Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

The course where I play most of my golf in Oregon – Illahe Hills Country Club in Salem, Oregon – again made GolfWeek magazine’s list of top private courses in Oregon.

If order matters, Illahe was 9^th on the list.

It strikes me as good place to be, except that there is no way at least one other course on the list – Astoria Golf and Country Club – is better than Illahe.  Far from it.

I have been a member at Illahe for more than 40 years and there is no course I would rather play than this one, which has existed for more than 60 years.

It is a great place as it caters to old guys like me, but also emphasizes the importance of junior golf.  That’s great because the young girls and boys who play are the next generation of those who value the game we love.

Just out of full disclosure, here is the list of top private courses in Oregon:

1. Eugene Country Club, Eugene, Oregon

2. Waverley, Portland, Oregon

3. Pronghorn (Fazio), Bend, Oregon

4. Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow), North Plains, Oregon

5. Columbia Edgewater, Portland, Oregon

6. Bend Golf Club, Bend, Oregon

7. Portland Golf Club, Portland, Oregon

8. Astoria, Astoria, Oregon

9. Illahe Hills, Salem, Oregon

10. Willamette Valley, Canby, Oregon

As I wrote earlier, I think Illahe belongs higher, at least one spot higher. 

Over my years in Oregon, I have managed to play each of these tracks.  And each deserves recognition, except Astoria.