Here are all the details about Pine Crest Golf in Vancouver, Washington.
| City | Vancouver |
| Address | 2415 NW 143rd St |
| Phone | (360) 573-2051 |
| Type | Public, Par 3 |
| Holes | 9 |
| Practice Facilities | Putting green, batting cage |
| Instruction/Lessons | No |
| Other | — |
| Food | Snacks in pro shop |
| Pro Shop | Yes |
| Carts | No, push carts available for rent |
| Dress Code | Relaxed, soft spikes allowed |
| Website | https://pinecrestgc.net/ |
I first played the Pine Crest Golf Course in Vancouver, Wa in March 2020, just a couple weeks before the pandemic hit. This was the first golf course I had EVER played, having just taken lessons and bought a few clubs the November before.
Pine Crest is a fun and challenging par 3 golf course that’s been in business for 50 years. It opened on July 15, 1967.
What I want to do now is share a few of my favorite and least favorite holes, and everything else you should know before heading there for a round of golf.
Favorite Holes at Pine Crest Golf
There are a couple of holes I enjoy the most.
Hole 3 / 130 yds
This is hole is approximately 130 yards, though it’ll play a little less since it’s downhill. What I like about it is that it forces you to be accurate and strategic.
You see, behind the green is several trees and bushes. There are bushes, a fence, and houses that line the left side and a row of trees on the right. The green is slightly elevated on both the left and right side too, which means you’ll need to chip it slightly uphill if you miss to either side.
In a perfect scenario, you hit the green. If you aim for the front to front-middle, you’ll have a bit of a runway (since the green is longer front to back than left to right).
However, if you ARE going to miss it, it’s better to miss it short and in front of the green. If you miss it here, you can chip or bump and run your shot onto the green and have a lot of green to work with.
It’s crazy how much this little par 3 makes you think and strategize, which is why this is one of my favorite holes at Pine Crest Golf Course.
Hole 8 / 125 yds
This is another challenging hole to green in regulation.
The green is an oval, and runs long left to right and short front to back. You’ll lose your ball in the brush/woods if you hit the ball long, or if you push/pull it to the left.
You don’t want to hit it short either, because there is a HUGE valley. You’ll end up with a HUGE uphill shot if you hit your tee shot 10-15 yards or more short.
Missing it to the right is your safest bet just because you’ll be able to find your ball and you won’t have any major elevation changes to worry about. However, the fairway for hole #7 runs parallel to hole 8. There is also a small set of bushes and trees to the direct right of the green.
Ultimately, this hole punishes you if you don’t green it in regulation, which I’ve only done once in all the times I’ve played there. It’s just a matter of how bad your punishment will be.
My Least Favorite Hole at Pine Crest Golf Course
If I had to come up with a least favorite hole, it’d be hole #6. This is the second longest hole on the course at 165 yards. It plays uphill, though, so it’s likely on par with the longest hole on the course (#7 – 170 yards) or maybe a touch longer.
This hole has the least going for it in terms of elevation changes, hazards, valleys, etc. There are some trees that divide the fairway for #6 and #3. But that’s the extent of it.
The thing I like least about this hole, though, is that it more or less shares the fairway with #7. If you hit a power draw or hook your shot will go straight towards the #7 tee box. You also have to be ready to duck if the golfers on #7 hit a wayward shot.
It makes you nervous that you’re going to hit someone else, which isn’t very fun.
The Toughest Hole at Pine Crest Golf
There are two holes at Pine Crest Golf Course that stand out to me as tough.
#4 / 155 yds
This hole punishes you if you have a tendency to push it to the left or hit a power draw or slice. There is a HUGE valley to the left that will leave you with a blind, uphill shot to the green if you end up there.
You don’t want to hit it long, though, either, since you’ll also need to hit it uphill without a great look at the green.
Hitting it to the right will either leave you in the next hole’s fairway or hazard or behind a group of trees. Regardless, you won’t have a clean look at the green.
Similar to #3, you want to hit it straight and hit the green in regulation or, if you are going to miss it, you want to come up slightly short. This will leave you a straight and somewhat level shot onto one of the largest greens on the course.
#7 / 170
This is the longest hole at Pine Crest, not accounting for elevation. What makes this hole so hard is the green.
The green isn’t the largest on the golf course. It’s also rounded around the sides. Both of these characteristics make this green incredibly tough to hit in regulation. I came close once, hitting the front of the green, and then watching the ball roll off to the right side.
If you do miss it short, you’ll have an uphill shot – most severely from the front and front-right. If you miss it left, you won’t have to worry about an elevation change, but the tradeoff is that you’ll likely be hitting it from some trees and bushes.
Ultimately, if you miss this green – and you most likely will – you’ll be punished for it.
Why Play at Pine Crest Golf Course
Pine Crest is an awesome course for beginners, since most of the holes are around 120-140 yards, and the first two are around 70-80 yards.
However, there are plenty of elements that will challenge even intermediate and advanced golfers. The elevation changes, size of the greens, and trees will force you to really think about where you want to miss the greens the most.
You can’t beat the price either. It’s around $13-$14 for nine holes and you get a discount if you play 18 during the same visit.
Finally, you can play 9 holes in 90 minutes or less if the course isn’t busy, and around 2 hours if the course is congested.
The bottom line – Pine Crest is an awesome place to get a quick round of golf and some par 3 practice in.