Club History
Since its design and construction in the mid-1920's during the original American golf boom, Riverside has consistently been ranked among the elite courses in the Pacific Northwest. Recently, in a ranking conducted by Golf Digest publishing, a panel of golf course experts included Riverside in the top 125 Classic Courses in the Country. Riverside exceeded their criteria as a Classic Course for outstanding design built before 1960, and its commitment to maintaining the integrity of the original course design. Additionally, throughout the years, Riverside has been highly ranked by Golf Digest and other publications.
Beginning in 1925
The first clubhouse was built in 1926. That year the club purchased 87 acres adjoining the first nine. This land was on a lower level than the rest of the course. There was plenty of standing water. In fact, it was a swamp. Purchase had been delayed until the directors were assured of proper drainage.
The Country was in the "Roaring Twenties." Calvin Coolidge was President. Prohibition, flappers and speakeasies were symbols of the era. Charles Lindberg would soon cross the Atlantic and Babe Ruth was setting home run records.
The first clubhouse was built in 1926.
Golf had become a major sport. Bobby Jones had heightened popular interest in the game. It was a time of incredible activity in golf course construction - Columbia Edgewater, Glendoveer, Oswego, Multnomah, and Alderwood opened that summer. (Conversely, course construction came to a stop in the 30's and 40's because of the Depression and WWII).
So crowded was play on public courses that streets around Eastmoreland were lined with cars. News stories of the day reported it took six to eight hours to play eighteen holes on Sunday. Weary of slow play on public courses, a small group of golfing enthusiasts envisioned a golf club featuring inexpensive golf with private golf club advantages. Riverside was to become the realization of that dream.
The early founders had to have been super salesmen. During the membership drive that followed, there was no clubhouse, no course and after climbing a steep bank near what is now the tenth tee, prospective members viewed a wilderness of brush and weeds, which would become the first nine. They believed a second nine would eventually extend to what is now Marine Drive - thus the name Riverside was adopted. Somehow 180 individuals were persuaded to join this venture - for $200 each - and build a golf course. Once official members, the board handed them a choice: bring in another member or be assessed another $100. Jim "Scotty" Henderson designed the first nine, which is now the back nine. To develop a unique plan, each of nine prominent local golfers were asked to design what they thought was a perfect golf hole. Whether this scheme was actually carried out is unknown, but an interesting and challenging layout was the result. The course, seeded that fall and the next spring, opened July 15, 1926. An unexpected feature of the first fairway was the bumper crop of potatoes which kept coming up all summer.
The Fire of 1929
Players arriving at Riverside on Monday afternoon, August 19, 1929, were shocked to find their clubhouse a pile of glowing ashes. But by the stroke of good fortune, the disastrous fire occurred before noon on the day the insurance lapsed. The directors decided to rebuild the clubhouse on what was then the eighteenth green. The second clubhouse was dedicated in October of 1930. Though Riverside had then completed eighteen holes and a new clubhouse, the next few years would not be smooth sailing. The Great Depression hit in late '29 and during these tough economic times golf memberships dropped so sharply that many clubs carrying mortgages became delinquent and in critical financial trouble. The Spokane Savings Bank, holder of the Riverside mortgage, went bankrupt and was taken over by the State Banking Department of Washington. They realized the property had most value as a golf course and continued the club's operation.
In 1935 Raymond Toomey, J.E. Moor and Fred Zaugg led a group of members who were actively interested in buying back the club and reorganizing it. Their leadership was instrumental in clearing Riverside of debt and starting needed improvements. With a new life, Riverside was officially incorporated on May 20, 1936. The years that followed saw many improvements. The practice area was revamped, a pump was purchased to help with drainage, and the men's and women's locker rooms were redesigned. The course had never been so beautiful and the improved clubhouse seemed to keep members happy for over a decade. Then came the flood...