A lesson in Oregon geography:

From Portland, the capital city in the north, it’s more than a four-hour drive to the southeastern coast to access the fabulous Bandon Dunes Resort. From Portland, it’s also close to a four-hour drive directly south, to Bend, where you’ll find the multi-faceted Sunriver Resort. And to get from Bandon to Bend? That will take another four-and-a-half hours, as the majestic Cascade Mountains act as a spine between the high desert to the east and the wetter, wilder coastline. It’s a great state, but let’s face it -- the geography’s a little goofy.

Let’s add a bit more confusion. Many folks prefer to fly from Portland down to Bandon, eschewing the long drive. Commercial air traffic comes into North Bend, a small town 26 miles north of the resort. This little burgh should never be confused with Bend, home to some 58,000 fortunate souls, which is 260 miles east of Bandon. It might be 10 times as far from Bandon Dunes to Bend as it is from Bandon to North Bend, but that’s OK. Because in Bend, and at Sunriver Resort in particular, there’s also 10 times more to do.

Bandon Dunes is defined by golf and golf alone. It’s a purist’s destination. Sunriver is different. There’s some wonderful golf, the Crosswater course in particular. But while Bandon Dunes is defined by one thing, Sunriver is defined by many. Golf is integral, but simply a facet, a single element, at a resort that caters to a wide range of vacationers.

The resort, nestled deep in an old-growth forest about 17 miles south of Bend, has the typical wide-ranging array of activities you would expect at any full-service vacation enclave—the spas, pools, tennis, nature center, horseback riding, etc. But here in the rugged northwest, a daily dose of adrenaline is as de rigueur as high tea and crumpets at The Cloister. In spring and summer, resort guests can rock climb, go whitewater rafting, rent all-terrain vehicles, ride zip-lines between towering hardwoods, go fly-fishing, spin-fishing, have an organized paintball war, or enjoy what’s billed as a downhill-waterfall-mountain bike tour.

When the snow flies, the scenery, but not the sensibility, changes. Cave tours, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, moonlight canoe tours and ice skating are among the offerings. As is skiing at legendary Mt. Bachelor, one of the truly great alpine experiences in the nation, just 20 minutes from the resort.

Jeff Wallach is a transplanted Long Islander, now a dyed-in-the-wool Oregonian after more than two decades in the northwest. He’s a golf writing colleague, a river runner, a curmudgeon, an outdoorsman. It’s likely that nobody born in the “Five Towns” region of Nassau County is as familiar with the high desert of central Oregon.

“Make sure to visit the outdoor store before heading to Bend because between the mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, river rafting, skiing, and virtually any other I-N-G sport you can think of, the town will absolutely kill you with recreation. You might need two trips there just to carry all the gear. And it's not just that these sports are simply available in central Oregon-- they're world class.”

Sunriver offers a trio of courses -- two on site, and the third and most estimable, a 10-minute drive away. The Woodlands golf course is a pleasant resort experience, albeit no world-beater. The first 16 holes are fine enough, but it’s the closing holes that are curious. The final two holes are marred, practically unplayable, by large trees placed smack dab in the center of the fairways.

What might have designer Robert Trent Jones Jr. been thinking? The penultimate hole, a sliver below 400 yards in length, has a massive conifer right where the ideal landing area is locate. A player must either bunt or boom the tee shot to find an unimpeded line to the green. There’s more of the same madness on the succeeding hole, the confusion more intense due to multiple water hazards, lateral hazards and bunkers, in addition to another massive and awkwardly placed tree.

The other warm-up course is called Meadows, designed by John Fought, and is just as agreeable as Woodlands, though thankfully bereft of the silly finish. But Crosswater is the real golf attraction at Sunriver Resort. It’s a championship track by any definition, a tough slog by foot, as all the water hazards in place require a circuitous routing system to get from tee to green to tee once again. It’s tiring just to walk it, never mind score on it.

Sunriver was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Crosswater, a Bob Cupp design that’s one of only 150 golf courses in the U.S. designated as a certified Audubon Sanctuary, is the most lyrical moniker the powers-that-be could’ve come up with. But there’d be no accuracy lost if the course was called Cross-wetlands, Cross-hazards, Cross-impenetrable areas of jungle, Cross-eyed, which is what weaker players will be after finishing, or Cross-to-bear, because it’s so darn tough.

Situated on 600 scenic acres of woodlands and carefully preserved wetlands, perhaps a 10-minute drive from the resort itself, Crosswater is bisected time and again by the Deschutes and Little Deschutes Rivers. Depending on tee selection, the rivers can come into play as often as seven times on this traditional heath land design. It’s an excellent, if arduous test of the game.

Perhaps 45 minutes from Sunriver Resort is Pronghorn, a trendy real estate development, a high-end oasis amidst untold square miles of Bureau of Land Management property. There’s an impressive Jack Nicklaus signature design on property, with a Tom Fazio contribution slated for completion in a year or so.

20-odd minutes from the funky and vibrant downtown of Bend, Pronghorn is attracting an impressive mix of Silicon Valley wealth, pro athletes and coaches, with a bit of Hollywood mixed in. The golf course the members are currently enjoying is perhaps the only true desert layout in Oregon, with lush bent grass fairways surrounded by rock outcroppings and scruffy sagebrush. The back nine is more memorable than the front, with several shorter, quirkier holes employing large waste areas, water features and station-to-station par 5s that must be navigated cautiously.

In central Oregon, Sunriver is the ultimate place to play. But if you’re considering a relocation, or at least a second home purchase, ritzy Pronghorn might very well be the place to stay.