New owners at North Shore to evaluate possible changes

With the sale of North Shore Golf Course to the Puyallup Tribe of Indians finalized the question now is what can we expect from the new owners. Shawn Cucciardi, the Director of Golf for Columbia Hospitality, the company that will be managing North Shore, said the plan is to examine all aspects of the course, from top to bottom, from drainage to, the practice facility to course length, to the status of the current buildings and then meet with Marine View Venture, the economic development arm of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, to evaluate plans and to prioritize the improvements.

The present team that manages the course will be kept in place with Dave Wetli as General Manager while Bart Turchin will shift from Food & Beverage Director to Head Golf Professional, all other personnel are expected to remain in place.

“It’s the best thing that could happen,” said Wetli, “ It’s like an early Christmas present”.

The 55-year-old course has stood the test of time but it needs to be brought up to date and as Cucciardi stated, “made relevant again.”

North Shore Golf Course was sold by North Shore Golf Associates (NSGA). NSGA developed North Shore Golf Course in 1961 and has been its sole operator and remains a vital contributor to the greater Tacoma community. NSGA is largely comprised of the Bourne and Proctor families of Tacoma.

Columbia Hospitality also operates the Classic Golf Club in Spanaway, McCormick Woods in Port Orchard, Oakbrook Golf Club in Tacoma and Gold Mountain in Bremerton and the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge, just east of Seattle in the town of Snoqualmie and host for the Boeing Classic.