Relatively warm, late-winter temperatures have local golfers hitting the links as public course operators have opened several courses early for the second-straight year.

Both private and public course operators are anticipating more rounds of golf to be played this year than in 2015.

Spokane County opened MeadowWood Golf Course at Liberty Lake on Wednesday, and Liberty Lake Golf Course and Hangman Valley Golf Course in Spokane are scheduled to open Friday. County operators opened Hangman Valley’s driving range and putting green on Monday.

Meanwhile, in the city of Spokane, two of its four courses—Downriver and the Creek at Qualchan—opened Saturday. Jason Conley, executive officer of Spokane Parks and Recreation, says nearly 300 players signed up to play at the two courses last weekend. Esmeralda and Indian Canyon golf courses will open in March, Conley says.

Privately owned and publicly played Wandermere Golf Course and Sun Dance Golf Course, located north and northwest of Spokane, respectively, opened Feb. 16.

Matt Strandberg, Sun Dance’s head golf pro, says course officials expect more rounds of golf to be played there than the 25,500 rounds played each of the last two years.

“We reduced snow mold by treating the course last fall, and right now, for late February, it’s looking great,” Strandberg says.

Though still weeks away from starting its 2016 season, the Kalispel Golf & Country Club announced last weekend it added longtime local golf professional Gary Lindeblad to the Kalispel Tribal Economic Authority as its community relations manager.  Following its $3 million purchase of the former Spokane Country Club, the Kalispels will be experiencing its first year as the course owner. 

This year, the cost for 18 holes on county courses will run $30 on weekdays and $34 on weekends and holidays, up $2 from last year.

The county has introduced some new packages and rates for adults and juniors. Twelve holes of play are now available at Hangman Valley and Liberty Lake. The cost is $24 on weekdays and $28 on weekends and holidays. Nine holes on county courses during weekdays is $22 and $28 on weekends and holidays. Juniors can play nine holes for $9, and unlimited season passes are $199. A full round for adults on county courses is $30 during weekdays and $34 on weekends and holidays.

Doug Chase, director of Spokane County Parks, Recreation, and Golf says customer feedback is what generated the idea of 12 rounds of play at two of the three county-operated courses.

“We’d been kicking the idea around for a while, and based on what we were hearing from customers, decided to experiment with that this season,” he says.

In 2015, the three county-run courses saw 94,500 rounds of golf played, down slightly from 94,600 in 2014. Chase says play at the three courses last year were on pace to top 2014 until area wildfires caused a slowdown in play. The county is projecting $2.4 million in revenue from golf this year.

Downriver is Spokane’s oldest golf course and is celebrating its 100th year. Downriver PGA Head Professional Steve Conner says a committee has been formed to plan for the course’s 100th birthday.

“As far as a set time frame, we don’t have that quite yet, but something is in the works and something will be coming down the road that will be fun,” Conner says.

Last year more than 150,000 rounds of golf were played at the city’s four courses, up from 128,000 in 2014, he says.

The city budgeted for $3.3 million in golf revenue this year, up from $3 million in 2015. This year, city parks and rec has expanded golf lessons at all its courses, has a new golf pro, Doug Phares, at Indian Canyon Golf Course, and now offers unlimited season passes for junior and adult golfers.

An unlimited golf pass is $200 for juniors and $1,800 for adults. At the city courses, it costs $31 to play a round of 18 holes Monday through Thursday and $34 Friday through Sunday and holidays.

Conley says it’s the first time in three seasons the city has raised golf rates. The slight increase in fees—a weekday round last year was $29—was due to staff wages and health insurance increases and reinvestment into the four courses.

In North Idaho, the operators of a privately owned, public play course—Prairie Hills Golf Club at 3200 N. Spokane St.—opened the 2016 season on Feb. 8, as did the Fairways Golf Course in Cheney.

“We’ve had a good turnout so far, and we’re expecting 2016 to top the last two years,” says Christopher Runyan, Prairie Hills’ PGA Head Professional. A round at Prairie Hills is $29 for adults and $25 for seniors.

While Runyan declines to reveal Prairie Hills’ annual revenues, he says revenue percentage increased 10 percent from 2013 to 2014 and increased another 10 percent from 2014 to last year.

Runyan says course owners Bill Bomar and Jerry Neeser have made substantial improvements at the club since purchasing it almost two years ago.

“The popularity of golf had decreased during the recession,” Runyan says. “But that’s starting to turn around, and we think this could be a banner year for us.”

The Veteran Golfers Association based in Pinehurst N.C., booked Prairie Hills for its annual national tournament the last weekend of June. Meanwhile, the second day of the annual Dan Kleckner Golf Classic will be held at both Prairie Hills and Downriver Golf Course in Spokane on Aug. 13, Runyan says.

Jerry Zink, the director of golf operations at Fairways says the course is playing well.

“It’s still wet in a few places as you’d expect, but the warmer days recently have it drying out. We’re constantly making tweaks to the course and expect to have a good year,” Zink says.