KINGSTON — Following more than an average winter’s worth of wet weather, the White Horse golf course grounds were solid enough to endure a test drive Thursday.

Though the course awaits finishing touches and the overall development is still working toward meeting all county requirements, Northwest media and a few other guests were invited to sample the first-ever links of Kingston.

The Pacific Northwest Golfing Association has already named White Horse as one of Washington’s top-five toughest courses. It was also recently featured as “New Course of the Month” in Travel and Leisure Golf magazine

After playing the 18-hole course Thursday, John Tipping of Golf Northwest magazine, said it is one of the more unique courses he has seen in terms of versatility and overall quality.

It will be open to the public in late April, developer Bob Screen said, though he wouldn’t divulge an official date.

First White Horse must tie up several loose ends like finishing its cart paths, installing lights, finalizing drainage systems and constructing a maintenance facility among a few other tasks.

Screen said despite the lingering work, everything has been permitted and White Horse is set to swing.

The course itself has been carved out of the land off of South Kingston Road, at the discretion of some of golf’s biggest names.

The idea for the course in Kingston began in 1988 when Screen read a Seattle Times article in which the founder of PING golf clubs — Karstan Solheim — had called for a course in North Kitsap.

Screen was interested in buying a piece of Kingston property at the time and soon after, he actually met Stolheim whose sister was running a restaurant in Suquamish.

“So, I complimented him on the article, and the restaurant, and PING and everything … and I asked him is there a golf course here?” Screen said, reiterating, “I’m asking you: Is there a golf course here — not can we make one here — is there one here that we just have to find?”

As it turns out, the trained eyes of Cynthia Dye McGarey — niece of golf course design living legend Pete Dye — found the course within the lay of land. Walking the forest, she used Global Positioning System stakes to mark the fairways, changing the routing — or the way in which the course is laid out — multiple times until it was right.

“Basically the only thing you could do was walk the old logging roads to see the course,” Dye McGarey said. “With the bears that I would see, I can’t believe I spent all of that time walking around in the woods by myself.”

During 32 weeks spent at the wooded site over the past two years, Dye McGarey and her developing team have revealed an 18-hole course that is amiable to nearly all levels of play. With five different tees at each hole, golfers can cover anywhere from 5,022 to 7,093 yards.

The layout features wide fairways throughout, so it is especially suited for those fond of the driver. Even so, the 120 bunkers dotting the course beg for precision.

And speaking of sand traps, White Horse’s director of golf Bruce Christy said the sandy soil found throughout the South Kingston site has made the links, “Hands down the driest course in the state.”

Beginning at the end of April, North Kitsap residents will have the chance to form their own opinion at a price of a $45 green fee Mondays through Thursdays, $65 on weekends.