Recession takes its toll on course openings in state

The recession has hit golf construction hard and this may be a year when the only course opening in the state is a pitch-and-putt course that is being added at the end of the driving range at Mount Si Golf Course.

The only new regulation course with a remote chance of opening is the public Salish Cliffs Golf Club outside Shelton.

However, Ray Peters, executive director of the Squaxin Indian Tribe that owns the course, said, "We're projecting an opening of of spring of 2011." He said even if nine of the 18 holes could be opened this fall "I'm not sure we would open up nine."

Salish Cliffs is designed by Gene Bates, best known for the acclaimed Circling Raven in Worley in the Idaho panhandle.

Salish Cliffs will be an amenity of the Little Creek Casino Resort. The course is near the intersection of Highways 101 and 108 in the Kamilche Valley about five miles south of Shelton.

The par-72 course will be 7,300 yards from the tips.

Because of the recession, this understandably is one of the slowest years in decades for golf construction in Washington.

Jeff Shelley, who has tracked golf-course construction in the Northwest since the 1980s and now does it throughout the nation, said, "A number of factors have conspired to limit golf development in Washington, right along with the rest of the U.S. — namely too many courses, not enough golfers and the reluctance of lenders to provide financing for golf-related developments."

Shelley, who started Golf Report Northwest in the 1980s and now is editorial director of Cybergolf.com and Golfconstructionnnews.com, added, " Many modern golf projects are tied to a residential component, so coupled with the depressed housing market, that has affected development of new courses also. There about 15 golf projects well into the planning stages throughout Washington, but all of those are on indefinite hold due to the above reasons. And it's not just our state, but throughout the nation as well. It's very likely that 2010, like last year, will see more courses closing than opening across the U.S."

The Northwest course opening guaranteed to receive the most national attention this year will be the Tom Doak-designed Old MacDonald Course at Bandon Dunes in Oregon. The course is scheduled to open in June.

• Mount Si Golf Course is opening a low-key, nine-hole pitch-and-putt course near the end of its driving range May 1.

Holes on the Little Si Links will range from 40 to 85 yards.

Ron Lee, one of Mount Si's pros, said the course is envisioned as "mostly for kids." However, adult beginners and golfers wanting to work on their short games also are expected to use the course.

Lee said the course "will be a little bit rough" when it opens but will be upgraded in the future if there are sufficient rounds and customer interest to justify improvements.

"We'll see what happens," he said.

Greens fees will be $4 for anyone 17-and-under for nine holes, $7 for 18 holes and $10 for unlimited use. Adults will pay $6 for nine holes, $9 for 18 and $12 for unlimited play.

There will be a free opening day Saturday.

• The Washington Open Invitational at Glendale Country Club in Bellevue May 17-19 will have a new format this year.

Entry will be by team consisting of one professional and one amateur. Team competition will be net best-ball with handicap. Simultaneously, the pros will be competing as individuals for the Open title.

The new format means that no amateur can win the individual Open title. The tournament began in 1922 and there have been at least nine amateur winners, including Fred Couples in 1978 and Keith Coleman in 1997. Coleman won the tournament as a pro in 2004.

Jeff Ellison, executive director of the Pacific Northwest PGA section, said the exclusion of amateurs for the Open title "is unfortunate" but offset by improved prize money ($15,000 to the winning pro as compared with $5,000 last year) and the amount of money being raised for the designated charity, Camp Korey in Carnation.

Ellison said he expects about $200,000 to be raised for the camp in Carnation for children with life-threatening illnesses through the tournament and its strengthened pro-am the weekend before the tournament. At recent Opens, the amount raised for charity has been around $5,000.

• White Horse Golf Club, which made Golf Digest's national list of "best new public courses" in 2007, has been purchased by Port Madison Enterprises, the business arm of the Suquamish Tribe.

The Kitsap Sun reported the price for the course and its 159 housing lots as $4.65 million.

The tribe bought the course from Columbia State Bank, which acquired the property when it took over American Marine Bank. The course had gone into bankruptcy when the real-estate market plunged.

The course is now operated by Touchstone Golf, a Texas company with its West Coast office in Berkeley, Calif. Bruce Christy, who was director of golf at White Horse, is now general manager.

The Suquamish Tribe, whose ancestors include Chief Sealth for whom Seattle is named, owns the Clearwater Casino Resort near the Agate Pass Bridge that connects the Kitsap Peninsula with Bainbridge Island. The resort is offering various "stay and play" packages featuring golf. The casino-resort is about 30 minutes away from the course.

The par-72 layout was designed by Cynthia Dye McGarey, the niece of famous designer Pete Dye.

• Twelve of 36 bentgrass greens on the Golf Club at Newcastle courses China Creek and Coal Creek have been replaced with Poa annua grass. Poa has been introduced to the other greens on the two courses with patches obtained from older courses around Puget Sound. Poa is expected to overrun the bent grasses on the greens.

The Golf Club at Newcastle made the switch to Poa after problems caused by cold weather and a fungus last year. While the courses were closed into the spring of 2009, nearly seven miles of drainage pipe was installed on the courses and driving range to improve wet-weather conditions.

• Holmes Harbor Golf and Beach Club on Whidbey Island closed March 14 and is for sale.

• Island Greens, the well-regarded par-3 course on the south end of Whidbey Island, is for sale. The course is open and operating. The listed price is $465,500 and includes the driving range and the owners' home just off the course. Owners Dave and Karen Anderson want to retire.

• The men's club at Bellevue Municipal had success with a new type of one-day event early this year — a "one-man scramble." That's right, every golfer got two chances at every shot if he wanted them. Play was in threesomes and most groups got around the course in under five hours.

• Liberty Lake Golf Course outside Spokane is scheduled to reopen in late May after being shut down for improvements that include 30 new bunkers. The course is owned by Spokane County.

• The Northwest Dodge Dealers Pacific Amateur Golf Classic in the Bend area of Oregon has moved from an October tournament to Aug. 30-Sept. 4 this year in response to player feedback.

• The Northwest Open is moving this year from an autumn tournament to a late-summer event and will be held Aug. 23-25 at Wine Valley Golf Club outside Walla Walla.

• This is the 100th anniversary of Everett Golf and Country Club.

• Homestead Golf Resort in Lynden is being sold to Bill and Deja Robins of Lynden. The couple previously owned nine-hole Raspberry Ridge Golf Course.

• The Washington State Golf Association has expanded its popular "Casual Golf Days" program this year to 15 courses.

WSGA member golfers pay a fee and get lunch, golf cart and a round at a designated course, most of them private.

For example, on May 10 (a Monday) there will be a "Casual Golf Day" at the TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge for $105. A shotgun start will begin at noon. The deadline to register is April 30. Further information and a schedule is available at www.theWSGA.org.

Another established Northwest organization enabling private upscale club-play for the public golfer is the Advertising Golf Association. AGA was formed in 1959. Further information is available at www.nationalgolftours.com — click on AGA tabfor current 2010 golf schedule. Each AGA outing has a regular tournament option at each event. Guests and business associates are welcome. Call 206-226-5332 or send an e-mail address to agagolfer@yahoo.com to receive your tee time by return e-mail. Gene Slagle is group director for the 2010 season.

• The 2011 Seattle Golf Show is set for Feb. 11-13. The show has locked in February dates for future years.

• Golfweek's list of best 10 "places you can play" in Washington: 1, Chambers Bay, University Place; 2, Palouse Ridge, Pullman; 3, Wine Valley Golf Club, Walla Walla; 4, Loomis Trail, Blaine; 5, Olympic Course at Gold Mountain, Bremerton; 6, Indian Summer, Spokane; 7, Semiahmoo, Blaine; 8, Trophy Lake Golf and Casting, Port Orchard; 9, Prospector, Suncadia Resort, Roslyn; 10, The Home Course, DuPont.

• A study of the economic impact of golf in Washington has come up with some big numbers.

The recently released study showed that in 2007 (the year of the study) the direct golf economy was $1.2 billion. The report by SRI International found that the golf industry generated a total economic impact of $2.5 billion, including $116 million in tax revenue.

At the time of the study, the state had 280 golf courses, 29 stand-alone ranges and 28 miniature-golf facilities.

John Bodenhamer, executive director of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, called the report "really good news" because it showed the importance of golf in the state.

The study showed that golf was a bigger contributor to the state economy than ship and boat building ($900 million) and wheat production ($1 billion) while trailing seafood preparation and packaging ($1.6 billion) and fabricated metal manufacturing ($3 billion).

• In an unusual promotion to attract golfers, Skamania Lodge in the Columbia River Gorge this year is giving any golfer who matches his or her handicap index on the course their next round free.

The resort also is offering half-price golf and a free umbrella to golfers when rain creates standing water on fairways or greens after they have teed off.

The Golf Course at Skamania Lodge is an 18-hole, par-70 course located on the resort's 175 wooded acres.

• Golf architect Jack D. Frei died in January after an 18-month battle with cancer. Frei is best known for designing Desert Canyon outside Wenatchee, Bear Creek Country Club in Redmond and Echo Falls outside Woodinville. Frei played on the University of Washington golf team.

• Next year: Washington National outside Auburn will host the NCAA women's West Regional. Dates will be May 5-7. The Olympic Course at the Gold Mountain Golf Complex outside Bremerton will host the U.S. Junior Amateur. Dates will be July 18-23.

• The Links at Olson Mansion, a 9-hole course in Maple Valley whose facilities include a historic mansion used for weddings, a putt-putt course, driving range, fishing ponds and swimming pool, closed in October. It is for sale for $2,295,000. Owners Jerry and Colleen Solomon decided to retire, according to their real-estate agent.