Everybody’s Golf Game Is All Wet Soggy Spring Puts Real Damper On Local Courses’ Revenues

The relentless spring rain is frustrating diehard golfers and looting Spokane golf course budgets.

Golf revenues are down as much as 30 percent on city and county courses this year, threatening maintenance budgets.

The three county courses have already handed out more rain checks this spring than the past two years combined, said Mike Kingsley, county golf manager.

“It’s just a mud bog out there,” he said. “From a maintenance standpoint it’s a nightmare, and from a revenue standpoint, too.”

April golf rounds were down 20 percent on the county’s Liberty Lake and MeadowWood courses. The Hangman Valley Golf Course hosted only half the rounds it did last year, due in large part to bridge repairs.

Kingsley said increasing the greens fees by $1 this year gives the county golf budget a needed cushion.

“We can survive on June, July and August,” he said, but then noted, “If (the rain) continues to the end of May we might be in trouble.”

Bill Warner, golf pro at the city’s Esmeralda Golf Course, was less optimistic. Warner estimated Esmeralda’s cash flow is down about 30 percent for the season’s first two prime months.

“You’re counting on April and May,” he said. “You don’t make it up. This is the worst (spring) we ever had. April was so cold and now it’s raining so much nobody’s playing.”

Regardless of the summer turnout, Warner said the course will not collect enough cash to cover its maintenance expenses. “It may affect prices next year,” he added.

Despite Friday’s hostile skies and intermittent rain, golfers swarmed some soggy Spokane courses. The Cougar Mania Golf Tournament at the city’s Creek at Qualchan Golf Course attracted 180 festive golfers.

Qualchan pro Mark Gardner said business wasn’t really down in April, but nose-dived in May. “We’ve had a good four or five days that were complete rain outs.”

Steve Conner, pro at the city’s Downriver Golf Course, estimated revenues are down 25 to 30 percent this spring. He said it’s gotten so wet some greens have had to be squeegeed.

“We’ll never make up what we lost” this spring, Conner said, “unless we have a phenomenal fall.”

Conner said he’s seen a reluctant change in his regulars.

“Some of them have taken the attitude they’re going to learn to play in it,” he said, “because that’s all we’ve seen.”

But the rain scared away much of Conner’s business Friday. About a third of the scheduled golfers called to cancel.

Steve Nelke, pro at the Hangman Valley Golf Course, said he’s beginning to think his course is cursed. First, the February floods damaged bridges, then came the spring weather.

He’s seen less than half the business he had last year.

“The only guy in worse shape than us is the Unabomber,” said Nelke.

Some regulars are beginning to take the weather personally, he said, noting a Wednesday women’s group that seems to attract the worst the sky has to offer.

Only the most devout in the group has been golfing at all. “One of them came in,” he said, “and she looked like someone had dumped a bucket of water over her head.”

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