Spokane-area golf courses, after enduring a drop-off in activity the last couple of years due to a weak economy and reduced consumer spending, say they expect to see at least a modest upturn in business this season.

Some of the public courses here have increased fees modestly in strategic areas, with the goal of covering some of their rising costs while hopefully not chasing off budget-minded enthusiasts. Others have kept their rates unchanged from last year, or even lowered them, in an effort to lure back more inactive players and to attract new ones.

Though the industry here has taken a few hard knocks, several of the golf professionals and others interviewed say they believe the courses here generally have fared better than those elsewhere.

"I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that Spokane is very lucky," says Steve Prugh, head professional at Manito Golf & Country Club, at 5303 S. Hatch Road.

Prugh also is president of the Pacific Northwest Professional Golfers Association, through which he hears a lot about what's happening at courses outside of Eastern Washington and North Idaho. That knowledge has made him grateful for the relative health of the courses here, which he contends provide "great golfing at an incredibly affordable price."

In all, there are more than 40 golf courses within about a two-hour drive of Spokane - including 18 in Spokane County - that collectively generate millions of dollars in green fees and related revenue each year and attract large numbers of visitors.

The list includes a total of seven courses owned by the city of Spokane or Spokane County, a mix of other municipal and privately owned public courses, and a few private country clubs. Prominent on the list are such highly touted venues as the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course, Circling Raven Golf Club, the recently resurrected Golf Club at Black Rock, and the Gozzer Ranch Golf & Country Club.

Standard weekend rates, minus any discounts, to play the 18-hole public courses range most from around $25 to $35, though green fees at the premier courses are substantially higher. The public courses here typically have between about 30,000 and 50,000 rounds of golf played on them per season.

"Golf has been hit very hard like a lot of recreation sports" during the recession and months since then, Prugh says. At the same time, golf courses were overbuilt nationally, many of them tied to real estate developments, he says, noting the sharp decline in that market.

For example, in Bend, Ore., he says, the number of private courses has dwindled from seven four years ago to basically just one now.

At Manito, although a one-time lengthy list of people waiting to become members has evaporated, Prugh says, "Our membership is just a few members short of full," and he expects the country club, which is in the midst of a membership drive, to be back to its maximum 400 regular members shortly.

People joining the club currently pay a $5,000 initiation fee and $7,500 to buy a share of stock, plus about $400 monthly to use the facilities.

"What we're seeing through this economic downturn is we're busier than normal because if people are paying to belong to the club, they're using it," Prugh says.

The number of rounds played at the golf course didn't fall during the downturn; in fact, it increased. But the club - like other courses here - saw reduced participation in tournaments, and its banquet and meeting revenue fell by about 25 percent, he says.

So far this year, even though the weather hasn't been cooperative, Prugh says, "Every indicator that we're seeing is positive. Club events are filling up. We're seeing good stuff."

The Spokane Country Club, at 2010 W. Waikiki on Spokane%u2019s North Side, experienced a similar revenue decline due to the soft economy, but its December was better than the year-earlier month, and, "We're kind of seeing a little uptick so we're feeling optimistic this year," says John Stone, general manager.

Founded in 1898, the club claims to be the oldest golf club in the Spokane area and the third oldest in the Northwest, and is celebrating its 100th anniversary at its current location with a 100-day trial membership as part of a membership drive that's under way. New members currently pay a $5,500 initiation fee and $2,000 for a share of stock, plus a monthly charge of about $430.

With a membership capped at 370 families, Stone says, "We had a waiting list to get in in 2007. We were basically full and didn't have anyone who wanted to sell" their stock, but the recession "stirred up any who weren't using the club enough" to justify the expense.

As a result, he says, "We're still full, but there's 24 people who want to sell their stock." The club has a normal attrition rate, though, that should enable it - through new memberships - to stay at or near its membership cap, he says.

Attracting more players

Because of the way they're structured financially, the country clubs aren't as dependent on the number of rounds played as public courses are. The city of Spokane saw the overall number of rounds played at its four courses - Downriver, Esmeralda, Indian Canyon, and The Creek at Qualchan - fall 4 percent in 2009, to 155,304 from 161,655 in 2008, and another 2 percent last year, to 151,687.

However, Downriver and Qualchan both had slight increases in rounds played last year, and the city is projecting the total number of rounds played at the four courses to rebound by about 3 percent this year, to 156,181.

"We're heading in the right direction from our perspective," says Leroy Eadie, city parks and recreation director.

The city made some "surgical" fee increases, designed to help cover rising costs but avoid "chasing customers out the door," and believes it's "tracking pretty close to other public courses in the area," Eadie says.

Among the fee hikes, the city increased the price of a discount card it offers to $35, up from $30 previously, and raised the discounted 18-hole fee charged under that card by $1. Also, it boosted the standard Monday-through-Thursday fee at Downriver, Esmeralda, and Qualchan slightly, to $27, to match the rate at Indian Canyon. The standard Friday-through-Sunday and holiday fee of $29 remained unchanged, he says.

Doug Chase, Spokane County's parks, recreation, and golf director, couldn't be reached for comment. However, a county senior accountant says the county took in about $2.2 million in golf revenues last year at its three courses - Liberty Lake, MeadowWood, and Hangman Valley - and expects that to climb to more than $2.4 million this year.

The number of rounds played at Hangman Valley slipped last year to 32,000, down from 34,500 in 2009, but they increased slightly at MeadowWood. Liberty Lake was closed in 2009 for a remodel and managed to record 26,000 rounds last year after opening late.

Privately owned Wandermere Golf Course, which is located north of Spokane and normally attracts around 40,000 rounds per season, was off a bit last year, at around 35,000.

"Our daily play wasn't down that much. Where we saw a drop was company tournaments," says Bill Ross, head professional there.

Wandermere kept its rates unchanged from last year and, based on the level of activity and interest being shown so far, "It looks like we'll see some upswing. We're pretty optimistic," Ross says.

Chris Runyan, head professional at privately owned Sun Dance Golf Course, in northwest Spokane, says, "We were one of the courses that saw an increase in rounds, and I think that was because we were more affordable to people."

Sun Dance simplified its fee structure this year, going to a standard $24 adult Monday-through-Sunday, 18-hole rate, which translated into a slight reduction in its weekend rate, Runyan says.

Consequently, Sun Dance notched 32,000 rounds played last year, up from 26,000 in 2008. He expects that to grow some, but he says the course's small footprint and tight fairways limit the number of golfers it could handle comfortably. "If we got over 37,000, it would be way too crowded for people to enjoy. We don't want to do the conveyor belt-style golf. We're trying to have a country club atmosphere at a Wal-Mart price."

Tom Davidson, director of golf at highly acclaimed Circling Raven, located near Worley, Idaho, next to the tribal-owned Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel, says bookings are up slightly there so far, and he's optimistic about the season ahead.

Circling Raven normally handles about 25,000 rounds a year, but that fell last year to just over 20,000 rounds.

"We have felt the impact of the economy. All facilities have, particularly those that rely on travel guests," as that course does heavily, Davidson says.

The combination of an improving economy and an expansion that's under way at the nearby hotel-and-resort complex should provide a boost, he says, noting also that the golf course has held its fees steady the past four years.

"We're doing what we can to maintain a good value, so we're pretty optimistic going forward," he says.