Both golf courses in Pendleton, Oregon, will now be owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR).
In the foothills of Oregon’s Blue Mountains, on the Umatilla Reservation, the Tribes preside over 7,000 yards of lush greens with five lakes and 66 sand bunkers scattered across 18 holes at Wildhorse Resort & Casino Golf Course. Designed by the legendary golf architect John Steidel, the Wildhorse Resort & Casino Golf Course has been named one of America’s Top Casino Golf Courses by Golf Digest.
The Tribes have owned and operated Wildhorse Resort & Casino Golf Course since 1997. Now the CTUIR can add Pendleton Country Club to its portfolio. The Tribes’ Board of Trustees approved the purchase of the country club by resolution at Monday’s board meeting.
The club, founded in 1929, has historically been operated as a member-owned nonprofit. The trustees have delegated ownership and operations of the golf course and facilities to Wildhorse Resort & Casino, which has already begun supervising the maintenance of the 18-hole course. The country club additionally boasts a dining room, bar, pro shop, fitness center, outdoor pool, and RV parking spaces.
The 248-acre property sits within the aboriginal territory of the Tribes, states a news release from CTUIR. Birch Creek divides Pendleton Country Club’s 18 holes, and the Tribe will maintain conservation of the creek and its water rights, as stewards of that valley.
Meanwhile, the Wildhorse golf resort is under renovation; a new clubhouse will feature a restaurant, banquet room and bar.
According to the East Oregonian, Pendleton Country Club reported on its 2017 tax forms that the country club employed 30 people that year, and generated $664,740 in annual revenue versus $673,262 in expenses. The country club claimed more than $3 million in total assets.
