Lincoln City Golf Courses: Where To Tee Off By The Beach

A trip to the Oregon Coast doesn’t have to mean choosing between the beach and the golf course. In Lincoln City, you can do both.

The area has two 18-hole golf courses close to town, plus a couple of smaller coastal courses within an easy drive. That means you can spend the morning on the fairway and still have plenty of time left for a walk on the beach, dinner in Lincoln City and sunset over the Pacific.

Golfing on the Oregon Coast is also a little different from playing farther inland. Courses wind through coastal forests, wetlands and bayside terrain, and the wind can become an extra opponent when you’re playing closer to the water.

Whether you’re planning a golf-focused getaway or just want to sneak a game into your Lincoln City vacation, here are the Lincoln City golf courses and nearby options worth knowing about.

Chinook Winds Golf

One of the best Lincoln City golf courses is less than 10 minutes up the road from the Sea Gypsy. Chinook Winds Golf is the only 18-hole golf course located within Lincoln City itself. You’ll find it at 3245 NE 50th Street on the north end of town, near Chinook Winds Casino.

Don’t expect a flat, wide-open seaside course. Chinook Winds is a 4,547-yard course from the blue tees that winds through a mountainside landscape filled with mature trees, natural wetlands and water features. Bunkers add another challenge along the way.

That relatively compact yardage can make Chinook Winds particularly appealing on vacation. You can play a full 18 without committing your entire day to golf, or opt for nine holes when you have other Lincoln City plans.

Their Pro Shop and driving range are open seven days a week, so you can get some practice in before your round. Rates are seasonal, so check directly with the course for current pricing before you play.

If you want the closest traditional golf experience to the rest of your Lincoln City vacation, this is the obvious place to start.

Salishan Golf Links

Head south from Lincoln City toward Gleneden Beach and you’ll find Salishan Golf Links, an 18-hole course overlooking and winding around the Siletz Bay area.

Salishan offers two distinctly different environments within a single round. The front nine takes you through a forest of towering fir and spruce, while the back nine opens into more links-style terrain with ponds and views toward Siletz Bay.

It’s a course where the landscape is very much part of the game. Instead of simply placing a golf course near the Oregon Coast, Salishan incorporates the coastal forest and bay environment into the layout.

There’s also plenty here for golfers who want to do more than play a round. Salishan offers golf instruction to the public as well. Lessons can take place on the driving range, putting green, chipping green, practice bunker or indoor simulator and are available by appointment. That indoor option is especially useful on the Oregon Coast.

Inside The Player’s Lounge at the clubhouse is a TrackMan 4 golf simulator with more than 200 virtual courses. Golfers can use it for simulated rounds or practice with detailed swing and ball-flight analytics.

If you’re serious about fitting golf into your vacation regardless of what the coastal weather decides to do, it’s a handy backup plan.

One thing to know before heading to Salishan is that the course has a dress code. Current rules require a collared shirt tucked in, closed-toed shoes and forward-facing headwear. Golf pants or shorts are permitted, while denim is strongly discouraged.

Tee times can currently be booked through the end of the year, making Salishan another course that’s worth planning in advance if golf is a priority during your trip.

Neskowin Beach Golf Course

For a completely different Lincoln City golf experience, head north to Neskowin Beach Golf Course. This nine-hole course dates all the way back to 1932, making it one of the oldest golf courses on the Oregon Coast. It was designed by Ercel Kay and has remained part of the small Neskowin community for more than 90 years.

Neskowin isn’t trying to be a sprawling golf resort. That’s part of its appeal.

The course is a nine-hole, par-35 layout in the small coastal village of Neskowin, and the seventh tee even offers a view of the Pacific.

For Sea Gypsy guests, this is a good choice if you want golf to be part of a larger coastal outing rather than the entire day’s activity. Play nine holes, spend some time exploring Neskowin and then head back toward Lincoln City.

One important difference from the other courses on this list is seasonality. Neskowin Beach Golf Course says it is generally open from late May into early fall. During the wetter months, portions of the property fill with water and provide habitat for birds.

So if Neskowin is on your golf list, check the course’s current operating status before making the drive.

Agate Beach Golf Course

If you’re heading south toward Newport for the day, you can add another round at Agate Beach Golf Course.

Located at 4100 N Coast Highway in Newport, Agate Beach Golf Course is a nine-hole course that first opened as Agate Beach Golf Links in 1931. The Martin family has operated the course since 1960.

The layout is fairly level with gently rolling terrain surrounded by wooded areas. Unlike Neskowin’s seasonal operation, Agate Beach emphasizes its drainage and suitability for year-round play.

That can make it a particularly useful option if you’re visiting Lincoln City outside of peak summer.

The course also has an iron-only driving range, golf lessons, a full-service pro shop and rental clubs. Both left- and right-handed rental sets are available, which is useful if you’d rather not haul your golf clubs along on your Oregon Coast vacation.

If you’re already planning a Newport day trip, nine holes here can be an easy addition rather than requiring a separate golf day.

Which Lincoln City golf course should you choose?

It really depends on what kind of round you’re looking for. If you want to stay in Lincoln City, Chinook Winds Golf is the most convenient choice and gives you a full 18-hole course without leaving town.

If you’re looking for a more expansive upscale golf experience, Salishan Golf Links offers 18 holes surrounded by coastal forest and Siletz Bay scenery, along with practice facilities, professional instruction and an indoor simulator.

If you’d rather play a relaxed nine holes as part of a day trip, head north to Neskowin Beach Golf Course.

And if you’re spending a day in Newport or want a nine-hole course with year-round play, Agate Beach Golf Course gives you another option to the south.

Basically, Chinook Winds and Salishan as the area’s two primary 18-hole courses, with Neskowin and Agate Beach as additional nine-hole courses within roughly a half-hour drive of Lincoln City.

Do you need to bring your own golf clubs?

Not necessarily. If you’re building an entire vacation around golf, bringing your own clubs may be worth the extra luggage. But if golf is more of a spontaneous addition to your Lincoln City trip, check rental availability before hauling your bag to the coast.

Agate Beach explicitly offers rental sets for both left- and right-handed golfers.

For the other courses, it’s best to contact the pro shop directly about current rental availability and pricing before your round rather than assuming equipment will be available.

And if you don’t want to play a full round, Chinook Winds and Salishan offer practice options. Chinook Winds has a driving range, while Salishan has practice facilities as well as its indoor TrackMan simulator.

Make golf part of your Lincoln City getaway

One of the advantages of Lincoln City golfing is that it doesn’t have to take over the vacation.

Play an early round and you can still be back in time for an afternoon on the sand. Squeeze in nine holes and follow it with dinner. Or send the golfers out for the morning while everyone else enjoys the beach, then regroup later in the day.

Staying at Sea Gypsy Rentals puts you right on the ocean in the middle of Lincoln City, making it easy to combine a golf day with the reason you came to the coast in the first place.

Because that’s the nice thing about golfing here: when the last putt drops, the beach is still waiting.