THE SUN IS beating down hard on Beacon Hill at the start of summer, a prelude to even warmer days ahead in the forecast.
But the scorching temperature — 89 degrees — isn’t keeping people from hitting some balls at the neighborhood’s storied Jefferson Park Golf Course, one of the city’s best-known public golf courses, established in 1915.
This afternoon, most of the 50 stalls on the double-decker driving range are taken, and I’m keeping somewhat cool under the shade, as I watch golfers practice their swings. It’s interesting to sketch the body contortions as people propel the ball into the range, a 260-yard-long field of artificial turf edged by the silhouette of downtown skyscrapers. Thwack! Thwack! The sound of the clubs hitting the balls is louder than you might think.
No membership is required at Jefferson Park Golf Course — anyone can show up and play the daily green fee course, explains the general manager, Andrew Soderberg. He says some golfers like to play a small bucket of 30 balls ($6) on the range before going out on the main course. Others stay on the range practicing their shots and enjoying the great view of the sunset.
This illustrated column was originally published in The Seattle Times on Aug. 1, 2021.
