The golf course at Columbia Park will have a brand new golf club by this time next year.

In about 2011, the city explored the idea of replacing the roof of the old club house. After a structural review it was determined that the building was structurally unsound and needed to be torn down.

That building was more than 50 years old at the time.

Terry Walsh with the City of Kennewick says a modular that the city already owned was brought in, but last year's harsh winter damaged that. Today, a trailer is being used to schedule tee times.

"So, now we're on plan 'C', which is our final plan, and that's to build a new club house on the footprint of the previous club house," said Walsh.

The new clubhouse will be about 2,500 square feet and include a restaurant with patio seating, as well as a pro shop.

"It's going to be beautiful. It's gong to be open with concrete floors and wide open ceilings," Walsh said. "It should be very nice for all those golfers that go out early in the morning and just want to sit and rest, or driving home from work and just stopping off and sitting on the deck in front of the river."

Walsh said boaters have asked that a dock be added near the club house so that they can dock by the shore and walk to the club house to eat at the restaurant and enjoy the deck as well

The project is currently in the permitting process with the city, state, and Corps of Engineers, and it should be completed and ready to open by Spring 2019. Total cost of the project is estimated to be about $1.17 million.

Even without the club house, the Columbia Park Golf Links has seen players log more than 800 rounds of golf just since the beginning of the 2018.

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