Golf membership rising at Banks Lake

Banks Lake Golf Course’s membership drive has been highly successful, Port District 7 Chairman Orville Scharbach said Monday.

Current memberships stand at 52, and the course operations are moving forward, Scharbach stated.

The golf course came under control of the port commission April 1 after operators of the course walked away from it.

Port district officials moved quickly to encourage golfers to return and take out memberships by reducing fees by half.

An individual memberships is now $400 compared to $750 a year ago.

Some 39 golfers were trapped after having paid membership dues in advance to the former operator, Russ Horn. That membership money was used to pay off debts owed for 2010 bills.

Port district officials lowered rates to make it somewhat easier for these 39 golfers to take out memberships again.

The public district is barred by law from giving away anything, so commissioners couldn’t give memberships for fees paid to the old club.

Scharbach said that workers plan to “punch and sand” the greens sometime soon and that operations at the course are moving along well.

The port district owns all of the course but one hole, which is on land owned by the Bureau of Reclamation.

The port district commissioners advised about 50 golfers who turned out for a public meeting last month that they were taking over the course and it would be open for play this year.