Supporting our local Ritzville Golf Course

I play a lot of golf. My friend, Patty, and I try to play every day when weather won’t blow us across a fairway, drown us, boil our blood, freeze us, or threaten us with a tornado. We celebrate the benefits of exercise, friendly interaction, and fresh air.

We also realize the mountain of work required to maintain our golf course.

Dan Duff, course manager, can be found on the course daily, grooming every blade of grass, which requires special equipment and training, moving flags and cups, and sprucing up the roughs. Maintenance also requires that he dispose of an endless supply of rubbish discarded by golfers and non-golfers alike.

People who think the course is a park will eat a fast food meal there, locals traverse fairways in lieu of safe passage along sidewalks, occasionally a vagrant tries to camp there, and all tend to leave miscellaneous containers and wrappers for someone else to pick up.

People can be very inconsiderate and sloppy. Several of us pack garbage bags on our carts to help clear the course of others’ garbage.

There are also countless man hours donated by men and women, usually members of the Ritzville Golf Association (RGA), for improvements and maintenance.

During the 2016 season, volunteers completed projects including building retaining walls around the course, removing tree debris, extending the No. 11 tee, updated two other tees, plugged and sanded the greens, and provided over $15,000 in pledges for upgrades at the course.

RGA monetary donations to golf course totaled $6,725 and included a Golf Show promotion booth, landscaping blocks, support of the annual women’s tournament, scorecards, clubhouse repairs and improvements, greens cups, flag sticks and greens flags.

Don Sanger and Grange Supply of Odessa donated 1,500 pounds of fertilizer and chemicals to control weeds, as well as the use of a spreader. Chemicals were applied by a licensed applicator, and the total donation was valued at $1,000.

Our golf course brings in numerous out-of-town players throughout the year. Some play here early in the season since oftentimes the Spokane and Tri-Cities courses are not open as early as ours; or as late, for that matter.

Many visit our town to golf in the various tournaments we host. We have talked with people who try to stop here to play a round any time they travel I-90, and there are numerous players who spend a few days in our RV park at least once each year and take advantage of the golf course, swimming pool, and park.

Ritzville’s course is popular. We also have many out-of-towners who play here each week, usually Mondays, because our greens fees are reasonable and our course is well maintained.

Whenever players come to Ritzville, they often have meals here, purchase gas, and visit various other establishments. That money and patronage benefits Ritzville.

Per national average, money that comes into town through purchases and fees circulates through our businesses five to seven times before it is spent elsewhere.

Rarely do any golf courses support themselves on greens fees and cart rentals alone. Their cities make up the differences.

Donations of time and money from RGA members and other users cover a lot of the cost of having the beautiful, park-like Ritzville Golf Course that dresses up our town, draws retirees to buy homes here, and provides fun in the sunshine for residents and guests alike.

So the next time someone tells you that the golf course is an albatross, please remember that there are numerous reasons for appreciating all that the golf course offers.

It keeps our locals busy, exercised, and healthy as well as brings revenue into our town. Go Golfers!