Settlers Bay Golf Course

Settlers Bay sits along the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet, where the Matanuska-Susitna Valley opens up into one of Alaska's most dramatic backdrops — the Alaska Range to the north, the Chugach Mountains to the east, and on clear days, the unmistakable mass of Denali anchoring the horizon. Few rounds of golf anywhere in North America happen against scenery quite like this, and the light here in summer is its own phenomenon: long, low-angled evening sun stretching well past 9 p.m. through the peak of the season.

The Mat-Su Valley has a genuine golf culture built around a short but enthusiastic season, and Settlers Bay is one of its centerpiece courses. The terrain along the Knik Arm is varied and naturally interesting — the kind of ground that creates character without having to manufacture it.

As a semi-private facility in the Wasilla area, Settlers Bay draws both serious locals and visitors making the drive from Anchorage, roughly an hour south. The course plays to a par of 71, a slight departure from convention that usually signals some routing personality worth discovering on foot.