Everett’s Walter Hall adds bunkers throughout course

Since opening in 1972, Walter Hall Golf Course in Everett has always been considered one of the Pacific Northwest’s busiest golf courses. But it was also known for something else: Having only one hole with bunkers.

That has now changed as the city of Everett along with Premier Golf has given Walter Hall a new look with the addition of bunkers around the golf courses. Rex Fullerton, General Manager for both Walter Hall and Legion, said “the project started last fall and when finished will create bunkers on about half the holes. The opening hole at Walter Hall was the only hole to have bunkers, with one fairway and two greenside bunkers in play. But now, there are greenside bunkers on holes 2, 6, 8, 14 and two greenside bunkers on hole18. All have been filled in with bright white silica sand out of Idaho that is one of the finest bunker sands available.”

“The new bunkers give the course a new and more updated look,” said Fullerton. “We put in the bunkers to add to the look, feel and interest and provide a more complete challenge to the golf course. It is a much-needed facelift and has helped beautify the course and make it more challenging at the same time.”

Currently two new fairway bunkers are under construction on the par 5 15th hole and a greenside bunker will be added to the 16th hole and a 2nd greenside bunker added to the 8th hole yet this summer. When complete next year the golf course will have 12 to 15 bunkers. The bunker program is in addition to programs that Everett Parks Program Director Gary Sayre and Walter Hall Superintendent Dennis Parsons have implemented over the last four years to improve the golf course conditioning. This includes regular course sanding, vertical mowing, a rolling program and other agronomic improvements that have firmed and smoothed the greens and made the golf course much firmer and faster.

Walter Hall Golf Course may be turning 40 years old, but what has been happening at Walter Hall is only proof that some things do get better with age. Everett Country Club member and four time Snohomish County Amateur Champion Alex Stamey after participating at Walter Hall in the 2012 Everett Men’s Amateur Championship had these comments about the golf course, “I haven’t played Walter Hall in 10 years and it was over the top how much better it is.”

For more information see www.everettgolf.com or phone 425-353-4653. Premier Golf, headed by Bill Schickler, took over management of Walter Hall in 2007.