Golf course introduces dynamic pricing; West Plains golf league forms
A very wet winter has helped replenish many of the water hazards, like this one on the No. 18 hole, which had disappeared with the recent drought.
There's something that says - not sure from where - that once the NCAA basketball tournament is finished and The Masters takes sports' center stage it is officially golf season.
The Fairways Golf Course at West Terrace surely embraces that notion and is preparing to launch another season with innovations and events that they hope set them apart in a crowded and competitive market.
"We like to try to offer all kinds of different activities and events for golfers," general manager and head professional Kris Kallem said. "Whether it's instructional clinics to help them play better or new programs to get the kiddos interested in the game."
Encouraging youngsters and others to take up the sport is part of The Fairways partnership with 4-Rec Youth Sports, which is all four recreation agencies on the West Plains - Cheney, Medical Lake, Fairchild and Airway Heights.
"We're going to create an eight week youth program," Kallem explained. "It'll start in June, (and) the first four weeks will be instruction where they learn to play the game." The last four weeks will consist of league play with each city having a team that will compete.
Fairways will once again roll out its ladies par-3 league, which moves to Tuesdays and launches May 3. "We set up nine different holes each week, ranging from about 40 to 100 yards," Kallem said.
The game is both affordable and fast. "You play a scramble format so you have a partner who can bail you out," Kallem said. "It gives people the opportunity to work on their short games, to putt for birdies and pars if they're not used to that."
Kallem said The Fairways may be unique in offering this type of competition. He's not entirely certain how it was discovered but he credits a PGA player development official.
"It was popular right out of the gate so we were pleased with it," Kallem said. "We've done ladies night on Thursdays in the past so we're going to shift that to Tuesdays to coincide with this."
The course will also offer other companion activities such as wine tasting and instructional clinics with both official and what Kallem called "celebrity" instructors.
The Fairways men's league starts in May while the PGA junior program, which plays teams from other courses in the area, begins play in June.
Focus shifts to some of the region's top professional and amateur talent who descend on the course July 7 – 10 for the Lilac Invitational. With new sponsors on board Kallem said that will allow a bump in the purse - and a bigger professional field, perhaps.
Spectators will be charged a fee for the second-straight year with all proceeds going to the Shriners Hospital for Children, the Fairways longtime charity partner. "We actually sold more than we thought last year," Kallem said. "I was pleasantly surprised."
Lilac has long been known as a festive event, and Kallem said they will continue that tradition. Music will once again be a centerpiece of the non-golf activities at The Lilac with local band, Smash Hit Carnival playing Friday night July 8.
Changes to the course itself took place over the past few months with the addition of a new water hazard along the right side of the No. 8 fairway. "That will definitely affect play," Kallem said.
Some old water features that had dotted the course in the past has reappeared courtesy of a very wet winter that so far has delivered nearly 35 inches of snow and plenty of rain. "We still have some work to do from the irrigation standpoint," Kallem said.
That's not all. Another water feature will parallel No. 8 along the left side. "The hole is going to change, obviously," Kallem said. By hitting a driver it will bring the water on the right into play, Kallem said. "It will be a little bit of a demanding hole."
If the course and events are not enough of a draw, Kallem said the introduction of what is called "dynamic pricing," hopes to lure more golfers to the Fairways.
Offered online only, the concept is similar to what airlines do with their every-changing fares.
"The golf industry is a dinosaur," Kallem admitted. "This concept is nothing new to hotels or the airline industry; we'll be the first ones to offer it in this area."
The fees will be updated daily, if not hourly, Kallem said. "Rates will change and they'll go up and down based on things like the weather."
A winter that included both snow and cold treated The Fairways quite kindly, Kallem said, and as noted, returned the water to ponds to make play that much more challenging.
"That's going to encourage riparian plants to grow and thrive more than they have in the past couple of drought years," Kallem said.
The Fairways Golf Course is located at 9810 W Melville Road in Cheney. Business hours are Sunday through Saturday from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.To contact The Fairways call (509) 747-8418, email [email protected] or visit http://www.golfthefairways.com.
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
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