Josh Morrisey, City of Spokane Parks & Recreation, Marketing Assistant, 509.625.6236
Friday, June 17, 2022 at 5:10 p.m.
Updated: 07/20/2022
A full irrigation replacement has been completed at Downriver Golf Course, Spokane’s oldest golf course. The new irrigation system will enhance the quality of play by improving turf conditions and is estimated to save approximately 11.5 million gallons of water per year – over 20% of the water used on the course!
Downriver was able to stay open during the regular golf season with a modified 18-hole course while crews worked from September 2021 through May 2022, and golfers were given a 25% discount on golf rates during construction.
Funding for the irrigation upgrades came from a combination of $2.56 million from the golf Facility Improvement Fee (FIF) fund and $409,000 from Public Works. The project coincides with a larger Public Works stormwater project which focuses on improving the health of the Spokane River.
The new irrigation system uses 84,500 feet (16 miles) of pipe and can fully water the golf course overnight during the hottest time of the year in less than 8 hours. This makes for a drier, more playable course in the mornings.
These improvements at Downriver, combined with course irrigation upgrades recently completed at Indian Canyon (2019) and Esmeralda (2020), will save 38 million gallons of water annually. That’s an entire golf course less water used each year!
