Don Barth

Eastsound, WA

Orcas Island Golf Course occupies a 54-acre former mustard farm homesteaded in the late 1800s near Eastsound, Washington, in the San Juan Islands. The clubhouse is the original farmhouse, built in the 1890s. The Blake family bought the property in 1961 and developed it into a golf course, running it for 46 years before selling in 2007 to a group of island residents who wanted to prevent the land from becoming house lots. The Taylor family, longtime islanders, purchased the course in 2009 and has continued to make changes, including a 2009 redesign of the closing holes and later pond and tee improvements. The course is a nine-hole layout that golfers typically play twice for a full round. It remains open to the public, with a driving range and mini-golf added in more recent years.