The Golf Club at Newcastle

About This Course: 36 holes on a hilltop above Lake Washington

The Golf Club at Newcastle is a 36 hole public facility on 350 hilltop acres in Newcastle, with two full courses, Coal Creek and China Creek, and an 18 hole putting course called the Rusty Putter. The reason to make the drive is the view: Lake Washington, the Seattle skyline, Mt. Rainier, the Olympics and the Cascades.

This is a premium round. Tee times use dynamic pricing, a cart is part of every rate, and in the week we checked, 18 holes ran from $86 on China Creek to $218.45 on Coal Creek. A covered, heated range and the Calcutta Grill make it easy to stay all day.

The Golf Club at Newcastle Fast Facts

Course Overview

Before golf, this hill was coal country. The Newcastle Historical Society says coal was found in Coal Creek in 1853 and mined here into the 1940s, including strip mining under what is now China Creek, and that a landfill ran on the site from 1970 to 1992. Scott Oki bought the property in 1994, Coal Creek opened in 1999 and China Creek followed in 2001. Robert E. Cupp designed the golf in consultation with Masters champion Fred Couples, and the club is one of Oki Golf’s Seattle area courses.

Coal Creek rates harder from every set of tees. The club describes well bunkered landing areas, rolling fairways, undulating greens and elevation changes that make club selection paramount. China Creek, to the south, crosses gently rolling ground with natural preserved areas and well placed bunkers, and from its Regular tees the slope drops to 129. Both are cart courses: the booking system marks a cart as mandatory.

Hole by Hole Highlights

Yardages are from the Tournament tees. Handicap ranks are quoted only where the published men’s cards agree.

• Coal Creek, Hole 1, 621 yards, par 5: A true three shot opener on a downhill fairway that narrows where you lay up.
• Coal Creek, Hole 4, 148 yards, par 3: A ridge splits the green and trouble waits left. The historical society puts the original coal mine about fifty feet below.
• Coal Creek, Hole 7, 426 yards, par 4: The number one handicap hole plays uphill, with bunkers left and a steep slope right. Take more club.
• Coal Creek, Hole 13, 425 yards, par 4: A blind tee shot, then an uphill approach to a three tier green. Second on the handicap.
• Coal Creek, Hole 17, 510 yards, par 5: The signature hole. Aim the blind tee shot at downtown Seattle and the green is reachable in two.
• China Creek, Hole 8, 611 yards, par 5: The longest hole on China Creek, a true three shot hole to a small green bunkered on both sides.
• China Creek, Hole 11, 190 yards, par 3: A long carry over water to a long, shallow L shaped green.
• China Creek, Hole 16, 447 yards, par 4: Plays long to a three tier green that falls away to the right. Second on the China Creek handicap.

Amenities and Practice

The range has grass tees and mats, with 30 covered and heated stations for practice in any season and laser measured targets. The seasonal East Tee is an all grass tee rotated daily, beside a short game area with four chipping and putting greens, three bunkers and room for 100 yard wedge shots. Buckets are $12 small, $21 large and $14 for a junior large. Mat stations open as early as 5:30 a.m. Friday to Sunday and close at 9 p.m. except Wednesday, when they close at 5 p.m.

PGA professionals Mark Rashell, the Director of Golf, Matt LeDoux, Keith Bennett and Rick Fehr, a two time PGA Tour winner, teach private, playing and group lessons and custom schools; ask the golf shop for prices. The club expanded its summer junior camps to three sessions in 2026. TaylorMade rental sets are $85; reserve one when you book. The Rusty Putter is first come, first served, at $18 for adults and $10 for juniors 17 and under.

Food and Drink

The Calcutta Grill serves Pacific Northwest favorites in a dining room, on a view patio or by the fire in an English style pub, with brunch, lunch, dinner and bar menus. It opens at 11:30 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends. Turnberry’s, on the way to hole 1 on Coal Creek and hole 10 on China Creek, has coffee, breakfast wraps, hot dogs and deli sandwiches. The Wooly Toad is reserved for private dining.

Plan Your Visit

Rates, Tee Times and Local Tips

Newcastle has no fixed rate card: prices move with demand, and the cart is included in every rate and shown as its own line at checkout. On September 30, 2026 we read every public 18 hole tee time on the booking system for September 30 through October 7. Coal Creek ran $116 to $199 Monday to Thursday and $122.40 to $218.45 Friday to Sunday. China Creek ran $86 to $149 Monday to Thursday and $86 to $159 Friday to Sunday. Each price includes a $20 cart portion, and the lowest were late afternoon times. Expect different numbers when you book.

Book on the club’s online tee time page, in the Oki Golf app or at 425-793-5566; the club says the best price is always online. Tee times open seven days ahead with a credit card, and late cancellations inside 24 hours cost $25 per person. Senior and junior rates are only for Oki Golf Players Cardholders on China Creek, and military members get Players Card rates. Expect a collared shirt with sleeves, no denim on the course and soft spikes only.

Newcastle sits between Renton and Bellevue, so a round pairs easily with our Renton guide or Bellevue guide. For a second round, Maplewood Golf Course in Renton is about 4.5 miles away as the crow flies, and Lake Wilderness Golf Course in Maple Valley is a shorter, lower priced city course.

How to Score Here

• Pick the right course. China Creek is shorter and cheaper; Coal Creek is the bigger test.
• Club up going uphill. The club says Coal Creek’s 8th plays longer than its yardage and China Creek’s 18th needs one to two extra clubs.
• Warm up your putting. Ridges, tiers and false fronts show up on both courses.
• Stay flexible. The best deals come on low demand days and late in the afternoon.

Final Word

The Golf Club at Newcastle is a premium priced day out, and for it you get two demanding Cupp and Couples courses, a practice facility built for every season and a hilltop view of Lake Washington and Mt. Rainier.