Fore! WSU's controversial golf course opens

A Washington State University golf course that drew the ire of environmental groups opens to the public on Friday, and will likely draw the ire of bad golfers.

The links course is designed to championship standards, meaning long holes, narrow fairways, difficult greens and lots of lost balls.

The 7,305-yard course is intended to improve the school's golf teams, provide a laboratory for students in turf grass courses and give boosters and alumni a new reason to visit the campus. It replaces a shabby 9-hole course built in 1923 and little improved since.

"Palouse Ridge Golf Club will be an outstanding amenity for our students, faculty and staff as well as for returning alumni and other visitors to the Pullman area," WSU president Elson S. Floyd said.

It's part of a nationwide trend of building fancy golf courses in college towns.

The $12.3 million project, funded entirely from donations, had plenty of critics. Tops among them were environmental groups that contended the course will slurp up huge amounts of scarce groundwater.

The Center for Environmental Law & Policy contended Washington State was "mining" the Grand Ronde Aquifer for an unnecessary amenity and is challenging the water usage in court.

"WSU's reputation is suffering," CELP said in a news release. "Stop using precious drinking water to irrigate a golf course."

The aquifer, a source of drinking water for 50,000 people in the area, has been dropping by more than a foot per year, and the golf course will accelerate that trend, CELP contends.

University officials contend the new course is much more water-efficient than the old one, using drought-resistant grass and computerized programing for each of the 2,000 sprinkler heads. Operators plan to switch to recycled secondary waste water when a sewage treatment plant is built in town.

The course, designed by John Harbottle III of Tacoma, blends nicely into the rolling wheat fields that surround it. The rough off many of the fairways is thick wheat, which makes errant balls nearly impossible to find. The contrast of brown wheat and green fairways is stark.

"We didn't want palm trees in Pullman," said Mel Taylor, WSU's executive director of real estate.

The course also includes a 7,000-square foot clubhouse and extensive practice areas for Washington State's golf teams and students.

Palouse Ridge will be operated by CourseCo of Petaluma, Calif., was chosen because of its environmental stewardship.

The course is intended to lure NCAA and Pacific-10 Conference championships, attract a new hotel and conference center and help recruit and retain faculty and lure retirees by providing a key amenity that was lacking in Pullman, Taylor said.

Palouse Ridge will host the 2012 women's Pac-10 championships and 2014 men's championships. School officials believe it has the distance and quality to land an NCAA championship.

Green fees are $26 for students, $39 for faculty and staff and $58.50 for visitors on weekdays and $39, $58.50 and $91 on weekends.

"We feel as if we're offering world-class golf at economy rates," Taylor said.

Golf coach Walt Williams is happy to have a home course. The 9-holer was too small for tournaments, so every tournament the Cougars entered in the past decade was on the road, Williams said.

Five tee boxes allow the course to play down to 5,106 yards. It has 49 bunkers, two lakes, numerous wetlands and expansive views of the campus and surrounding hills. On a recent day, a coyote was hunting for food on the 17th hole.

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On the Web:

http://www.palouseridge.com