WSU readies to tee off golf course construction

PULLMAN – With a drive into the overgrown weeds that used to be the ninth fairway of the Washington State University golf course, V. Lane Rawlins made a personal wish come true.

The WSU president, joined by a number of school and city officials, ceremonially started the construction process Friday on the Palouse Ridge Golf Club at WSU, an 18-hole layout that will replace the nine-hole course previously situated on the campus’ eastern edge.

“What’s important to me is the development of this whole region, and our image and our ability to draw people to this region in support of this university and in support of this community,” said Rawlins, who told the assembled crowd he first inquired about expanding the course two months after arriving as WSU’s president in 2000. “The percentage of the population playing golf is continuing to go up. People are looking for more than just a place to knock it around. They’re looking for a great outdoor experience.”

WSU has talked about or planned the course expansion for years, but an arduous design and fundraising process has delayed construction until now, with an expected completion date in 2008.

Mike Jones, president and CEO of Banner Corporation and also the lead fundraiser for the construction effort, said his committee has secured about $4.5 million of the needed $8.4 million to complete the course. A new multiuse clubhouse, expected to cost $4 million, has been tabled for the time being.

But with a John Harbottle III design in place – scaled back slightly after construction bids came in well over budget earlier this year – WSU was ready to go with the expanded course.

From the back tees, Palouse Ridge will play at more than 7,300 yards, and the school hopes it will be challenging enough to host an NCAA regional tournament at some point in time. At the same time, Harbottle said he tried to use the natural terrain to create a course that also will be playable for lesser golfers.

“There are multiple ways to play each hole,” he said. “It was a challenging course to design but it was also an exciting course to design. This terrain offers a lot.”

There have been questions raised about the sustainability of a more upscale course in a smaller community, especially with nearby alternatives in Moscow, Lewiston and Clarkston. Prices are expected to be well higher than they were on the nine-hole course, and it remains to be seen if enough people will play the new layout to ensure its viability.

President Tom Isaak of CourseCo, Inc., a California company that will be responsible for running the course operations, said a pricing structure won’t be finalized for “nearly two years.” But he did say the needs of the local community – specifically, a tiered system that reduces prices for students and faculty – will be incorporated.

Rawlins maintained that a good golf course, regardless of location or cost, will draw people.

“A lot more people live here than up around Circling Raven, and you can’t get on it,” he said. “This has become America’s passion, going to nice places to play golf on good courses. We won’t have any trouble.”

One thing that seems certain is the course’s benefit for the school’s golf program. An expansive practice facility is set to be completed in 2007, and head coach Walt Williams said he has already found recruiting an easier task with a timetable in place for the new course.

“I’ve been at Washington State for eight years and I’ve never had a home game,” he said. “That’ll be really nice to host tournaments. Because every time we play, we play on somebody else’s home course.”