The Palouse region of Eastern Washington is known for its rolling topography, fertile wheat fields and, of course, a fine university. But never as a destination for great golf.
Until now, that is.
On Aug. 29, the Palouse Ridge Golf Club opens on the campus of Washington State University, and this long-anticipated design from noted golf course architect John Harbottle III promises to be very much worth the wait.
“It is,” said Jeremy Wexler, head pro at Palouse Ridge, “a phenomenal championship golf course. John Harbottle did a great job designing a course that just fits into the rolling hills of the Palouse. You really can’t tell where the golf course stops and where the Palouse begins.”
“This course is of a caliber to host a major championship,” said Mel Taylor, WSU’s executive director of real estate operations and external affairs. “I think we could play the U.S. Open here. And I will be the most surprised guy in Washington if this is not one of the top new courses in the country this year.”
According to Taylor, the idea of expanding WSU’s existing nine-hole course to 18 holes had come up several times since the 1960s. “But there were always different snags,” he said, “and for whatever reason it never worked out.”
In 2001 the suggestion was made again, and this time the notion took hold. Not only that, university officials decided to do something special.
Using school-owned land — the existing golf course plus some adjoining property — and $8.5 million of donated funds, they determined “to build something that would be more than just an 18-hole municipal golf course,” said Taylor, whose office oversaw the project. “We wanted to build a course capable of being a destination for golfers and a top collegiate course comparable to the ones at Stanford, Ohio State and any of the other top collegiate courses.”
Formal approval for the project came in 2002, and a year later Harbottle was hired. As one of the Pacific Northwest’s most renowned golf course architects — he designed the much-awarded Olympic Course at Bremerton’s Gold Mountain Golf Club — his hiring further evidenced the school’s desire for a top-notch layout.
Harbottle, who broke in years ago with internationally known architect Pete Dye, set about creating a course “that fits with the character of the region,” he said. There were some valleys on the property that fit in well with his design, but there was also a good bit of soil that had to be redistributed. Or as Harbottle put it, “We had to melt down some peaks.”
The result is a golf course that belongs among the very best in Washington. Located near the northeast corner of the campus, about a three-minute drive from WSU’s Martin Stadium, it measures 7,335 yards from the championship tees and 5,113 from the forward tees, with three sets of tees in between.
“We wanted the 27-handicapper to have just as much fun as the 5-handicapper,” said Taylor, a golfer himself. “And if you play the right set of tees, you should have a pleasant day.”
One unique feature, Palouse Ridge is a traditional par 72, but with five par 5s and five par 3s. The extra par 5 and par 3 are on the back nine, where there are just three par 4s.
The course is on 340 acres, but actually uses just 130 acres. Each hole is surrounded by brownish natural areas, which provide a vivid contrast with the lush green of the fairways.
And if building a terrific on-campus golf course seems like a frivolous exercise, Taylor thinks otherwise.
“It’s all part of being world-class and Pac-10 competitive,” he said. “This moves us up the ladder quite a bit. This moves us up in the status of recruitment, retention and community development. So it means everything to the university.”
Palouse Ridge will be the home course for the WSU men’s and women’s golf teams, of course, “and the golf shop is going to have a lot of crimson and gray,” Wexler said.
But golfers from elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest — including those who favor a purple and gold color scheme — should enjoy the golf experience at Palouse Ridge.
Local play will be important, Wexler said, but the golf course also needs to attract out-of-towners. Some will be Spokane-area golfers, but others might be folks from Western Washington who make a side trip to Pullman on their way to golf vacations in Coeur d’Alene and at other north Idaho resorts.
“We’re looking for golf travelers to come in here and play,” Taylor said. “And I think we’ve built something that will bring them.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
