Port Townsend’s Discovery Bay GC: Turns 100 years-old

Discovery Bay Golf Course is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year. The course is a combination of a traditional course and a modern course.  For 72 years it was a 9-hole golf course, and in 1997 it opened its second nine holes. The combined courses play from 6,665 yards from the tips to as low as 3,842 from the forward tees, with five sets of tees to choose from.

As you might expect, a course built in 1925 would be vastly different from one built in 1997. Coincidentally, as the owners have said, the second nine (called the Forest Nine) opened exactly 72 years to the day after the opening of the first nine (called the Farm Nine).

The front plays on relatively level terrain (not flat) and has some challenging holes like #4 hole, a 471-yard par 4 signature hole, or #6 hole with a large fir tree in the middle of the fairway. The tee shot on the 15th hole has two tall fir trees, set like goalposts about 100 yards from the tee, that punish wayward drives.  The front nine went through some remodeling by Michael Asmundson, the architect of the newest nine. He rebuilt the 1st, 2nd, and 8th holes, and the greens on the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 8th holes, as well.

The back nine starts on a hilltop and plays its way down to the lower level. The newer nine is a modern style with bigger greens and some tight driving holes like # 13 hole with an elevated tee that plays to a narrow fairway with out-of-bounds left and fairway drop off on the right.

There are a three drivable par 4s on the course for the long hitters. The greens are some of the most challenging you will find anywhere and can frustrate poor putters.

History:

In 1924, Mary Chase, operated a summer resort with 500 acres of farmland overlooking Discovery Bay. Port Townsend was a popular destination for vacationers from Seattle, Tacoma, and Victoria. Chase, stepdaughter of an early Port Townsend pioneer John F. Tukey, had inherited the property and an Inn.  She renamed the Inn the Chevy Chase Inn (combining her name with her family’s origins in Cheviot Hills, England).        

Many of the visitors were from cities where golf had become widely popular, so Mary Chase hired A. Vernon Macan to lay out a 9-hole course. Macan had only recently completed work on Inglewood, Rainier, and Broadmoor Golf Clubs in Seattle and Fircrest Golf & Country Club in Tacoma.

Mary sold the course to four investors from Seattle in 1946. Philip Bailey, the publisher of the Seattle Argus, eventually bought out the other three partners. When Philip passed away, his children, Bruce and Barbara, inherited the property,                   

The Baileys had golf architect Michael Asmundson design the second 9-hole course. Barbara Bailey was an active golfer and was heavily involved with the Ladies Club. There is an engraved bench on the 8th tee as a tribute to her popularity.

Asmundson had designed courses around the world and was involved with the Coeur d’Alene resort course (floating green fame), he designed the Home Course in DuPont that is owned and managed by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association and Washington Golf (WA Golf).

The Bailey’s kept the old house and sold the course in 2004 to Chilean businessmen Nicolas Hurtado and his sons Tomas and Nicolas Jr.

Asmundson, a part owner of the course, moved into an apartment above the clubhouse where he could oversee the remodeling of the front nine.

Asmundson changed the name from Chevy Chase to Discovery Bay Golf Course. The Hurtado’s eventually bought out Asmundson and became the sole owners of the course.

There are several events planned throughout the year to celebrate their 100-year anniversary. You can check for events and dates on their website at: Discoverybaygolfcourse.com.