Apple Tree Golf Course
Yakima, Yakima County, Washington · Yakima Valley golf market
- Access
- mixed
- Holes
- 18
- Architect(s)
- John Steidel
- Gated
- Yes
Thinking About Living in Apple Tree Golf Course?
Get connected with a local real-estate specialist who understands Apple Tree Golf Course and the surrounding Yakima Valley golf market.
Apple Tree Resort sits on the site of century-old apple orchards on the southwest edge of Yakima, and is best known nationally for its par-3 17th hole, whose green is shaped like an apple and surrounded by water -- named 'Best Par Three' by the Seattle Times and cited among Washington's top 18 holes. The golf course itself, built in 1992 to a John Steidel design, is open to the public; anyone can book a tee time or buy a punch card without living in the community or holding a club membership.
What makes Apple Tree relevant to a golf-oriented home search is not the course's access model but the residential development wrapped around it. The same operator that runs the golf course also develops and governs the surrounding neighborhood in phases -- Apple Tree Parkway and Golden Ridge are explicitly gated, with earlier phases (Coolidge Heights, Golden Grove) also gated -- and actively markets homesites at a premium for direct golf-course frontage (e.g., Phase 4B's views of holes 9, 17 and 18). A mandatory monthly HOA/developer-dues assessment funds shared resort amenities (two pools, lighted pickleball courts, parks, irrigation water) used across the community, and residents get a modest, non-membership discount on golf and dining.
This is a genuinely mixed model: nobody buys a home at Apple Tree and receives club membership as part of the deal, but the residential product itself is a private, gated, single-developer resort community organized entirely around the golf course as its central amenity -- closer to a true golf-community real-estate product than an ordinary public course with houses nearby.
Golf & Course
Apple Tree Golf Course opened in 1992 to a John Steidel design, playing to a par-72 layout of 6,892 yards (136 slope, 74.3 rating) carved from what were working apple orchards. Its signature hole, the par-3 17th with its apple-shaped island green, has drawn outside recognition (Seattle Times 'Best Par Three'; Washington CEO 'Top 18 Holes') and is the course's defining feature. The on-site Apple Tree Grill and a resort clubhouse anchor day-to-day operations.
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Golf access at Apple Tree is public and fee-based for everyone, resident or not -- 2026 golf membership starts at $250/month, and non-members can play on daily green fees or punch cards. Homeownership does not include, require, or waitlist golf membership; the only resident-specific golf benefit found is a 15% discount off golf punch cards (10/20/40-round) and off Apple Tree Grill dining, not free or bundled rounds. The private, gated element of Apple Tree is on the residential side: the Apple Tree Parkway and Golden Ridge phases are secured, gated neighborhoods, and all owners pay a mandatory monthly HOA/developer-dues assessment (published at $120-$155/month as of a July 2024 dues letter) that funds shared community amenities.
Living in Apple Tree Golf Course
Apple Tree is a single-developer master-planned resort community built out in phases over three decades, with homesites released in stages (Coolidge Heights, Golden Grove, Apple Tree Parkway, Golden Ridge) and continuing active sales; homesites have been advertised in the $120,000-$200,000 range, with completed home-and-homesite packages described as starting in the 'low-to-mid $700s.' Golden Ridge lots are gated but set back from the course, allowing fenced yards; Apple Tree Parkway lots sit directly on fairway frontage.
Lifestyle & Amenities
Community-wide amenities funded by HOA dues include two swimming pools, three lighted pickleball courts and park space at the new 'Clubhouse Park,' plus irrigation water service -- all layered on top of the golf course, clubhouse and Apple Tree Grill restaurant that anchor the resort.
Location & Surrounding Area
Apple Tree sits in the Yakima Valley's fruit-growing belt on Yakima's southwest side (8804 Occidental Avenue), within the city of Yakima itself rather than a separate suburb, giving residents easy access to Yakima's core while remaining surrounded by working orchard and vineyard land characteristic of the broader Yakima Valley wine and agriculture region.
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.
Annual dues
Current$3,000
Golf memberships for 2026 are advertised starting at $250/month (~$3,000/year); this is a paid, non-bundled public membership product, not something included with home purchase. Residents separately receive a 15% discount on golf punch cards and at the Apple Tree Grill, not free/included golf.
Interested in Homes in Apple Tree Golf Course?
We can connect you with a local real-estate specialist who knows the community, nearby golf communities, and the Yakima Valley market.
What Buyers Should Verify
- Confirm current 2026 golf membership pricing and any resident-specific membership tier directly with the pro shop (509-966-5877).
- Confirm current HOA/developer-dues assessment amount; the $120-$155/month figure is from a July 2024 dues letter and may have changed.
- Confirm which specific phases are currently gated vs. ungated before assuming gate access for a given lot/home.
Notable
- Home to the 'Apple Island Green,' the apple-shaped par-3 17th green named a top hole by the Seattle Times and Washington CEO.
- The golf course and the gated residential phases (Apple Tree Parkway, Golden Ridge, Coolidge Heights, Golden Grove) are developed and operated by the same entity.
Considering a Move to Apple Tree Golf Course?
Whether you're comparing Apple Tree Golf Course with another Yakima Valley golf community or you're ready to start looking at homes, US Golf Living can connect you with a local real-estate specialist.
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.