Suncadia Resort
Cle Elum, Kittitas County, Washington · Cle Elum / Suncadia golf market
- Access
- mixed
- Holes
- 36
- Architect(s)
- Arnold Palmer, Peter Jacobsen, Jim Hardy
- Gated
- No
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Suncadia Resort is a roughly 6,400-acre master-planned mountain community in unincorporated Kittitas County, developed by Lowe Destination Development (a Lowe Enterprises subsidiary) along six miles of the Cle Elum River, with over 50 miles of trails at build-out and roughly 80% of its land preserved as open space. The resort is organized into nine residential villages -- including Prospector and Rope Rider (named for and fronting the golf courses of the same names), Nelson Preserve, Resort Village, The Uplands 55+, and the separately gated Tumble Creek -- offering everything from pre-owned condos and cabins to custom homesites.
Golf at Suncadia runs on two tracks. Prospector (Arnold Palmer, opened 2005, par 72, 7,112 yards) and Rope Rider (Peter Jacobsen/Jim Hardy, opened 2011, par 72, roughly 7,271-7,300 yards, routed around the historic Tipple Hill coal-mining tailings) are both open to the general public and any resort guest -- no Suncadia property ownership is required to book a tee time on either. Layered on top of that public access, Suncadia offers a 'Suncadia Club' golf membership restricted to Suncadia property owners, providing priority tee times and reduced or waived green fees; this is a genuinely different, much lower-barrier tier than Tumble Creek Club's ownership-gated private course, and the two are modeled as separate anchors here to reflect that real internal variation within the same resort.
Golf & Course
Prospector (Arnold Palmer, 2005) and Rope Rider (Peter Jacobsen/Jim Hardy, 2011) are Suncadia's two public-tier, resort-guest-accessible courses, both par 72 and over 7,100 yards. A third course, the private Tom Doak design at Tumble Creek Club, sits within the same broader resort footprint but is modeled and researched separately given its distinct ownership-gated access model (and, as of July 2026, separate corporate ownership under Escalante Golf).
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Both Prospector and Rope Rider are open to the public and any resort guest without requiring Suncadia property ownership or membership. Suncadia property owners can additionally purchase an optional 'Suncadia Club' golf membership for priority access and reduced fees -- a real but comparatively modest, non-mandatory barrier layered on top of public access, distinct from Tumble Creek Club's much higher, ownership-restricted private-course model.
Living in Suncadia Resort
Suncadia's nine villages offer a wide range of housing -- pre-owned condos and cabins in Resort Village, custom homesites from the $400s in Nelson Lakes, semi-custom homes into the high $1Ms, and a small gated 55+ enclave (The Uplands) -- with the notable exception of Tumble Creek, which is separately gated and governed.
Lifestyle & Amenities
Suncadia Swim & Fitness Center, an outdoor amphitheater, a skating rink, an on-site retail village, and over 50 miles of hiking/biking trails along the Cle Elum River.
Location & Surrounding Area
Unincorporated Kittitas County, near Cle Elum and Roslyn, roughly 80 miles / 90 minutes east of Seattle via I-90.
Costs & Fees
Figures below are labeled Current only when the source itself frames them as presently accurate. Everything else is labeled Historical — a source checked today does not make an old fee a current one.
Golf membership initiation
Historical — as of 2024-11-08$5,000
Suncadia Club Golf Membership initiation fee, cited in a November 2024 promotional flyer as a reduced rate (down from $15,000). This is a promotional/limited-time figure, not confirmed as the current 2026 rate -- treat as historical pending direct confirmation.
Initiation (range high)
Historical — as of 2024-11-08$15,000
Pre-promotion Suncadia Club Golf Membership initiation fee (the rate the Nov. 2024 flyer says was reduced from), not confirmed as a current 2026 figure.
Interested in Homes in Suncadia Resort?
We can connect you with a local real-estate specialist who knows the community, nearby golf communities, and the Cle Elum / Suncadia market.
What Buyers Should Verify
- Confirm the current (non-promotional) Suncadia Club golf-membership initiation fee and dues directly -- the $5,000/$15,000 figures found this session trace to a November 2024 promotional flyer.
- Confirm current membership waitlist and transferability policy for the Suncadia Club golf tier.
- Confirm whether The Uplands 55+ enclave carries any golf-access terms different from the rest of Suncadia -- none were found this session.
Notable
- Suncadia preserves roughly 80% of its 6,400+ acres as open space.
- The Suncadia Club golf-membership tier is confirmed restricted to Suncadia property owners -- a genuine, if modest, ownership-gated privilege layered on top of otherwise-public golf access.
- Prospector was designed by Arnold Palmer; Rope Rider, the resort's newer course (2011), was designed by Peter Jacobsen and Jim Hardy and is routed around the historic Tipple Hill coal-mining tailings.
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US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.