Travel: What's next from... Peter Jacobsen

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Rope Rider Course, Suncadia Resort, Cle Elum, Wash.

Champion Tour player Peter Jacobsen and partner Jim Hardy dig out a course built on land once used for coal mines in central Washington state.

"Rope riders were miners who went miles into the earth nearly 100 years ago with a rope-and-pulley system on their coal cars," Jacobsen explains. "The shafts have been covered over, but it's still possible to see where they were.

"The land is a cross between high-plains desert and mountain range. The course is fairly flat with rolling terrain and only a little elevation change. But the front nine wraps around Tipple Hill, a huge mountain made of the coal tailings pulled from the ground.

"I'm from the northwest and partial to big trees so almost every hole is tree-lined. There aren't too many bunkers: We put in a few for sightlines and a few 'deception bunkers,' which sit about 30 yards short of greens but look closer. Plus here are a few lakes and some creeks running through.

"Jim and I build subtle greens. I like it where you're looking at a putt and don't know if it's outside-left or outside-right. You're not going to see any greens with a VW beetle buried until them.

"This is the third course at Suncadia, joining one from Arnold Palmer and one from Tom Doak. This resort gives much the same experience as a Bandon Dunes or Pinehurst where you can get all the golf and all the fun and excitement you need. I highly recommend it."

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