Westport Golf Links entering the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) stage

Westport Golf Links, the David McLay Kidd seaside links-design currently being planned in partnership with the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (WSPRC) in Westport, Washington, will soon enter the 45-day public comment period in response to the project’s Environmental Impact Study. The $30 million project (to be paid for by private investors), five-plus years in the making is projected to bring recreation, economic, environmental and health/safety benefits to Washington’s picturesque Pacific Coastline.         

Westport Golf Links investors and the WSPRC have been working together on plans to enhance and improve the 600-plus acre Westport Light State Park by adding the new public golf course to approximately 200 acres of the State Park, on land that is currently serving no public recreational benefit. The  golf course aligns with the WSPRC strategic plan, meeting most of the 18 goals including providing additional outdoor recreation, exercise and contributing to statewide tourism and local economic development. Recreational opportunities will expand for the local Westport community as well as visitors to the area, including:

• In addition to a new public golf course, improvements will be made to Westport Light State Park with new public trails, a new surf shack food and beverage concession area, new picnic tables and fire pits, as well as additional parking for State Park visitors (separate from the golf course).

• The current Dune Trail alignment will remain and will be widened by two feet to provide more room for pedestrians and bicycles. The wider trail will also provide better access for first responders to the beach.

• Westport Golf Links will construct over two miles of new, formal interior park trails and provide multiple safe beach access points to increase public access to Westport Light State Park.

• Westport Golf Links will provide an opportunity to introduce the game of golf to new golfers with the course’s driving range and practice facilities available to the public and lessons from golf professionals.

Similar to other links-style golf courses around the world, Westport Golf Links will be a walker-friendly golf course with no designated or formal motorized cart paths.

Economic benefits for the local community and state of Washington include:

• Westport Golf Links’ year-round golf and hospitality operations will bring 300-plus jobs to the region.

• The new golf and hospitality property will also pay state and local taxes, boosting funding for local police and fire departments, education and health services, road maintenance, and other programs and projects that benefit the community at large.

• In addition, Westport Golf Links will offer discounted green fees to city and county residents, making a world-class golf experience more accessible.

In an April 2024 United States Golf Association (USGA) report detailing the environmental benefits of golf courses it was noted that “Golf courses are often portrayed as an environmental detriment used only by a select group of wealthy people, but the facts tell a different story.”