WSU golf course ranked third best collegiate course

WSU’s Palouse Ridge Golf Club was rated as the third best collegiate course in the nation by Golfweek Magazine last week.

The “Best Campus Courses list” featured 30 courses across 22 different states. Palouse Ridge was only bested by The Course at Yale, in New Haven, Conn., and the Taconic Golf Club of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass.

“It’s a big honor for us, you know, Palouse Ridge is excellent,” said Tyler Jones, the general manager of Palouse Ridge Golf Club. “It’s well designed, well manicured and deserving of the award.” Palouse Ridge was not only voted among the elite in the nation, but also the best in the Pac-10, with courses at Stanford University and Arizona State University also making the list.

“I haven’t played a lot of the courses on that list, but I have played some, and Stanford is one (of them),” said Jones. “I’m a little bit biased, but I think (Palouse Ridge) is much better.” According to Golfweek’s article, a course must be fun to play and accessible to the university’s students and staff.

“(The course must) be part of a school’s recreational life, in terms of preferential access for students, faculty and alumni,” the article said.

To cater to students, Jones says Palouse Ridge lowers prices for students and faculty. He also said the course’s proximity to campus played a role in Palouse Ridge making the list.

“As it is right now, about 40 percent of our play when students are here are student rounds,” said Jones. “Our student play ratio is actually pretty high.” According to the Palouse Ridge Golf Club website, the course was designed by John Harbottle III, one of the top course architects on the West Coast.

“How you judge a good course is if you walk off the last hole and you can remember each one individually, then the course is good,” Jones said. “And that’s what (Harbottle) did here.” Palouse Ridge covers 315 acres winding through the Palouse Hills, and nearly 100 acres are part of the course itself.

Jones said the unique course architecture, the scenery and the accessibility to students have made Palouse Ridge one of the best courses in the nation.

“(The award) is huge for us. It’s a big honor for WSU and also for Palouse Ridge,” he said.