Green energy fuels Swinomish Golf Links re-opening

New greens at Swinomish Golf Links helped raise much appreciated green for area charities, among them the La Conner Sunrise Food Bank.

Golfers taking part in a special free day at the Swinomish Tribal Community-owned course near La Conner last Wednesday chipped in $227 for the local food pantry, which took donations on the par-3, 156-yard fifth hole.

Almost $5,600 was raised for area charities, split evenly between $2,800 donated by golfers to the charities positioned at each hole and $2,757 given by the Swinomish Casino & Lodge from food and beverage, range ball tokens and golf carts fees they donated and a raffle and chipping and putting contest they sponsored.

It was all part of the highly anticipated re-opening of Swinomish Golf Links, which had been shut down for four weeks during the peak summer season due to criminal destruction that wiped out 16 of 18 greens.

Swinomish officials, including Tribal Senate Chair Brian Cladoosby – himself an avid golfer – invited 19 charitable organizations to benefit from the Community Golf Day event.

Golfers were able to donate at each of the 18 playing holes and in the pro shop. Many played the course with stacks of one and five dollar bills in their pockets to spread their contributions around.

Other charities, from Friendship House and Habitat for Humanity to Skagit County Coalition Against Trafficking and Saving Pets One at a Time, were beneficiaries.

“It’s our way of giving back to the community,” said assistant pro Jamie Carroll, who staffed the shop counter during what was an often hectic early morning rush.

“All our tee times are booked from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” Carroll said. “We have new foursomes play every eight minutes, so you do the math, that works out to about 300 golfers.”

That is 100 more people than capacity and a Swinomish Golf Links all-time record, Kelci Douglas, digital marketing coordinator, wrote in an email.

At 4:30 p.m. Bob Raymond and Linda and Martyn Adams were comfortably holding court at the fifth hole, ensconced with camper-chairs, water and hats. Stuart Hutt was driven up in a golf cart a bit later to help them finish their four hour shift.

Linda Adams likened covering the hole to “a potluck. People are showing up and leaving,” typical of the comradery among food bank volunteers. Martin Adams was gladdened by golfers’ response. Besides dollar bills, “almost to a person, they have thanked [us] for what we’re doing,” he said. They were appreciative of the food bank’s work, his wife added.

The group was having a good time with the golfers, offering prizes for closest to the hole among each foursome. Hutt hustled for dollars, going up to golfers as they pulled their carts to a stop.

Lee Sovie, from Shelter Bay, had played the course at 6 a.m. before volunteering for his shift. before volunteering for his shift. He was still there at 5 p.m. He helps regularly at the golf course, where he trades his mechanical skills on cart maintenance for playing golf.

More golfers arrived after 5 p.m., as the course remained open another four hours, its parking lot filled with vehicles much of that time.

The weather did its part. Players were greeted by sunny and warm conditions the entire day.

The course was closed June 11. In mid-May vandals applied glyphosate to greens. The potent herbicide is found in popular weed-killers. Damage estimates have approached $400,000, including lost revenue.

The Swinomish Tribal Community has offered a $10,000 reward leading to the arrest of persons responsible for the act.

Particularly troubling, Tribal leaders and staff said at the time, was the offensive nature of profanity spelled out on the par-3 11th hole.

The restoration project involved laying rolls of bent rye grass on all 18 greens, pulling each section into place and trimming edges as the clock continued to run on the relatively short Pacific Northwest golf calendar.

The 18-hole Swinomish Golf Links, a rural retreat for those seeking an alternative to urban courses, plays at just over 6,000 yards and is set on a 100-acre site offering sweeping views of Mount Baker and Fidalgo Bay.

It has long enjoyed a loyal local following, going back to its days as Similk Beach Golf Course.

The general golfing public and Swinomish Golf Links regulars weren’t alone in being displaced during the nearly month-long course closure.

Cladoosby hosts a golf outing each July 4th for a group of fellow La Conner High alums, a number of whom travel from out of town, one as far as Las Vegas. This year they had to play a Whidbey Island venue.

All are now looking forward to taking a mulligan – with the do-over coming next summer at Swinomish Golf Links.