Apple Tree Golf Course

About This Course: The Island Green Shaped Like an Apple

Apple Tree Golf Course in Yakima is a public course set among apple orchards the course describes as 100 years old, and the reason to make the drive is the 17th hole: a par 3 played to an island green shaped like an apple. An Inside Golf Newspaper review quoted on the course site says the green measures over 10,000 square feet with nine tee boxes, and Top 100 Golf Courses says many consider it one of the best golf holes in Washington.

It is an 18 hole, par 72 course that plays 6,961 yards from the Black tees, with five sets of tees, a grass tee practice range, PGA instruction and the Apple Tree Grill in the clubhouse.

Apple Tree Golf Course Fast Facts

Course Overview

The scorecard says Apple Tree was established in 1992, and Top 100 Golf Courses says it debuted that year as the focal point of a residential development within Apple Tree Resort. In a 2013 GolfPass feature, Jason Scott Deegan wrote that the course is a John Steidel design built on a century old apple orchard, and that cousins John and Bill Borton, two of the original developers, gave the routing its apple theme by reshaping the final three holes to include the island green.

Deegan found the front nine the more scenic side, with an orchard that still bears fruit, while the back nine has more homes along it and several man made water features, including a large waterfall near the 14th green. The card leans long on the way in: the front nine plays to par 35 at 3,437 yards, and the back nine plays to par 37 at 3,524 yards with three par 5s.

Hole by Hole Highlights

Yardages are from the Black tees, from the course’s own scorecard. Hole notes from GolfPass date to its 2013 visit.

• Hole 3, 546 yards, par 5: The head pro at the time told GolfPass that golfers regularly eat apples and pears off the trees near the third hole in the fall.
• Hole 4, 461 yards, par 4: The number 1 handicap hole for men and women, and the hole Deegan called possibly the best on the course.
• Hole 9, 420 yards, par 4: The number 3 handicap for men. GolfPass described ponds that make the tee shot hard here and on 18, and 9 shares a double green with 18 above the water.
• Hole 12, 595 yards, par 5: The longest hole on the course by 49 yards. Plan on three full shots.
• Hole 13, 149 yards, par 3: The shortest hole and the number 18 handicap, the best birdie chance on the card.
• Hole 15, 423 yards, par 4: The number 2 handicap for men and the hardest hole on the back nine.
• Hole 17, 180 yards, par 3: The apple island green. GolfPass described a bunker that forms the apple’s stem, seen from elevated tees; from the Red tees it plays 106 yards.
• Hole 18, 506 yards, par 5: Deegan called the tee shot a risk and reward play, followed by a tough uphill approach, with an apple shaped bunker of reddish brown crushed lava rock below the green. A local rule makes the 9th fairway out of bounds while you play 18.

Amenities and Practice

The practice range hits off a real grass tee rather than artificial turf, with practice bunkers and targets. Les Blakley, PGA, teaches May through October by appointment: $50 for 30 minutes and $90 for an hour; call him at 509-879-4873. He was inducted into the PNW PGA Hall of Fame in 2017.

The pro shop sells clubs and apparel and offers custom club fitting. The clubhouse Banquet Room holds up to 150 people for tournaments and events.

Food and Drink

The Apple Tree Grill in the clubhouse leans into the land’s farming history, with framed photos and antique orchard tools on the walls. The signature dish is Applewood Smoked Prime Rib, alongside ten entree salads and a list of beers, wines and specialty cocktails. Spring and summer hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. A service window on the west side of the clubhouse sells snacks and meals to go, and you can call in an order from the 9th tee at 509-966-5877, extension 71. The tiered outdoor patio looks out over the course, and the Slice Outdoor Lounge gives you a second place to sit outside.

Plan Your Visit

Rates, Tee Times and Local Tips

Apple Tree does not post a green fee sheet. Prices are set in its online booking engine and change with the date and time of day, and you need a Yakima resident ID at check in to get the resident rate. When we checked on October 8, 2026, tee times for Friday, October 9 ran from $71 to $164 for 18 holes with a cart for nonresidents and $60 to $128 for Yakima residents, with late afternoon the cheapest. Walking rates are offered at check in. Regulars can buy a 2026 punch card: 10 rounds any day for $850 ($85 a round) or 10 weekday rounds for $630 ($63 a round), plus tax, with a $20 cart add on per round.

Book on the Apple Tree tee times page, in the Apple Tree app, or by calling 509-966-5877. Fall tournaments run through October 18, so check the schedule before a weekend round.

Our Yakima city guide covers the rest of your trip, and our Yakima Valley wineries guide picks up where the Grill’s wine list leaves off. For a second round in town, try Westwood Golf Course or Fisher Park Golf Course.

How to Score Here

• Play to the middle of the apple on 17. The green is huge, so hitting it beats chasing the pin.
• Treat holes 4 and 15, the two hardest for men, as par holes and take a bogey without a fight.
• Pick your tees honestly. The Black tees carry a 141 slope; White at 6,311 yards is plenty of golf for most players.
• Bank a stroke at 13, the shortest hole at 149 yards, before the long closing stretch.

Final Word

Apple Tree pairs the apple island green on 17 with a long, orchard framed layout and a clubhouse grill that tells the story of the land it sits on.