Bill Wright Golf Complex at Jefferson Park

About This Course: Beacon Hill Golf with a Skyline View

Bill Wright Golf Complex at Jefferson Park is Seattle’s public golf complex on Beacon Hill, minutes south of downtown, and it is worth the trip for an 18 hole course that has been open since 1915, views of the city skyline and Mount Rainier, and a 50 stall heated driving range. The complex also has a nine hole par 3 course, FootGolf, Toptracer on every range stall and a restaurant with a full bar.

The championship course measures 5,906 yards from the Blue tees and plays to a par of 69, with a 67.6 rating and a 113 slope for men. The City of Seattle maintains the course and Premier Golf Centers manages it, and it is open year round.

Bill Wright Golf Complex at Jefferson Park Fast Facts

Course Overview

The course lists 1915 as its opening year and Robert Johnstone as its architect, and it was known as Jefferson Park Golf Course until October 2024, when Seattle Parks and Recreation renamed the complex for Bill Wright (1936 to 2021), who learned the game here as a teenager and called it his home course. In 1959 Wright won the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, becoming the first African American to win a USGA event; he went on to win the 1960 NAIA individual title at Western Washington University and entered the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2013.

The championship 18 is a short par 69, but the two nines play very differently. The front nine is the long half, 3,305 yards and par 36 with back to back par 5s to finish. The back nine is just 2,601 yards and par 33, with four par 3s, three of them in a row from the 10th through the 12th, so a good iron game matters as much as length here.

Hole by Hole Highlights

Yardages are from the Blue tees and handicaps from the men’s row of the course scorecard.

• Hole 1, 446 yards, par 4: A long opener and the number 3 handicap, so warm up on the range first.
• Hole 7, 455 yards, par 4: The longest par 4 on the course and the number 1 handicap.
• Hole 8, 487 yards, par 5: The first of two straight par 5s that close the front nine.
• Hole 9, 495 yards, par 5: The longest hole on the course, finishing the front nine.
• Hole 11, 187 yards, par 3: The longest par 3 on the card, in the middle of the run of three par 3s.
• Hole 12, 101 yards, par 3: The shortest hole on the course and the number 18 handicap.
• Hole 14, 389 yards, par 4: The number 2 handicap and the toughest test on the back nine.
• Hole 17, 490 yards, par 5: The only par 5 on the back nine and a scoring chance before the 412 yard closing par 4.

Amenities and Practice

The driving range has 50 double deck, all weather, heated stalls, all with Toptracer, and it is open from sunup to 10 PM daily, with the last bucket sold 45 minutes before closing. Buckets run $6 for 30 balls to $19 for 150, and Toptracer combos start at $15 for a medium bucket and 30 minutes. New practice greens, club repair and a teaching program round it out. Private lessons are $70 for a half hour or $130 for an hour for adults, with series pricing and semi private lessons for two; Tony Wilkins, PGA, is director of instruction.

The nine hole par 3 course covers 1,027 yards with holes from 43 to 153 yards, and FootGolf on the par 3 course is $8.50 for adults. Power carts are $21 per rider for 18 holes and $13.50 for 9, pull carts are $8 and rental clubs are $26. Youth on Course members play for $5 every day after 3 PM.

Food and Drink

Beacon Grill is the onsite restaurant, with a full bar, rotating beers on tap and a menu built around barbecue, burgers, sandwiches, salads, breakfast favorites and smoked specialties. There is indoor seating with sports on the TVs and a large outdoor patio for warmer months. The banquet room holds up to 175 guests for a reception or 100 for a seated dinner, and the veranda takes 70 or more for a cocktail event.

Plan Your Visit

Rates, Tee Times and Local Tips

Rates posted for March 1 to October 31, 2026 are reference rates under dynamic pricing, so they can move with demand, plus sales tax and the city admissions tax. For the championship 18, adults pay $42.50 on weekdays and $48.50 on weekends; seniors 60 to 74, active military and disabled golfers pay $32.50 on weekdays; super seniors 75 and over pay $20.50 on weekdays; and juniors pay $18 after noon. Twilight, four hours before close, is $35, super twilight is $22.50, and the weekday early bird rate is $33. On the par 3 course, adults pay $7.50 for 9 holes. Rates for November onward were not posted when we checked.

Book a tee time online through Premier Golf or call the pro shop at 206-762-4513. In mid October the first tee time is about 7 AM, and the golf shop opens about 15 minutes before the first tee time. The course is closed on Christmas Day.

Our Seattle guide has ideas for the rest of the day in the city. For another Seattle public course, West Seattle Golf Course is about 3 miles west, and Jackson Park Golf Course is about 11 miles north.

How to Score Here

• Survive the first hole. At 446 yards, the opener is the third hardest hole on the card.
• Bank shots on the front nine par 5s. Holes 8 and 9 are back to back and both under 500 yards from the Blue tees.
• Bring your short irons for the back nine. Four par 3s, including the 101 yard 12th, decide the inward half.
• Hit the range first. With 50 heated stalls and Toptracer, there is no excuse to start cold.

Final Word

More than a century after it opened, the Bill Wright Golf Complex at Jefferson Park is still a full day of public golf in one place: a historic 18, a short par 3 course, a range open until 10 PM and a grill with a patio.