Little Creek Casino Resort broke ground on the planned golf course it has named Salish Cliffs Golf Club - which honors its Indian heritage and describes a prevailing course feature. Like award-winning Little Creek, Salish Cliffs will be owned and operated by the Squaxin Island Indian Tribe.
Upon completion, Salish Cliffs will be the first completely Indian tribe owned and operated golf club in the state. Little Creek c.e.o. Doug Boon says the course opening is projected for summer of 2008.
Salish Cliffs Golf Club will include an 18-hole course featuring rock facings and elevation changes of up to 200 feet on more than 240 acres minutes north of Olympia on Highway 101.
Salish is an Indian word which essentially means "The People" and refers to the Squaxin Island Tribe and other tribes indigenous to the Pacific Northwest.
"It is imperative that Salish Cliffs honor the Squaxin Island Tribe and the land and we're confident that Gene Bates has designed a course that will, combined with our commitment to the tribe's heritage and Mother Earth, result in an environmentally sensitive, beautiful course that both challenges and delights golfers of all skill level," Boon says. "Adding Salish Cliffs Golf Club continues our mission to offer top-line amenities for our casino guests and comes on the heels of opening our brand new Skookum Creek Event Center next month."
"Concerts at the Creek" is going to be even more exciting in 2006 thanks to Little Creek Casino Resort's new Skookum Creek Event Center. The new center seats 2,000 and will debut with legendary comedian Bill Cosby headlining on July 15.
Golf Course Architect Gene Bates, who designed the nationally acclaimed Circling Raven Golf Club in the nearby Idaho Panhandle, is the architect of Salish Cliffs.
Bates was named "Golf Course Architect of the Year" in 2005 by BoardRoom Magazine, in part for his work in part at Circling Raven.
"Gene Bates is arguably the hottest architect in the country right now, and certainly the most underrated," Boon says. "Each of the past four years he has had one of his designs be named a 'best new' course by national magazines like Golf and Golf Digest, and we expect Salish Cliffs to continue his run of outstanding courses. We're certainly sparing no expense to achieve greatness."
Bates' initial routing plan calls for five sets of tees and par 5s to begin and end the round. Salish Cliffs will be Bates' first design in Washington, where many residents are familiar with his work at Circling Raven - ranked as Idaho's No. 1 public course by Golf Digest magazine.
"I am very excited for Salish Cliffs to begin construction," Bates says. "The Squaxin Island Tribe has a wonderful piece of land and great vision for their property. We believe that together we have come up with a course that will be highly regarded by golfers and nature-lovers."
Other well-known Bates tracks include award-winning Twin Bridges GC in Gadsden, Ala., and SouthWood GC in Tallahassee, Fla., where he collaborated with Seattle native Fred Couples. (Couples is not involved with Salish Cliffs.) Twin Bridges, SouthWood and Circling Raven garnered best-new status upon opening by multiple national golf publications.