Desert Canyon Golf Resort in Orondo, Wash. will host the 27th Washington Senior and 13th Washington Super Senior Women’s Amateur championships, to be held concurrently from July 28-29, 2026.
This marks the first time Desert Canyon will have hosted either championship, but the golf course has been a familiar destination for WA Golf. In 2025, it hosted the Washington Parent-Child and has also been the site of the Washington Men’s Mid-Amateur (2024), Washington Senior and Super Senior Men’s Amateur (2022), among other championships, demonstrating a remarkable degree of flexibility.
“I feel we can set up the course for all WA Golf championships,” said Rob Clark, Desert Canyon’s head PGA professional. “So, when they asked me if I would host the Women's Senior and Super Senior, I said without hesitation, ‘LETS GO!’”
Desert Canyon initially opened in 1993, under the design of Jack Frei. Located about a half hour north of Wenatchee, the golf course offers exceptional views of the surrounding scenery to which it lends its name, offering a robust challenge in doing so. Set on top of essentially a sand bar, the fairways and greens are always in pristine condition, according to Clark.
The front nine, nicknamed “Lakes,” features an amalgamation of uphill and downhill angles, as well as a water-guarded par-3. The par 5s can be reachable, and other holes offer danger to overly long tee shots, requiring careful course management.
As for the back nine, known as “Desert,” it features not much water, yet a few waste areas can spell danger for haphazard swings. The 15th hole, the longest of the course, is known to test players’ might and accuracy, almost always requiring three of the best shots in one’s arsenal for scoring opportunities.
“Desert Canyon presents a lot of challenges that are fair,” Clark explained. “There are changing elevations, huge greens with undulations, wind that can play huge parts, bunkers around the greens, thick rough, and intimidating carries on a few holes. Course conditions are always epic.”
The flexibility of his golf course has allowed Clark to witness the interest from local golfers and elsewhere to participate in the state and regional championships held at Desert Canyon, regardless of the style or age range of the given championship.
“When I look back at the strong fields we have had in the last five years, it shows how strong an attraction it is for golfers 3-plus hours away,” the head pro said. “We definitely get the support from our locals, but from outside the area it's been amazing. With so many things to do close by or other courses to play, it makes for a great time to play championship golf and explore North Central Washington.”
Heading into the 2026 Senior and Super Senior championships, Kim Titus and LoriAnn Johns enter as defending champions, respectively. Other senior champions include Kim Shek, Sandra Turbide, Sue Craven and Leslie Folsom; while Linda Hash, Karen Madison and Sunny Sue Kim are among other super senior winners.
These championships are two of 14 held annually by WA Golf.
