Oaksridge Golf Course closing April 16

The Oaksridge Golf Course is closing this month.

The Chehalis Tribe announced the closure and shared details with KXRO.

According to Jeff Warnke, Chehalis Tribe Director of External Affairs, the closure is coming sooner than originally planned.

Warnke told KXRO that after the tribe purchased the golf course in 2019, it has operated at a loss each year since. This included losing almost $500,000 in operations, plus investments to improve the grounds, machinery and address deferred maintenance.

The course closure has been scheduled for April 16, although the original plan was to close operations in August.

The expedited date came, according to Warnke, due to the recent resignation of the course manager.

“Unfortunately, without a manager for the facility, it put the tribe in a more difficult position and the decision was made to cease operations of the course.”

Warnke says that while there have been speculations about the reasons behind the closure, it is “simply a business decision”. 

He said that the Tribe is no different than any other businesses in the community, adding “we simply can not continue to lose money on a failing business for an extended period of time.”

No decision has been made about the future of the property. The tribe will be reviewing potential options for the course, and decisions could come in the coming months, although no plans have been made at this time.