7 of Portland’s Most Prestigious Membership Clubs

Portland is a city with tons of hidden haunts to explore, and Portland’s best membership clubs are a great place to start. If you’re looking for luxury homes in Portland, Oregon, the areas that surround these hotspots are some of the top areas to live in the entire city. Are these a little pricier? Yes. Are they 100% worth every single penny? Again, yes. So, let’s dive in and explore 7 of Portland’s most prestigious membership clubs.

#7 Portland Golf Club

At number 7, we have the Portland Golf Club. Portland Golf Club was established in 1914 and has a reputation for being one of the most prestigious member-owned clubs in Oregon. The golf course is both challenging and incredibly enjoyable.

Located in the Raleigh Hills neighborhood in Southwest Portland, this club offers some of the best views in the metro and beyond. Being a little outside of the city, it’s a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of the inner districts. Even though it’s only 10 minutes from downtown Portland, it genuinely feels like a world away.

Portland Golf Club has pristinely-manicured green areas, stunning water features, and fairways lined with beautiful old-growth trees. Its stunning design makes the play both more challenging and more enjoyable.

When you visit Portland Golf Club, you can enjoy the 38,000 square foot fully-modernized clubhouse. If you have kids that no longer need your full attention, you can always go for a round of golf, and send them to the heated, fully-staffed pool inside. Not only that, but you can circle back for some award-winning cuisine from the club’s professional chefs.

And, if you drop by a little later in the evening, you might catch one of their legendary social events. They host weekly happy hour gatherings. They host wedding receptions. Portland Golf Club hosts live bands, musicians, and a ton more. There are just so many different things that you can do at this club, and it’s super family-friendly, too.

#6 Multnomah Whiskey Library

Next on the list is one of Portland’s finest drinking establishments. Head to downtown Portland to visit the Multnomah Whiskey Library. Tucked inside an unassuming building is where you’ll find this key network and chill spot. This place has an old-school personal library feel with whiskey in place of books. You can eat, drink, and relax until you can relax no more.

What’s cool about the Multnomah Whiskey Library is that they do allow a select number of walk-ins from the public. As a walk-in, you will almost always have to endure dreadfully long wait times. As a member, you can book ahead. Once inside, you can take full advantage of their stunning menu, plethora of premium whiskey, and perfectly-crafted cocktails. And, it gets chiller still; If you want an even more laid back atmosphere, you can go downstairs to the Green Room where they have cocktails, small plates, and snacks.

As a member, you will also be invited to tastings and private events, and they’ll outfit you with your own set of custom glassware as well. The latter closes the deal for many people–there’s nothing quite like your own nightcap vessels to create a home away from home. So, if you love understated luxury, Multnomah Whiskey Library is 100% the joint for you.

#5 University Club of Portland

Rolling in at number five, we have the University Club of Portland. Located in downtown Portland, this club was established over 100 years ago by a group of college students who were looking to foster personal connections, personal growth, and professional development. To give you an accurate idea of the kind of vibe you can expect here, it’s safe to say that the traditions it was founded on have really stayed the same throughout time. When someone joins the University Club, it’s usually because they are deep into arts and culture. Many University Club members are active participants in the arts community, as well as in non-profits or organizations for higher education.

When you spend time at the University Club, you get to network with people and enjoy the club’s different banquet rooms where you’ll taste some of the best food in the city.

#4 Oregon Golf Club

Coming in at number four, we have the Oregon Golf Club. Winner of prestigious awards, Oregon Golf Club is an exclusive private club without the stuffy feel. It’s located on beautiful Pete’s Mountain, where many of the Portland Trailblazers live. With the average member age at 48, it’s a young and vibrant club with a historical feel and mind-blowing scenic views.

Weighing in at a perfect 7,052 yards, the Oregon Golf Club is definitely one of the best private clubs in Portland, if not all of Oregon. While playing a round or two, you’ll have a gorgeous backdrop every way you turn, with wraparound views of Portland, Oregon Wine Country, and the Cascade Mountains. Lining the fairways and mirrored in the majestic water features throughout the course, you have towering evergreen pines. It truly is breathtaking.

Golfers enjoy some of the most challenging as well as the best golf courses in all of Oregon. The club also has a state-of-the-art practice facility, which spans over 10 acres. It’s a super diverse practice area has a beautiful driving range as well as a 12,000-square-foot putting green.

It’s not just the unparalleled golfing experience that makes Oregon Golf Club so great. It’s also that they have a very inclusive, family-friendly environment. They’ve got a swimming pool that’s open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, as well as recreational and competitive tennis, tennis instruction, golf instruction, and boot camps for both genders and all ages.

If you’re looking for a luxury home in Portland, we’d recommend that you check out Pete’s Mountain. In many cases, living on Pete’s Mountain will give you a 1-2 minute door-to-door commute from your home to the Oregon Golf Club–which is pretty unbeatable. If you’re not super into golfing but would like to take advantage of other facilities, they have a Social Membership that will still get you and your family invited to their full calendar of exclusive events.

#3 Oswego Lake Country Club

For number 3 on the list of Portland’s 7 most prestigious membership clubs, we go just a stone’s throw away to the Oswego Lake Country Club. This place has been around since 1924. Not only is it an amazing golf course, but it really prides itself on having a very community-centric environment.

Just like the Oregon Golf Club, you have the choice between different styles of membership. You can get a proprietary membership which allows full access to the golf course, the practice facilities, the dining facilities, and all the events for not only you, but your immediate family as well. Or, if you don’t even like golf that much, you can get a social membership, which basically allows you access to all the private events, dining facilities, practice course, and you can golf with a member once a month too.

#2 Waverly Country Club

Let’s talk about Waverly Country Club. So what’s great about Waverley is the grounds are in pristine condition and you get a backdrop of the Willamette River. One thing Waverly Country Club truly excels at is a shared sense of comradery. Like-minded individuals who really care about being active and having fun. It’s so not-stuffy that they even have a term for that opposing vibe. The Waverley Way sets forth a standard of treating each other with respect and of not being standoffish. Members here really cheer each other on in the good spirit of competitive sportsmanship.

As well as the incredible golf, Waverly Country Club has tennis, bocce ball areas, play areas for the kids, and a swimming pool. Many families gather at Waverly to share the first-rate amenities or to post up on the river for picnic food and drinks.

If you’re looking for a more formal arrangement, you can head to the club for 5 star culinary cuisine and handcrafted cocktails. They also have a wine cellar with over 5,000 of the best Pacific Northwest wines any grape could muster.

#1 Multnomah Athletic Club

Tucked into Portland’s Southwest Hills, you have an ultra-exclusive sports facility, the Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC). People join a waitlist to get in on the action here, and it’s easy to see why. The MAC is the largest indoor athletic club in the entire world. It’s 600,000 square feet of pure awesomeness.

The MAC has personal trainers, fitness experts, wellness experts, yoga classes, Pilates group classes, swimming classes, swim teams, synchronized swimming, yoga, dance, hiking, golf, football, and volleyball. There’s a daycare and camps for the kids. You can even bring your kids with you, drop them off at the daycare, and literally spend the entire day at Multnomah Athletic Club.

The club has a climbing gym, basketball courts, gymnasiums, three swimming pools, and not to mention four of the best restaurants in the greater PDX metro–restaurants that most people will never eat at.

Just the other side of the MAC is Providence Park stadium, home of our major league soccer teams; the Portland Timbers and the women’s soccer team the Portland Thorns. A MAC membership provides exclusive stadium access, where you can even workout while watching a live game take place in front of your very eyes. This club is just the coolest.

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