Heron Lakes Golf Course (Great Blue)

Overview: Great Blue is the links-style 18-hole course at Portland’s Heron Lakes complex, set on former floodplain land between Smith Lake and the Columbia Slough. The open ground creates broad sightlines and wind exposure, while water-edge habitat, native grasses and the flat topography give the course a distinctly municipal Portland character. At 6,902 yards and par 72, Great Blue is a substantial public layout, but it does not rely on length alone. The preferred line often depends on understanding the wind, the landing area and the way the ground runs toward or away from the hazards.

History: The site was once part of Vanport City, and the golf story began in 1971 when the first 18 holes and clubhouse opened as West Delta Park Golf Course. Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Robert Trent Jones II were associated with that original design. During the 1980s the facility was arranged as three nines, and an additional nine was added in 1992 to form the present Great Blue routing. The City of Portland later selected KemperSports to manage the property and support a new clubhouse process, while the wider site continued to function as a public parkland golf complex.

Did You Know? Great Blue takes its name from the great blue heron rookery on the site. The course therefore shares its identity with the wetland wildlife that uses the former floodplain, not only with the colour of the course’s branding.