roughly 23 feet from high to low). Course character from OpenStreetMap contributors' survey data.

It's a par 72 that runs 7,008 yards from the green tees on the 2026 card, and the card sorts the five sets by how far you hit driver: burgundy (6,510) if you carry it 250 to 280, blue (5,959) at 200 to 225, grey (5,262) under that. The finish is what people remember. The 16th fairway is split by a lake and wetlands, the 17th runs its whole length between a slough and bunkered mounds, and the 18th green sits behind a lake down the right. Jones's firm says NFL quarterback Jack Trudeau once drove the 16th green for a hole-in-one in a tournament.

The land has a history. The 340 acres were part of Vanport, the wartime city built from 1943 for shipyard workers, which the Columbia River wiped out when a dike broke on May 30, 1948. The first 18, today's Greenback, opened in 1971 as West Delta Park Golf Course. A third nine came in the late 1980s along with the Heron Lakes name, and the fourth nine in 1992 made the Great Blue, which hosted the PGA Northwest Open that year, the Neil Lomax NFL Quarterback Shootout from 1991 to 2004 and the U.S. Amateur Public Links in 2000.

It's one of 52 courses Yoink watches in the Portland area, and Great Blue Course - Heron Lakes is practically next door — handy when your first choice is booked solid.

What it's like to play Heron Lakes — Great Blue

Water comes into play on 14 of 18 holes, and you carry it on 9 of them. Keep the ball in front of you. It's a sand-heavy layout, with about 97 bunkers. A creek or river runs through the property and comes into play on 11 holes.

Course character from OpenStreetMap contributors' survey data (ODbL).

Booking a tee time at Heron Lakes — Great Blue

Portland Parks Golf opens tee times seven days ahead, online or by phone at (503) 289-1818, and recommends booking before you show up in peak season. Cancel if you can't make it or you may be charged a no-show fee. Current summer rates for 18 on the Great Blue are $58 Monday to Thursday and $66 Friday through Sunday and holidays, with a riding cart $23 per person; seniors over 65 get weekday discounts and golfers 85 and up play free.

How to get a tee time at Heron Lakes — Great Blue