Pick your round: 18 holes or 9
Choose the full 18-hole course for a long day out, or head to the 9-hole course for a shorter game. The current 9-hole layout is not the original. After World War II, a new Veterans' Administration hospital rose on the land where the first 9-hole course had been, so a replacement short course was built in another part of the park.
A Course With a Long Story
The ground beneath your feet has an unusual past. The State of Washington first set the site aside for state university use, and in 1892 it held a pesthouse, an isolation hospital for people with contagious disease.
The City of Seattle bought the land in 1898 with plans for a reservoir and a cemetery. The park took the name of Thomas Jefferson in 1908, and the golf course followed seven years later, in 1915.
Wartime and after
During World War II, anti-aircraft batteries stood in Jefferson Park. The U.S. Army also requisitioned the grounds for a G.I. recreation center, complete with a gym, recreation facilities and tent housing for soldiers and visiting family members.
When the war ended, the park returned to civilian life and most of the Army structures came down. The postwar years brought a lawn bowling green and playgrounds, along with the new VA hospital and the relocated 9-hole course.
Fred Couples and a national championship
Golf fans know Jefferson Park as the home course of Fred Couples, one of the game's celebrated players. In 2011 the grounds traded clubs for running shoes when they hosted the USA Cross Country Championships.
Beyond the Fairways
Bringing friends who do not golf? The course shares the park with several well-used spaces, so everyone in your group can find something to do. Browse the park's other highlights:
- Jefferson Community Center, with a gymnasium added during the park's revitalization
- Jefferson Lawn Bowling green, a postwar addition still in steady use
- Playfields and playgrounds for team sports and kids
- A skate space by artist CJ Rench, a sculpture built for skateboarding that opened in June 2014
- Walking paths and gardens created during the park's redevelopment
The covered reservoir and the 2010 expansion
Stroll across the lidded reservoir and you are on new park space, created when the reservoir was covered in 2008 and 2009 and held up by 624 columns. An $8 million share of the ProParks funding levy paid for fresh paths, gardens and the new gym, and the expanded park officially opened on October 28, 2010.
Neighbors: Food Forest, Cheasty and More
Just off the park's west side, spend some time at the Beacon Food Forest, a 7-acre forest garden run by volunteers. It grows food for neighbors and local food shelves, about 0.4 miles from the golf course address.
Other spots within about half a mile of the course include:
- Cheasty Blvd South, a landmark about 0.3 miles away
- Rainier Vista Dakota West community garden, about 0.3 miles away
- Fire Station #13, a landmark about 0.4 miles away
- Cheasty Boulevard park, about 0.5 miles away
- York Park, about 0.5 miles away
Explore the surrounding streets with our North Beacon Hill neighborhood guide, or compare more green spaces in our full list of parks in Seattle.
Planning Your Round
Jefferson Park Golf Course is managed as part of the Seattle Parks and Recreation system. Before you head out, check the official Seattle Parks and Recreation website for tee times, green fees, hours and current course conditions. For maps and directions, use 4101 Beacon Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108.
