Black Butte Ranch - Big Meadow

Robert Muir Graves' Big Meadow Course opened in 1972 as the original course at Black Butte Ranch, a Central Oregon resort born two years earlier through a handshake deal in a Portland Airport bar that secured 577 acres of Ponderosa-pine land west of Sisters. The 7,002-yard par-72 layout carves through dense pine forest with seven snowcapped Cascade peaks, Black Butte itself, Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, Broken Top, Black Crater, Three Fingered Jack, and Mount Washington, towering above the tree line from the higher holes. Graves remained faithful to playability-first architecture throughout his career, and Big Meadow reflects that ethos: generous fairway landing zones, elevated tees with tactical angle choices, and greens that reward solid contact over brilliant recovery. Four-star Golf Digest rating, recognized among America's top 75 golf resorts. Peak green fee runs $95-135 for resort guests. Pair with sister course Glaze Meadow for a 36-hole Black Butte day trip.