Golfer’s delight: Mild winter translates to busy season for Liberty Lake course

A mild winter may be making it tough for local ski resorts, but some golfers are reveling in the weather and bringing their clubs to Liberty Lake’s Trailhead Golf Course.

The course is open year-round, but snow often forces it to close, said Chris Johnston, head golf professional at the city-owned Trailhead.

Not this year, though.

Johnston, who is in his 12th season at Trailhead, estimated the course has only been closed for five days because of snow this season.

“I’ve never seen the golf course have this green of grass in January,” he said. “I would say this is the mildest one in 12 years for sure, so far.”

The city of Spokane and Spokane County close golf courses during the winter, leaving Trailhead one of the only spots to golf this time of year.

The Plains Golf Course near Cheney is also open for walking play.

Johnston said about 20 golfers played the course under gray skies and rainy conditions Wednesday. Roughly 35 played Tuesday.

He said customers putt on temporary greens and drive balls on temporary tee boxes during the winter to avoid damaging the course.

The covered and heated driving range, golf shop and new clubhouse, which contains two golf simulators, are also available to golfers all year. A restaurant will be added to the clubhouse this summer.

“It can be a blizzard out here and you can hit balls outside,” Johnston said of the range.

Johnston said the weather and the clubhouse, which opened in July, have been excellent for business.

“Between the mild weather and the new clubhouse, it’s definitely been a spike in revenue,” he said.

Mike Malsam, an Eastern Washington University alum and retired educator, was working on his swing at the range Wednesday.

“I can’t believe I’m out here hitting balls,” Malsam said. “It’s great.”

He said he’s lived in the area almost 50 years and he’s never hit golf balls in January.

“I’ll be out here until the snow prohibits me from being out here,” Malsam said.

Another avid golfer, Brian Lupcho, was also driving balls Wednesday at the range.

He said he hits golf balls all year but probably would have instead hit the slopes on his snowboard Wednesday if the mountain conditions were better.

“I love it for this,” Lupcho said of the weather. “But I also snowboard, too, so that’s been tough.”

Still, he wanted to take advantage of the warmer, snow-free weather at Trailhead.

“It’s pretty amazing that we’re out here right now and getting to do it,” Lupcho said.