July 26–A five-year pause in central Oregon destination resort development ended this spring when Tetherow Golf Club began construction of twin units of a boutique hotel, located on either side of its clubhouse and restaurant.
Both are expected to open early next year.
The area around Bend had been a hotbed of luxury second-home resort developments until 2007, when the economy went in the tank. Pronghorn and Brasada Ranch, both high-quality destination resorts, opened just before the downturn. They subsequently restructured their business models to deal with the changing scene, offering more amenities and rental opportunities for short-term guests than otherwise planned.
Tetherow Golf Club opened in 2008 at the start of the recession, so plans for overnight guest lodging were put on hold. The golf club made it through fine, a few luxury homes were built and the resort’s roads and trails became part of the community.
Unlike central Oregon’s other destination resorts (among them Sunriver, Black Butte Ranch and Eagle Crest), Tetherow is not located away from Bend. It is adjacent to Bend’s affluent west side, just north of the Cascade Lakes Highway.
Teherow’s appeal at full build out will be obvious: a five-minute drive in one direction to Bend’s lively downtown and Old Mill District, with Mt. Bachelor resort offering skiing and mountain biking 20 minutes away in the other direction.
Tetherow’s 18-hole golf course was built in an area of the Awbrey Hall Fire, a spectacular near-town wildfire in 1990. The Scottish links-style course has stunning views of the surrounding landscape, unobstructed by the forest of ponderosa pines that the fire destroyed. The land has been rehabilitated and little evidence of the fire remains, other than the openness.
Construction on Tetherow Lodge broke ground April 8; the West Lodge will have 24 oversize guest rooms with 55- square feet, the East Lodge 26 rooms. In between is the restaurant, which is being expanded with addition of pub-style dining called the Row. Target openings are mid-February for the west wing, March for the east wing.
The expansion project was launched by Velocity Capital BV, a Netherlands investment company and owner of the Tetherow Golf Club, and Joe Weston, a Portland-based developer and original partner in the resort. Construction comes during a resurgence of individual lot sales and new home construction at the 700-acre golf and recreational resort community.
Broken Top, a private golf club, lies between Tetherow and Bend. Tetherow plans more public amenities than Broken Top, eventually including 300 overnight lodging units, plus community event space that can be used for weddings and other gatherings.
The 18-hole Tetherow Golf Club is a semi-private club limited to 375 members. The course offers public tee times now and hotel guest of the future will have course privileges. The course was designed by David McLay Kidd (who also designed the Bandon Dunes course on the Oregon coast) and opened in 2008.
Bend residents can be seen by the dozens riding bikes on Tetherow community roads, as well as walking and jogging on pathways designed for public use. Teherow is connected by trail to the Phil’s Trail network, Oregon’s largest mountain bike trail complex.
Connect with central Oregon at traveloregon.com, visitcentraloregon.com, visitbend.com, sisterscountry.com, visitprineville.org and the Madras/Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce.
– Terry Richard
