Country Club Golf Top-Of-The-Line
The Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area has built a rich, well-publicized and well-deserved reputation as a mecca for golfers in search of challenging, fair and affordable public courses.
Less publicized is the fact that local golfers seeking a more exclusive approach to the game can also find outstanding values in country club memberships.
The area’s three private country clubs - Manito, Spokane and Hayden Lake - offer members golf, swimming and social trappings at a fraction of what it costs on the west side of the state, where buy-ins at the most exclusive clubs can approach - eveb exceed - six figures.
By contrast, membership at Spokane Country Club requires a one-time initiation fee of $6,000, a stock purchase of $7,000, monthly dues of $225, a dining minimum of $30 during the golf season and the sponsorship of an existing member.
Manito Country Club requires a $6,000 initiation fee, a $6,000 stock purchase, $230 in monthly dues and member recommendations.
Both are primarily golf facilities offering well-groomed courses, fully stocked pro shops, practice ranges, chipping and putting greens and model junior golf programs.
But each also boasts a swimming pool, casual and formal dining areas and busy social calendars.
The initiation fee and stock buy-in at Hayden Lake Country Club ($15,000) is slightly higher, but the $230 monthly dues and $65 dining minimum four months out of the year are in line with the Spokane clubs.
In addition, the club offers tennis courts, a 72-slip marina and 14 on-site hotel rooms, along with beach access.
What area country clubs are primarily about, however, is golf - as you like and when you like it.
Membership fees and monthly dues cover unlimited golf for an entire family on courses that are immaculately maintained and traditionally uncrowded.
“The whole idea of joining a club for most people is that the course is pretty much free,” said Manito club manager Daniel Veliz, who serves 400 golfing members. “It’s usually not busy and they can come and play any time they want.”
Membership is even more limited at Spokane Country Club, which has 370 golfing members, and Hayden Lake, which has 350.
“We’re limited to that number by our by-laws,” explained Spokane general manager Tim Walker. “We could easily sell 400 to 450, but we want to make sure that when our members want to play golf, there’s open space available on the first tee.”
He added, however, that such exclusivity comes with a pricetag.
“The fewer members you have, the more it’s going to cost,” Walker said. “You try to find a balance between that cost and the club’s exclusivity.
“To run an 18-hole, first-class facility, it’s going to cost you X-amount of dollars, and you can divide that X by 370 members or by 500, in which case everybody pays less.
“We’ve opted to keep our membership number lower and keep the quality of the golfing experience at a maximum.”
The condition of country club courses is usually pristine - for several good reasons.
“We keep our course in fine shape because the membership demands it,” said Jim Ashburn, who manages Hayden Lake Country Club. “As a private club, we’re not here to make big profits. We’re here strictly to serve our membership, and that dictates a quality environment.”
Another underlying factor behind the quality and affordability of country club golf in the Spokane area is the quality and affordability of golf at local public courses.
“We’re blessed to live in an area where there are so many quality golf courses,” Ashburn explained. “The Spokane public courses are known across the country as some of the best, and I think that escalates the quality of private courses.”
“With the public golf that’s available here, country clubs have to make sure members are satisfied with the bang they’re getting for their bucks,” Veliz said.
According to Veliz, Manito has a waiting list of just under 30 people. The waiting list for SCC, Walker said, is under 10. Ashburn said there is no waiting list at Hayden Lake, but he added the membership is full.
, DataTimes