Golf Course Management Unlikely to Change

DAYTON – How many people does it take to run a 9-hole golf course in Columbia County? The logistics and complications relative to this question have troubled county commissioners, public works employees, country club members and local golf aficionados for the last month or so.

This week, arrangements were made in a commissioners' workshop to appease the majority of interested parties for at least another season. Operations will not likely change this year, and fees will increase by just over 8 percent to include sales tax, which wasn't charged previously. These arrangements are pending a final decision later this month.

The commissioners began considering changes in course management because Columbia County is now subsidizing operation of the course by between $25,000 and $30,000 per year.

The Touchet Valley Golf Course, located next door to the county fairgrounds at 209 N. Pine St. in Dayton, was built in 1910. The course was owned partly by the City of Dayton and partly by Columbia County, but in the 1970s the city gave up its portion of the course except for the small piece of property where one of the city's wells is located.

"Somehow between the city and the county, the change in ownership never actually got registered," said Columbia County Commissioner Mike Talbott, "but there are documents – minutes and other records – to show the change."

Since then, the county and the Touchet Valley Golf Board/Dayton Country Club have gone back and forth periodically about the best way to manage the course. This past week, difficulties arose when the county looked at increasing fees at the course and making changes to the memorandum of understanding.

History of Management

For many years, the Dayton Country Club managed the course, according to Mike Himmelberger, club president.

"There was a point in time when the cash flow was such that it worked," he said. "We were able to keep things running."

Except that the equipment would deteriorate, he said, and it was expensive to keep it up. Then the numbers of players began decreasing. "And you can only increase dues and fees up to a certain point before you reach that point of diminishing returns," he said.

In the last four years, the number of golfers visiting the course has decreased about 30 percent, Himmelberger said. And while the club has between 80-100 members, that number has been declining as well. "Right now, the funds generated down there wouldn't cover operations completely," he said.

Some of the most avid and loyal local golfers are growing older, he said. "You lose some to attrition of course, and there have been a few disgruntled members, but many are just getting too old to play or are on fixed incomes," Himmelberger said.

County Picks Up the Bill

When it became obvious that player fees and membership dues would not be able to float the golf course, the county stepped in and began to subsidize the operation in earnest.

"It was definitely a win for us," Himmelberger said. The county began to help with expenses at the golf course, as well as the fairgrounds then, he said. "They were having similar problems over there; some very high costs we couldn't control, like insurance," he said. "It can just kill the situation."

But county commissioners are not thrilled about running a golf course, including managing the greens, the restaurant, and the club house, collection of fees, and all the other daily operations decisions and tasks that need to be completed.

"A year ago, we tried to change the golf course over to management by a private party," Commissioner Talbott said. The commissioners placed an ad in the paper and solicited bids from interested parties. They didn't receive any, Talbott said.

"We know we'll never be able to pull completely out of the course," he said. "But most things are better off if run privately rather than by a public agency."

Current Management Arrangement

At this point, Columbia County is in charge of the greens and maintenance at the course, Talbott said. The country club, under the Touchet Valley Golf Board, leases the club house and restaurant from the county and manages those facilities.

The county spends $25,000 to $30,000 annually subsidizing the course through the upkeep of greens and maintenance costs, including paying the county employees who do the work out there, according to County Engineer Drew Woods, who attended the workshop Monday. His county department, Public Works, is responsible for maintenance at the course.

Included in that cost is the amount the county returns to the country club, per the lease agreement, to help the club manage its facilities and complete special projects at the course that the county would not be able to use taxpayer dollars for, Himmelberger said.

Twenty-five percent of fees collected by the county are returned to the club, Talbott said.

The club has an arrangement with local mother-son partners Chase Hudson and Louann Truesdale to run the restaurant, LC on the Green. Hudson and Truesdale are also responsible for collecting fees and making sure players register.

Although the county had considered making changes to management operations at the course, particularly in light of a potential need for more expensive insurance at the facility than the club could manage, county leaders have promised the club they will continue to investigate options. For now, Talbott said the course will continue to operate as normal, and the commissioners hope to continue contracting with Hudson and Truesdale as concessionaire.

Future Plans

Himmelberger said the club will focus this year on drawing in new players. "I think it's our responsibility as a golf club," he said. "This place is a jewel, and with the work that's gone into it lately, it's no longer really a jewel in the rough. It's a great place to play golf and get a great meal."

The course is open year round; the restaurant is open between mid-March until about the first of November, six days per week (closed Tuesdays). The cost for a year of playing is about $325, with an additional $40 to be a member of the country club. This year the fee will increase by about 8 percent to include sales tax, which the county "ate" before, Talbott said.

The commissioners had planned to increase fees by $40 this year but lowered it after Monday's workshop discussion indicated members were strongly against the increase. Removal of the additional $40 cost won't be official until after a hearing Feb. 16, Talbott said.

"We haven't had an increase for a long time, and we're starting to have to put more money into the golf course," he said, indicating that the course is a great deal for a golfer (which Talbott is) when compared to a membership in Walla Walla that might cost $1,200-$2,500.

"We're hoping there will be a remarkable increase in usage of the golf course so that someone, with a little subsidization from the county, could run it," Talbott said.