Staying The Course Low Fees And Well-Kept Grounds Earn Inland Northwest High Marks For Golfing Experience

It was three years ago that Golf Digest first took notice of Spokane as a golfing paradise for those in search of quality courses that are both affordable and accessible. In a five-page travel piece, complete with color photographs of several area courses, the world’s largest golf publication examined the public golfing experience in our area and handed out consistently high marks. From the low cost of greens fees to the excellence of grounds maintenance, the article heaped praise on the city and county owned courses, which offer “no-frills golf at its best.”

Today, that label still fits.

Within a 35-mile radius of Spokane, there are more than 20 public golf courses, each offering a unique set of challenges at a competitive price.

Greens fees on city courses run as low as $14.50 for golfers who have purchased a $25 discount card. Spokane County courses charge county residents just $15.50 Mondays through Wednesdays and $16 Thursdays through Sundays.

Rates at privately owned public courses are also relatively low, ranging from $13 on weekdays to nearly $200 during the peak season at the posh Coeur d’Alene Resort.

Most area courses are imaginatively designed, beautifully conditioned and walker-friendly.

“Basically, we’re trying to keep golf a very positive experience,” said Mike Stone, interim director of parks and recreation for the city of Spokane, which operates four highly acclaimed courses - Indian Canyon, The Creek at Qualchan, Esmeralda and Downriver.

“And obviously, we want to make sure that part of that experience is the price,” Stone said. “I have hardly ever heard somebody who would be considered a visitor say anything but positive things about the quality and price of our courses. I still think we’re riding a high as far as public golf is concerned.” Golf Digest seems to agree.

In its latest edition of Places to Play - a list of courses that are rated by everyday golfers - Indian Canyon and Hangman Valley, one of three county-owned layouts, are ranked among the top 50 courses in North America in terms of value.

Qualchan and MeadowWood, another county course, are ranked in the top 200.

The example set by the area’s municipal courses has - with the exception of the Coeur d’Alene Resort, one of only 16 public courses deserving of Golf Digest’s coveted 5-star rating - greatly influenced the area’s privately owned courses.

Wandermere, for instance, has managed to hold its greens fees at $18 on weekdays and $20 on weekends, despite having recently completed a major and costly renovation. Golfers can play Sun Dance for $17 any day of the week. And The Fairways in West Spokane charges just $20 during the summer months.

“Usually we wait for the city to come in with their prices before we set ours,” said Wandermere head professional Bill Ross. “Everybody’s in the same business. We want to get as many players as we can, and to do that we have to keep the prices reasonable.”

Stone still hears complaints, lodged almost exclusively by local golfers, that the public courses are still too crowded. But while he admits there can be problems obtaining tee times during the peak season of May through August, he said the city has no plans to build another course. “From the feedback I’ve been getting, it’s my opinion we are still adequately serving the golfing public with the courses we’ve got,” Stone said. “Our prime (tee) times, as they do everywhere, fill very quickly during the summer, but I’m not seeing anything yet that would suggest we need a fifth course.”

Indian Canyon head professional Gary Lindeblad helped conduct a feasibility study for a group that is considering building a new privately owned public course on the north side of the city.

“What we came up with was that there are enough affordable golf courses in our area,” Lindeblad said. “We obviously experience an overload during meat time and when the weather is incredibly good, but you have to support the courses during the lean times, too, and you can’t spread that play (during the lean times) out any more than it already is.”

Lindeblad, however, is convinced that there might still be a niche for a high-end public course that offers golfers a few more frills than are currently available.

Those frills, he added, would come at a cost.

“There’s a definite greens fee gap in the area,” Lindeblad said. “The most you can pay on a city course is $22.50 (without a discount card), and then you jump to the Coeur d’Alene Resort, which is over $100. And there’s nothing in between.

“What you see over on the coast and in the Portland area is a lot of $40-$60 high-end public courses that have more amenities, like valet parking and caddies, and are more oriented towards tournaments and tourists. If somebody were to build one, a high-end accessible public course like that might be warranted here.”

The problem with developing such a course, Lindeblad added, is trying to find a happy medium with greens fees - a rate that is high enough to cover the cost of developing and maintaining the course while still staying competitive with those of the other public courses in the area.

In the case of the city and county courses, most land was donated.

“So you’re competing against gifted property,” Lindeblad said. “That makes it really tough for a private enterprise to come in and spend $1 million on a nice piece of land and try to work that into the total construction price. “That $1 million adds $10-$15 to the greens fees, so immediately you go from $20 to $30.”

Still, Lindeblad said he wouldn’t be surprised to see a high-end course developed in the near future.

Stone can see the logic in such thinking. But he does not anticipate any change in the city’s philosophy, even if such a course is built.

“Our whole goal is to be able to return some money back to the courses for improvements, but we’re not out to turn this into a large profit-making operation,” he said. “My vision is to pretty much stay the course, at this point.” Stone added that the city’s golf committee is currently discussing a plan to renovate or replace the antiquated irrigation systems at Indian Canyon, Esmeralda and Downriver.

“To do that, we would be looking at an increase (in fees) that would help us cover the debt cost,” Stone said. “But that’s not, at this point, appearing to be very significant.

“And I just don’t see the day where a round of golf at Indian Canyon or somewhere is going to jump to $30 - not unless we could provide such a tremendous improvement in the golfing experience that it would warrant that.”

Meanwhile, Stone expects the city courses to continue offering a quality and affordable golfing experience to everyone who plays its courses - just like it has been doing since Golf Digest proclaimed the area a mecca for no-frills golf.

“I don’t see that a whole lot has changed since then,” Stone said. “The flavor they captured back then is still here. And, hopefully, it will be for a long time.”