by Guy Blasi
WALSENBURG- It’s a good thing Mother Nature has dropped a fair amount of snow on the municipal golf course this winter. With the installation of a new Martin Lake gate valve having its challenges, the Walsenburg Golf Club is glad to have the moisture on the course. However for the past month, there has not been any potable water flowing to the clubhouse due to the dam construction company’s failure to work around the water line.
“We are fully expecting our clubhouse water to be back on next week,” said Bruce Eccher, president of the Walsenburg Golf Association. “The contractor was required to bypass both the clubhouse water and telephone lines. We’ve had a portable toilet out there, but we can’t serve food at the moment.”
Upon completion of the new Martin Lake pump, installation will immediately begin with a new gate and pump for the golf course. By agreement with the City of Walsenburg dating back to the course’s origination in 1964, the golf course is allocated 100 acre feet per year from water rights in Martin Lake owned by the city. The new valve gate and pump will replace the small lake that has been used to supply water for the course for the past 45 years.
With Grandote Peaks Golf Club in La Veta permanently closing, the Walsenburg Club sent letters to the members of Grandote inviting them to finish out their membership at the municipal course as well as inviting them to join this season. Membership over the past 20 years has declined at the Walsenburg course, due mostly to the drop in the economy. Last year, the Walsenburg Golf Course was rated as one of the most affordable and playable courses in Colorado by golflink.com. “We are looking forward to meeting new members and hosting great tournaments this year,” Eccher said.
