Mirror Lake Golf Course: 2022 season update

BONNERS FERRY — Mirror Lake Golf Course had a booming 2021 season as golfers flocked to the course with its beautiful views.

Ralph Lotspiech, head golf pro at Mirror Lake Golf Course, updated the Bonners Ferry City Council on the course at the March 15 council meeting.

Last year, the golf course saw an increase of individual passes of 35 golfers and punch cards for multiple visits went up 26.

Green fees also went up to $99,500 in 2020-2021. Lotspiech said that back in the 2015-2016 season the goal was to make $50,000 in greens fees. Their database of clients has also grown to over 3,000 people.

A lot of people are coming from the Sandpoint area and Priest River, Lotspiech said.

“[Guests] come to Mirror Lake Golf Course because they are treated well and because the course is beautiful,” he said.

He said once the border between the United States and Canada opens up more, then the golf course should see an increase of its daily users. In previous years, 25 percent of the course's daily users were coming down from Canada.

He said last year was the year of the “sprinkler head,” since many sprinkler heads had to be replaced. Last year, all the elbows and risers underneath the course had small cracks from ground expansion. Groundskeepers had to constantly go in and find the damaged heads. It took two to six hours per repair, he said.

The course has also done tree trimming and has updated some of the bunkers. The golf course will also be replacing the old water pump which pumps water from the lower pond to the upper pond which allows the irrigation system to receive water.

City engineer Mike Klaus said at the March 1 council meeting that the old pump wasn’t built for ponds, but wells. It got the job done, but needs to be replaced.

“I think we got every dime out of it that we spent. It was a good value for the time,” Klaus said.

He recommended a floating pump that stays out of the muck and one that has a high efficiency. It will cost $17,000 for the pump system, there will also be an electric control panel that will need a variable frequency drive which kind of just ramps up and down the motor. This will make sure that when the pump starts it won’t hit the pipe with the full force right away, but eases into the flow rate. Thai should prevent pipes from breaking, Klaus said.

Klaus added $2,200 or 10% in contingency to the pump budget, in case prices go up before the city is able to order the equipment. All the work will be done internally and so the projected cost does not reflect any labor cost.

The Mirror Lake Golf Course is open depending on weather conditions. For more information call 208-267-5314. For tee times visit their website at www.mirrorlakegolf.com