Elk Ridge Golf Course

Three of us played Elk Ridge yesterday for the first time. The best way to describe the experience is to say it was confusing. First of all the course is located in Carson, WA, about an hours drive east of Portland — cross the Columbia River at The Bridge of the Gods. If you have played Skamania Resort course, it is about six miles east.
The confusion starts as soon as you enter Carson. Now it need not be that way because there is only on stop sign in the town, well it is a four way stop with a flashing light, so I guess there are four stop signs. There is NO signage to the course. O, there is a small sandwich type sign on the corner saying Elk Ridge Grill right turn, but nothing about a golf course. So after stopping to ask directions (a male sin!) we discovered that you do indeed turn right at the Elk Ridge Grill sign.
Out tee time was 8:24, but it is confusing as to why it was necessary, the parking lot was empty — in fact we did not encounter another golfer the entire round. Which brings in the second confusing issue and the reason there were no other golfers.
The greens had just been plugged and sanded! Putting was like putting on a Chinese checker board. It was a new adventure every green. When the round was over I went into the Pro Shop, the man behind the counter ask about our experience. I said it was okay, I liked the course, but if I would have known the conditions of the greens I would not have played. His response was, «Well, I told you that when you made the tee time.» I told him that he did not inform us of the conditions, but he insisted that would have been impossible. I went to the restroom and on my return he said, «I might have been wrong, it looks like your tee time was taken by one of the girls. I was working in the cart barn.» I thanked him and left, but it was not a woman who took my tee time!
The third issue of confusion could not be helped. Since the course is located in, what is known as, the Columbia Gorge, wind is a factor always. Some days it is light and others it is pretty ferocious. Yesterday it was the latter. Par fours were almost impossible to reach in two when hitting into the wind and when the wind was at our backs wedges would fly the greens. It would take a couple of times playing it understand the vagaries of the course.
Another confusion comes from course marking. Signage on the course is as bad as signage to the course. It is so bad that the guy in the pro shop said, «If you get lost, just follow the cart path.”(-;
But, even after all the confusion, I would rate the course itself as very good. After playing the soggy courses of Portland, it was a joy to play a course that is dry. The fairways are great and show signs of excellent care. The greens are huge and receptive and, I am sure, will be great when they are healed.
Would I play it again? The answer is an emphatic «yes»!