Port Townsend Golf Course changes name to Camas Prairie Golf Course

After two years of contentious debate on whether to keep Port Townsend Golf Course or turn it into a park or used for housing, the city of Port Townsend finally agreed to let a nonprofit group takeover the management of the 58-acre open space where the golf course is located. Concerned citizens formed the Friends of Port Townsend Golf Park to save the nine-hole golf course located in the heart of Port Townsend.  The city granted them the lease and one of their first moves as new managers was to rename the course Camas Prairie Golf Course at Camas Park.

The name (Prairie) may seem a bit strange for a golf course that is mostly built on a hillside, but it is based on a small section of blue-purple flowers called camas that grows near the entrance to the course.

The course was in desperate need of repair after suffering years of neglect, so three employees were hired to maintain and improve the grounds and to tackle the deferred maintenance. With the help of a team of volunteers who collectively contribute 1,000 + hours a month they set out to manage and resuscitate the course.

Their immediate task was to improve the turf by acquiring critical maintenance equipment and upgrading their irrigation equipment. They got a huge boost when a thousand citizens pitched in and donated more than $125,000 to help get the project off the ground.

They intend to add an 18-hole disc golf course, to offer women’s golf clinics, and youth golf camps with free golf lessons. Various other plans include a miniature golf course, a renovated clubhouse and walking paths. The local high school uses the course as their home course and for various cross-country track events. Local charities are particularly happy to see the course remain as they have long relied on the course for their fund-raising tournaments. 

Still on the table by the city are future options to chop up the course in order to add housing.