Season ending at golf course

Season Ends at WLGC

Another great season at Whitefish Lake Golf Club comes to an end as of Nov. 1. Once again we need to thank our fabulous green crew under the direction of Dick Collins for providing excellent playing conditions. Even in the middle of a long dry spell the greens were fantastic and rolled smoothly. It goes without saying that we are all fortunate in the community to have Doug Reed with all he does for the good of the town, and at the golf course he runs the best restaurant possible. Doug’s staff is remarkable as they deliver food and service at the highest level. The Golf Shop staff, under Head Professional Tim Olson’s guidance, continued to run our events, tournaments and gatherings without a flaw. The entire golfing community feels extremely fortunate to have such a dedicated staff and Board of Directors guiding and caring for our unique facility and community asset.

We appreciate the Whitefish Pilot for allowing us to the opportunity to keep our members and guests informed.

What’s New for 2019?

The Board and staff are in the process of planning for 2019 facility improvements at the Golf Course. One of the items to be completed in early spring is the renovation of the parking lots in front and back of the clubhouse. This expensive renovation, while temporarily disruptive, will be a much needed project that is due some maintenance. Members and guests will be advised when the project is about to be underway with directions for the easiest ways to still play golf but avoid the inconvenience of the construction. A new South Course practice putting green is also on the radar, but will not be started until late in the 2019 season. This new green will be twice as large as the current putting surface and offer greater options for warming up and practicing this important part of the short game. The short game practice area behind No. 1 green on the South Course will see a new bunker along with a new green. Having a separate green for bunker practice will enable an expansion of this area now used for both pitch shots and bunker practicing. Also, we will continue to renovate cart paths around the course.

Busy Year

The rounds played at the golf course followed our recent trend with members playing approximately 70 percent of the total and guests making up the remainder. From a revenue position the balance between green fees and memberships was as predicted with memberships accounting for over half of the total in 2018. Whitefish Lake Golf Club is fortunate that the national trend in decreased play has not materialized at our local course. Our loyal membership base remains consistently around 1,800 adults and juniors with 1,400 of those locally based Whitefish members. We appreciate all our members and their support of the facility as we attempt to maintain the highest quality environment at what is the best value in the region. Have a great off season and we look forward to seeing all of you next spring.