Glendale Country Club

About This Course: A Century Old Club Along Kelsey Creek

Glendale Country Club is a private, member owned club in the heart of Bellevue’s Eastside, a few minutes from downtown, and Kelsey Creek is the thread that runs through its golf course. The club says its 18 hole championship layout has hosted 11 State Opens.

From the Black tees the course measures 6,663 yards at par 72 (par 73 for women), with nine sets of USGA rated tees. Golf is for members and their guests.

Glendale Country Club Fast Facts

Course Overview

Glendale’s roots are in Seattle. The University of Washington’s Special Collections, which holds the club’s early records, says a group of 50 Seattle businessmen formed what was then called Washington Golf and Country Club in 1922. The club’s own scorecard reads “Established 1925.” A June 2025 Pacific Northwest Golfer feature says the club was renamed Glendale Golf and Country Club, that its original south Seattle course was designed by A. Vernon Macan, and that the club moved to Bellevue in the mid 1950s. It says Macan declined to design the Bellevue layout and recommended his construction superintendent, Al Smith, for the job. The old Seattle course still plays as Glen Acres Golf and Country Club.

The Bellevue course is a test of placement. Tall firs frame several holes, Kelsey Creek crosses both nines, and many greens are elevated and well bunkered. The club recently redesigned the fourth, and water is in play on each of the last three holes.

Hole by Hole Highlights

Yardages are from the Black tees. Hole notes follow the club’s own course guide.

• Hole 3, 423 yards, par 4: The number 1 handicap hole, a sharp right to left dogleg from an elevated tee, with large firs guarding the left. Favor the right half of the fairway.
• Hole 6, 214 yards, par 3: The signature par 3. Kelsey Creek winds in front and left of a large sloping green with three deep bunkers on the left, so the right side is the only bailout.
• Hole 7, 483 yards, par 5: The narrowest tee shot on the course, through a chute of 100 foot firs. The creek splits the fairway about 220 yards from the green.
• Hole 9, 577 yards, par 5: The longest hole on the property, a three shot hole for most, with fairway bunkers about 100 yards out and the creek along the right.
• Hole 11, 203 yards, par 3: The club’s hardest par 3, a small green sloping back to front behind a deep bunker that swallows anything short.
• Hole 16, 376 yards, par 4: The creek is in play on every shot, and the tiny green has a false front.
• Hole 17, 456 yards, par 4: The longest par 4 and the only hole without a bunker. The tee is bordered by the club’s only pond, and women play it as a par 5.
• Hole 18, 512 yards, par 5: A risk and reward finish to a peninsula green bordered front and left by the pond, with three large bunkers on the right.

Amenities and Practice

The covered driving range opens 30 minutes before the first tee time, beside a practice green and a two acre short game area. The golf staff of PGA professionals is led by Director of Golf Mike Montgomery and Head Golf Professional Adam Englehorn, with Jack Kelly as Director of Instruction and Player Development. The club offers lessons, women’s and junior programs, club cleaning and storage, locker rooms, Club Car golf carts and 100 complimentary speed carts.

Beyond golf there is a 25 meter pool, open daily from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, with a poolside snack bar. The Palmer Room hosts up to 250 for weddings and parties, with views of the 18th green.

Food and Drink

Chef Fernando Quintero has run the kitchen since 2012. The dining page posts breakfast, lunch, bar bites and a monthly dinner menu. The October 2026 dinner menu runs from pancetta wrapped scallops to a broiled New York strip and Mediterranean steelhead, and dinner is served Wednesday and Friday evenings. There is no food service on Mondays.

Plan Your Visit

Rates, Tee Times and Local Tips

Glendale is private, so there are no public green fees or tee times. Members bring guests, and the club asks members to share its dress code with them. The club does not publish a guest fee, initiation fee or dues. Associate members aged 21 to 35 pay a quarter of the proprietary initiation fee and half the monthly dues. For a tour, call General Manager Clint Whitney at 425-746-7944 or use the club’s membership page.

The club sits on Main Street just east of downtown Bellevue. Our Bellevue city guide covers the rest of town, the Bellevue Botanical Garden is a short drive west on Main Street, and the Bellevue Farmers Market runs in season. For a round you can book yourself, Crossroads Par 3 Golf Course is about two miles away, and Overlake Golf and Country Club in Medina is another private club nearby.

How to Score Here

• Know where the creek is. Kelsey Creek touches holes 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13 and 16, so plan each tee shot around it.
• Shape it both ways. The fourth favors a fade, while 13 and 16 set up for a draw off the tee.
• Miss on the safe side of the par 3s. Left on 2 and 6 is trouble, and short on 11 finds the deep front bunker.
• Decide on 18 before you swing. Going for the peninsula green in two leaves no bailout.

Final Word

Glendale pairs a century of club history with a creekside layout that asks for precision on every hole. If a member invites you, bring your best iron game.