Apple Tree Golf Course

Apple Tree Golf Course is a distinctive public resort course in Yakima, Washington designed by John Steidel and opened in 1992, cut through a century-old apple orchard that continues to grow and bear fruit to this day. The course is widely known for its 17th hole, whose green is sculpted in the shape of an apple — a recognized signature hole in Pacific Northwest golf. From the tips, the layout stretches to nearly 6,900 yards with a course rating of 74.3 and slope of 136.

Apple Tree Golf Course opened in 1992 in Yakima, Washington, a community situated in the heart of a productive apple-growing region in the United States. The course was designed by John Steidel, a Pacific Northwest architect whose work included a number of public courses across Washington and Oregon. Steidel's design philosophy at Apple Tree leaned into the agricultural heritage of the Yakima Valley, incorporating the orchard setting into the visual and strategic character of the layout. The surrounding Yakima Valley landscape — defined by rows of apple, pear, and cherry trees against the backdrop of the Cascade Range and the Rattlesnake Hills — gives the course a regional identity that distinguishes it from generic resort layouts. The centerpiece of Apple Tree Golf Course is the 17th hole, a par-3 built around a large island green shaped in the form of an apple — a direct reference to the valley's agricultural identity.

The island-apple green has become the signature image of the course, featured extensively in regional golf media and travel guides, and has made the 17th one of the more photographed holes in the Pacific Northwest. The green is surrounded by water on all sides, and the shape, visible from the tee, creates both a visual spectacle and a meaningful target challenge that requires accurate iron play to hold. The hole has drawn comparisons to island-green par-3s at other celebrated public courses, and its playful acknowledgment of Yakima's apple heritage gives it an authenticity that purely decorative design gestures often lack. Beyond the 17th, Apple Tree presents a parkland-style layout that makes use of mature trees, water features, and the relatively flat terrain of the lower Yakima Valley floor. The irrigation-sustained turf stands in contrast to the dry high-desert landscape surrounding Yakima, and the green-fairway corridors create a visual oasis against the arid hills visible from higher portions of the property.

Several other holes incorporate water hazards, including ponds and streams that bring additional strategic variety to a layout that uses its flat terrain effectively through routing that creates interesting angles and approach challenges. Yakima's dry, sunny climate — the city averages more than 300 sunny days per year and receives less than eight inches of annual precipitation — makes Apple Tree one of the more reliably playable courses in Washington State. The rain shadow created by the Cascades allows for earlier spring openings and later autumn play than courses west of the mountains, and the dry conditions create firmer, faster turf in summer that rewards ground game approaches. This combination of climate, agricultural setting, and Steidel's design has made Apple Tree a popular destination for golfers traveling through the Yakima Valley corridor between Seattle and the Tri-Cities. The course operates as a public facility serving both local golfers and visitors passing through the valley, many of whom combine golf with the region's well-established wine tourism industry.

More than 100 wineries operate within the Yakima Valley American Viticultural Area, and the proximity of the course to tasting rooms and fruit stands in the surrounding countryside creates a natural pairing for golf-and-wine itineraries. Apple Tree has benefited from Yakima's growing profile as a destination for Pacific Northwest agriculture and food tourism, drawing players who might not otherwise make a dedicated golf trip to eastern Washington.