Golf Course Changes Pondered

DAYTON - During a special meeting on June 25, the Columbia County Commissioners heard a proposal from members of the Dayton Country Club to make significant changes to how the Touchet Valley Golf Course in Dayton is operated.

The group, which included Country Club board member Bill Savage and President Roger Trump, asked the commissioners to consider contracting grounds maintenance along with course management, beginning in 2015. Groundskeeping is currently done by county employees.

The Country Club's proposal would likely involve hiring a professional course manager who would be responsible for collecting greens fees and overseeing course activities, including hosting tournaments and offering lessons, as well as grounds work.

In presenting the Country Club's proposal, Savage said that the course currently operates at a significant deficit. "Our hope would be that a course manager could bring revenues up significantly," he said.

The Dayton Country Club owns the majority of the land on which the Touchet Valley Golf Course sits. In 1988, a 50-year lease was signed between the Country Club and Columbia County, which puts the county in charge of operating the course, with the Country Club receiving 25% of gross revenues.

The County owns the land on which the restaurant, club house and cart shed lie, and has a contract for the current season with Chase Hudson and Luanne Truesdale to operate the restaurant and collect greens fees. The Commissioners indicated they might consider combining course management and restaurant operating contracts in the near future.

Savage encouraged the commissioners to act soon to prepare a request for proposal for course management for next year, so that plenty of time would be available to get course preparations started in the spring. The matter will likely be addressed at a Board of Commissioners meeting in the near future.

"Our golf course is a 'crown jewel' for the county," Savage said. "We think it can be used much more than it currently is."