Dan Duff: Work ethic revives local golf course

When Dan Duff was a high school teen looking for a way to earn a few bucks to support his growing golf habit, he turned to then course manager Ron Barker for a little help. Barker promptly set him to mowing the course to help pay for Duff’s first set of golf clubs.

From that effort grew a love for the game of golf and an interest in the proper care and grooming of a golf course. Little did the Ritzville High School student know that his early golf excursions would lead him to return to his hometown as a young adult to serve as the newest manager of Ritzville Municipal Golf Course.

As he transitioned from professional contractor and roofer to course manager late this spring, Duff quickly demonstrated a work ethic at the course that is earning high praise from those who play there and form the city’s leadership.

City councilman Ben Cross, who serves as a liason to the Ritzville Golf Association, routinely reports to the city council that the course is in exceptional shape and regular play on the course appears to be increasing. Both were areas of concern for the city council earlier this year when the city found itself without a course manager.

Mayor Linda Kadlec proudly echoes Cross.

“I’ve seen some real progress made at the golf course this year,” she said. “Dan Duff is a very hard working individual. He knew he had much to learn and he has really given 100 percent of his efforts. I really feel a sense of pride in our golf course.”

Mike Lynch, president of the Ritzville Golf Association (RGA), praised Duff for his work ethic.

“We are pretty pleased with what Dan has done. He has shown a willingness to take care of the course as if it was his own,” Lynch said. “He is up early and works at it pretty hard in the mornings so it’s ready to go for the day. He takes a lot of pride in what he is doing and wants to make sure things are done right.”

Duff played two years of golf for the high school. After graduation in 1998 he considered attending turf management school. He even spent one winter season working at La Paloma Country Club in Tucson, Ariz., as a customer relations and player services employee.

Life interrupted his plans to pursue a career in course management. He soon found himself living in North Spokane and working as a roofer, spending much of his time in Ritzville working on homes here.

Throughout the process, he was an avid golfer and has played many courses around the region and come to know a lot about what Eastern Washington golfers enjoy and look for in a course. One advantage for Ritzville’s course is that it is typically ready for play before the snow melts off the Spokane courses.

Marketing will be a major focus for Duff this season and in coming years.

“There aren’t too many people who know it’s here, but when they do find out, they like it,” Duff said.

He plans to take steps in the coming year to raise the awareness of the course, attending the Spokane Golf Show and advertising in key venues around the region.

Expanding the annual list of tournaments will contribute to the future success of the course. Both the city and Duff want the course to at least operate at a breakeven pace, something it hasn’t done in a number of years.

“I have a lot of connections for different opportunities out of Spokane,” Duff said. “I have a number of relationships with fundraising outlets that could bring tournaments here. I think tournament play is huge in terms of building revenue.”

In the first month of his tenure as course manager, Duff spent countless hours working to bring the course into shape and shake off winter’s impacts.

He logged upwards of 90 hours a week at the course, often starting at sunrise and working until dark.

“I’ve played a lot of nice courses and I would like our course to look as nice,” Duff said.

Lynch said he sees the relationship between Duff and the RGA as a win-win.

“We hope that he’s not afraid to ask us for help if there’s things on the course that we can help with,” Lynch said. “On the other side, we hope that he is receptive to some of the things maybe the membership would like to see done. Right now he is keeping such good care of the course that we are just really pleased.”

Lynch agrees with Cross’s theory that play seems to have increased.

“I haven’t seen the numbers, but I do sense the course is getting more play,” he said. “At this point it’s a friendly place to be and there’s a sense we are all comfortable there. It takes a certain amount of salesmanship, even if all you are doing is taking care of the course. A certain amount of salesmanship comes with the job and I feel like Dan’s doing a pretty good job of that.”

The course has had some outside help improving its look as well. The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans organized a painting party and refreshed the clubhouse with a small army of volunteers organized by Tony and Nancy Burke.

Over 30 RGA and community members volunteered nearly 130 hours on the second weekend of May to spruce up the Ritzville Municipal Golf Course Clubhouse.

Four RGA members power washed the building for nearly 14 hours, followed by a group of eight members who spent 22 hours priming the building for painting.

The final step of the project drew a group of 23 RGA and community members who worked a total of 94 hours painting the building.

The Adams County branch of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans provided lunch for the volunteers, which was served by the Fairway Café staff. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans also donated $250 to the City of Ritzville to help with the cost of the paint used on the project.

Kadlec thanked the volunteer workforce for their efforts and emphasized her pleasure in Duff’s efforts.

“Dan has worked very hard and there is truly a new found sense of pride in this golf course,” she said.

Duff, and his fiancee, Kandis Steele, will be married later this summer.