Golf at Pronghorn and around Bend

As the course has become more outwardly known as a public access, the course has shot up the Top 100 rankings and is one of the finest public-access courses in the Nicklaus portfolio. Shaped naturally through high desert and juniper forest, the course presents a variety of different looks.
But the back nine steals the show with a flurry of dramatic, <>

Titleist 2010 CB Forged Irons

risk-reward holes: back-to-back short par 4s, followed by back-to-back par 5s.
Resort guests and daily fee play on the Nicklaus are accompanied by forecaddies, who can come in handy on some of the course's more strategic holes. Guests have limited access to Pronghorn's Fazio Course, most well known for the par-3 eighth that sits atop two lava tubes. Guest play is limited to after 2 p.m. and runs $295 with a member-host.
The most recent addition to Pronghorn in 2011 is the PGA Tour academy. Pronghorn's new partnership with the tour brand now hosts destination golf schools and also specializes in corporate retreats.
For those who want to see even more of Bend's golf scene,

Titleist 909 F3 Fairway Woods

start at Sunriver Resort's Crosswater Course, a Bob Cupp design that hosted the Jeld-Wen Tradition on the Champions Tour for many years.
For something more low-key, check out local-beloved Aspen Lakes Golf & Country Club in Sisters. Family-built, it's an affordable, fun, high juniper-forest course that is a lot of fun to play and a real bargain.