On the 8th day the heavens opened up and rain finally interrupted our Golfing the Islands of the Pacific Northwest adventure. However, we are resilient and sometimes crazy senior golfers. The rain was too severe at our first golf stop (we are not that crazy), so we decided to eat and then move toward Olympia. It was still raining at our next stop (still in Seattle) so we shifted gears and headed to TopGolf. After more food and a few beers, we decided to sit in traffic on I-5. The sky was still dark and getting darker as we approached the 5 o’clock hour; however, the rain was now just a slight mist. The team was getting itchy to touch their clubs on our last day in Washington. There was no way we were going to get to Olympia, so we quickly changed plans again, got out of traffic, and headed to the Williams Nine at Meadow Park in Tacoma.
I played a horrific round of golf today. Was it the rain? Was it fatigue as we had finally concluded seven grueling days of golf? As I celebrated my 74th birthday, had the athletic prowess that I enjoyed in my early 20’s finally deserted me? Or was it just…I’m a crappy golfer? Enough about me and my sorry golf game, let’s see what the Williams Nine executive course has to offer.
Shot Value: All the tee shots are very undemanding and do not require much thought. All you need to do is choose a club and hit the ball squarely on the club face. Something that eluded me during this round.
Design Variety: This is a par 30 executive course with 5 sets of tees (black-1720 yards; blue-1554; white-1380; red-1160; and gold-955). There are 6 par 3s and 3 par 4s with all the greens visible from the tee boxes.
Memorability: I remember it for my poor play, but you might judge it for the wide fairways, tall PNW trees, and a fun round with your kids.
Aesthetics: A green, wide-open, tree-filled course.
Conditioning: The greens and fairways were in excellent shape.
Ambience: A nice facility that includes Foley’s Sports Bar and Grill.
Rating – Uncategorized: The Williams Nine is a good place for the beginner; high-handicapper; kids; and my poor excuse for a golf game. It is home to the First Tee of Puget Sound. At this location you will also find a FootGolf course and an 18-hole championship layout. Both courses are part of the MetroParks Tacoma Recreation Department.
7108 Lakewood Drive West, Tacoma, WA 98467; 253-473-3033; www.meadowparkgolf.com
