Happy 75th Birthday to the Ritzville Golf Course

On Sept. 26, the 75th birthday of the Ritzville Golf course will be celebrated with a tournament followed by a barbeque. The fee is $30 per person, which includes the barbecue. Sign up now (at the Club House) for the Best Ball tournament.

Following is a condensed version of the History of the Ritzville Golf Course, which was edited and updated in September 2012 by Miles Athey. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Originally, a six-hole course was carved out of sagebrush hills by M.D. ”Foxy” Thiel and friends near Ritzville’s airport, Pru Field. It was rudimentary and consisted of dirt tees, bunch grass and sagebrush fairways (and we complain about a little tall grass), and sand greens.

Once a ball landed on the sand green, the golfer used a wooden rake to smooth a pathway to the hole. Caddies cost 10 cents a round (6 holes) in the 1930’s.

Plans for a six hole course at the current location, complete with grass fairways and greens, was proposed on Sept. 22, 1937, by Roy C. Irvine who was then Club Director of the Ritzville Country Club. Judge Richard B. Ott had offered to donate a quarter section of land for it, and asked the Chamber of Commerce to donate the small plot of land occupied by the “dilapidated tourist camp”.

Rev. E. A. Rein, John Ott, and J. C. Kittel were appointed to serve on a committee to consider plans for the course and methods of financing.

On Sept. 27, 1937, Judge Ott donated the land with the stipulation that it must be developed within the next five years.

Further, if the land were discontinued as a golf course, it would revert back to the Ott estate.

The total estimated cost was $4,000 with an opening date scheduled for August 1938. The city’s swimming pool was suggested as the logical place for water storage, and water would from there be pumped onto the golf course for irrigation purposes.

The Ritzville Country Club proposed an annual membership fee of $12.50 per golfer with an estimated minimum of 75 participating. The estimated annual revenue from greens fees was $1,000

The City Council agreed to the proposal. Tom Stack, Architect, shaped six greens, and trees and grass were planted.

The work was scheduled for Completion on Sept. 1, 1938, and usage would begin the next spring, and a membership drive ensued. Memberships sold for $15 per season, with full family membership available at $2.50 per additional family member. Total cost finalized at $5,000.

J. P. Danekas was appointed Caretaker and collected greens fees. The Ritzville Golf Course officially opened on March 24, 1938. Judge Ott, Roy Irvine, M.D. Thiel, Jake Hoefel and Richard Kembel played the first round on the course.

Ours was the first of its kind in Big Bend country and thus was crowded during its opening days. Twenty-five season memberships were sold and a special season membership rate of $10 was offered to golfers living outside the Ritzville city limits.

On July 5, 1939, the City of Ritzville formally purchased the golf course. Issuance of $5,000 in general obligation bonds were sold to fund the purchase and provide funds for improvements and outbuildings.

On August 4, 1940, the golf course was formally dedicated, with a crowd of over 600 spectators.

The remainder of the article will be continued in next week’s edition of the newspaper.