White Horse Golf Course will likely not open until late April or May, but already tournaments are scheduled there throughout the summer. The first major event will be the Inaugural Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary Club White Horse Golf Challenge June 8.
While White Horse owner Bob Screen scrambles to finish up site work including grading, paving and installing concrete weirs for storm water retention, as well as moving a temporary pro shop and clubhouse in place, director of golf Bob Christy said the course itself is ready and charter memberships are nearly sold out, many to new homeowners.
Dennis Oost of Kitsap County Department of Community Development said Site Development Activity Permits, for predominantly storm water features, are progressing though not yet completed. The pace of work, he said, is up to Screen.
Christy’s pace has picked up and he’s booked nearly 20 tournaments throughout the summer, from small groups of 20 people to larger events such as the Rotary Challenge. He said the 456-acre course, designed by Cynthia Dye McGarey, recently received high ratings from the Pacific Northwest and Washington State golf associations, opening the possibility of bringing in a major amateur tournament. A media day held last February brought major attention to the course, netting recognition in publications such as Travel & Leisure and Golf Connoisseur.
“We knew we had a great product and once they came out and looked at it, they agreed,” he said.
He was excited about the response that the golf course received at the Seattle Golf Show in mid-March as well and said they were “besieged by people coming by.”
For the next year, they will have to rely on temporary facilities, Christy said, but hope to build the permanent clubhouse and pavilion by late summer of 2008. Long-term plans, up to five years out, include a 15- to 25-room inn, destination restaurant and possibly a spa and fitness center.
“It keeps changing. As the infrastructure grows, so will capacities,” he said. “Right now we want to get it open and figure out some of the stuff as we go.”
Food service will be basic at the opening, offering soft drinks, beer, coffee and pre-made sandwiches.
This spring, Christy is looking to staff the golf course soon and has about 35 jobs available. He hopes to employ a lot of kids that need summer jobs to help out with maintenance, at the driving range, in the pro shop and office.
He’s already met with the North Kitsap School District and welcomes sharing the facility with the new Kingston High School team.
Golf clinics will be offered this summer for junior players and ladies. The driving range, he said, “is like none other around” and provides a great opportunity for new golfers, but also a “state of the art practice facility for core players.”
For more information on the White Horse Golf Course, go to www.whitehorsegolf.com or call (360) 297-4468.
The Inaugural Kingston Rotary White Horse Golf Challenge is set for June 8 and will include a silent auction, raffle and buffet dinner. For more information and to register, call Suzanne Jenny at (360) 297-7500 or go to www.kingston-nkrotary.org. Corporate sponsors are being sought. Proceeds from the event will go towards lights for the new Kingston High School athletic fields and creating a fountain in the Village Green Park.
