Shortland Golf Club doesn’t come up short

Published 11:35 pm Saturday, July 19, 2025

By Miles Vance

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T.J. Patton of southeast Portland makes a chip shot at the newly opened Shortland Golf Club in West Linn on Tuesday, July 15. (Staff Photo: Miles Vance)

Let’s be honest – things are a little different at Shortland Golf Club.

Shortland Golf Club, which opened May 5 on the site of the former Sandelie Golf Course in West Linn (1610 S.W. Advance Road, 833-746-7819), is a brand-new par-3 golf course, but it’s much, much more than just that.

Indeed, it may be a one-of-a-kind golf course, with Shortland’s 19 holes – 14 are open now, with the final five expected in the next 2 ½ weeks – spread out over 30 acres, measuring 40 to 104 yards.

That much is straightforward enough. But here’s how Shortland is different – while its fairways are traditional grass, its tee boxes, greens and bunkers are all made from state-of-the-art synthetic turf.

“I saw in some magazine or online that (actor) Mark Wahlberg had this backyard (course) down in LA where it was all synthetic,” said Shortland Golf Club owner Mike Fritz, a Lake Oswego resident and 1994 graduate of Lakeridge High School. “A bunch of guys were hitting shots (and the golf balls) were stopping (on the greens) and spinning back and everything. And I was like, ‘Well, that’s cool.’”

That’s where the idea came from, but Shortland has taken that idea and built upon it and expanded it.

“It’s the first course of its kind, the first public course,” Fritz said. “There’ve been some nine-hole courses around the country, but this is the first, full, 18-19-hole course (like this) in the country.”

 

The amenities

In addition to the unique golf course – each of the 19 greens is shaped and sloped differently – Shortland Golf Club has much more to offer. Let’s start at the redesigned clubhouse with indoor seating, big-screen TVs and deck seating overlooking the 19th hole.

“The clubhouse is just meant to be (a place to) … check in, get a beverage or get a bite to eat,” said Fritz, who previously worked 11 years for Nike, including four years with Nike Golf during the Tiger Woods era.” “There’s some TVs in there … or if you want, you can just hang out on the deck.”

Then there’s the 19-hole putting course known as The Nest – with its own bunkers and sloped fairways – that’s scheduled for completion in mid-August.

There’s the 10,000-square-foot natural grass putting green (slated for completion next spring) and its adjacent seating.

There’s Slam’s – named for the late Rick Lamberton, a Lakeridge High School grad (and golf teammate of Fritz’s), a former Oregon State golfer and a former teaching pro at Portland Golf Club – a mid-course rest stop that offers golfers a chance to get a drink and/or use the restroom.

And there’s the on-site food truck and its high-quality menu items, featuring chicken fingers, hamburgers, tacos, salads and chili.

“The idea is that you play five, six holes, (then) .. you go to Slam’s,” Fritz said. “You can get a drink, you can go to the bathroom, play five more holes, same thing. Five more holes, same thing. So it gives you a place (to do all that) right on the course.”

 

Family-friendly fun

For all of it, Fritz said that his team is determined to make golf at Shortland fun, make it easy for newcomers and youngsters, and make it memorable.

“I want this to be kind of a golf hotbed,” Fritz said. “You can come out and play the whole 19 holes, then you can go do the putting course if you want. Or you can go out to the putting green and … get a drink, or go to Slam’s. And we’ll have some Adirondack chairs (around the putting green so you can) just hang out and watch people play.”

The easy part is aided by the short length of the holes, and the consistency of the turf greens and bunkers. As to the memorable part, what’s more memorable than a hole-in-one? And Shortland, in its short lifespan, has already seen players notch more than 40 aces.

“We definitely have had a lot of families come out, which is cool,” Fritz said. “That’s definitely one of our target customers. I’ve seen quite a few times where you’ve got two parents and three kids and they’re just introducing them to the game. … The whole place will just be golf.”

 

Saving money, saving time

Fritz also emphasized a couple other unique aspects of Shortland Golf Club. First, it’s cheaper to play than many full-length golf courses – 14-hole prices are $24 on weekdays and $29 on weekends. Second, it’s quicker to play than traditional 18-hole courses, which can take 4-5 hours to complete, while good players should be able to get around Shortland’s 18 holes in less than two hours.

Further, because its tee boxes, greens and bunkers are artificial turf, Fritz said that Shortland’s maintenance crew is 80% smaller than that of a typical course and needs just a regular brushing to ensure the greens don’t get compacted and too fast.

 

The Players’ Quotes

  • TJ Patton of Southeast Portland: “It’s a lot less daunting for beginners. You don’t have to worry about your drive going 100 yards to the right and it just sounded fun. It sounded unique. It’s just pure fun out here.”
  • Brittney Woods of Southeast Portland: “For someone who’s very much a beginner, I’d say this is fun. … I’ve never (seen anything like it). The bunkers – I’ve never seen anything like that before – and I just think it’s really pretty out here.”
  • Max Yonker, age 9: “It’s very short, but it’s fun for people that don’t really hit the ball that far. … So far, it’s pretty fun.”
  • Georgie Yonker, age 12: “I like it, but it’s really fast when you’re putting and when the ball lands on the green.”
  • Bryce Yonker: “I wanted to get (my kids) out here after I played it. … It’s fun. I like how they designed it. I think it’s accessible for anybody. If you hit it high and spin it, it will stop on the greens. If you don’t spin it, it’ll roll all the way through.”

 

Shortland is green, too.

“(With real grass), you’re mowing every day … and then you’ve got herbicides and pesticides and water – all those things are just not a factor (here),” Fritz said. “From a cost standpoint, you put all this capital expense in up front, but you can design exactly what you want and you don’t have to mow. So we can maintain this whole course in the summer with four guys, where a normal country club will (need) 25 guys.”

 

The main point

Through all of it, Fritz and his team members are determined to give their patrons a good experience and an experience that makes them love golf.

“It’s all for the fun of it, and we really do put the emphasis on families and beginners,” Fritz said. “It really is ‘Just go out and have some fun.’ … We’re just trying to make sure everybody has some fun. And if you’re interested in the game of golf, it’s probably a good place to go.”

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