The newly renovated golf shop is the most recent improvement to the Buffalo Peak Golf Course in Union. The Oregon Golf Association recently recognized the course as the golf facility of the year.

UNION — A hidden gem is no longer hidden, as Buffalo Peak Golf Course is starting to turn heads around the state and in the golf community.

The Union golf course recently won the Oregon Golf Association award for facility of the year, an acknowledgment the association gives to the best facility in the state. Buffalo Peak received the honor for its contributions to the game of golf, the community and the Oregon Golf Association. After being built 20 years ago and facing hurdles along the way, the course has become a spectacle in the heart of Union County.

“As a team we’re very proud of it, I have to say,” Dana Londin, the course’s general manager, said. “We’re in a town of 1,300 people and 30,000 in the county, so to receive this award is a great honor.”

Built in 2000, the golf course itself encountered many challenges in paying off construction costs and building up a reputation capable of drawing in skilled golfers and amateurs alike.

“We’ve got a great team here,” Londin said. “They’ve bought into my plan and we’re just running with it.”

The course includes 18 holes that were originally designed by golf course architect Williams Phillips. The premier playing range utilizes the local beauty of Northeastern Oregon, which Londin noted is a big draw to visitors.

In 2019, the Union County Board of Commissioners created a restructured fiscal plan that was aimed at increasing the course’s spending budget. The decision marked a shift toward more focus on marketing, following a loss of money nearly every year of operation since it opened.

Londin joined the course as general manager shortly after, in February 2020, and has helped the county achieve its vision for the course.

“I would give all the kudos for the award to our crew and to Dana,” Union County Commissioner Donna Beverage said. “They all really work hard and have put in so much time over this last year and a half.”

Londin stated the course’s financial report for the last year outdid the team’s expectations.

“We’re really trying to be physically and financially responsible, that’s a huge emphasis,” he said. “I think last year we did really well. The financial goals that I set, we literally blew away.”

Part of that success came from hosting the Oregon State Junior Amateur Championship this summer. More than 100 of the state’s top junior golfers came to Union to compete, adding a sizable economic boost to local businesses and the course itself. The event was considered a massive success by those involved, while also showing the positive impact the golf course can have on the county.

“We’re hoping that this will continue to help other entities in Union County, like the restaurants, Mount Emily Recreation Area and the Union County Museum,” Beverage said. “We wanted to be able to help the whole region.”

Upon hosting this year’s championship and winning golf facility of the year, the Oregon Golf Association selected Buffalo Peak to host the first major event of the season for the next five years. The competition will take place in May.