Carl Bates of Ashton spends more than his fair share on the golf course, but it isn’t to work on his swing. Instead, he and his wife Bonnie are working on the green itself—at Timberline Golf Course on the Cave Falls Road near Ashton.
Timberline is a full-par, 9-hole course, but because they have 27 tees, the degree of difficulty between tees enables people to play 18 holes. The course doesn’t have any bunkers, but it does have water hazards and quite a few trees to maneuver around.
Despite the fact that they have no automatic sprinklers—they water the entire course by hand—they keep the course lush and green.
“People are always amazed at how green we keep it,” Carl says.
Seeing wildlife is fairly common, but it depends on the time of year. Along with ducks and geese, during the summer golfers may see heron taking off from a pond. Three years ago, there were up to 20 deer spotted.
“They like to graze that rye grass,” he adds.
They try to keep the moose off, but people will see them now and then. In the fall, golfers may occasionally see elk.
In addition to the course, Timberline has a couple cabins as well as a condo, which sleeps 12 and has a kitchen, hot tub and barbecue grill—everything except the food. You'll also find an RV park, shaded by aspens, with pads that are spread out and blanketed by grass, not concrete.
For more information call 652-3219 or visit www.timberlinegolfresort.com.