Aldarra Golf Club Past and Present
The Aldarra property has a rich history dating back to the 1850s when the land was occupied by Native Americans. With the passing of the Homestead Law of 1882, which allowed individuals to obtain land free of charge as long as they improved the property for residential or cultivation purposes, use of the heavily forested land became more diverse. When the railroad connected to Fall City in 1889, the area and surrounding community experienced a prosperous growth boom.
In 1915, a ship builder from Seattle named J.F. Duthie purchased 525 acres and built a working farm called
Walldale Farm, employing over 150 workers.
Walldale Farm also included a recreation center with golf, tennis, fishing, and skating for the benefit of the surrounding community. There was a generating plant with a paddle wheel built on Canyon Creek which powered much of the facility. The shell of that building remains today, just left of Aldarra’s 9
th green.
In March of 1942, William E. Boeing, Sr. took ownership of
Walldale Farm and renamed the development
Aldarra Farms. The name “Aldarra” was the name that Mr. Boeing called his Seattle home. Mr. and Mrs. Boeing moved into the Duthie House (located next to Aldarra’s 8
th green) in late 1942 after some remodeling. The Boeings worked to improve the quality of the livestock in the region with their passion for excellence at
Aldarra Farms. Their livestock included cattle, hogs, ewes, chickens, and turkeys. Rumor has it that one of
Aldarra Farm’s cows (Martha) was named the National Butterfat Champion in 1949.
Mr. William E. Boeing, Sr. passed away in 1956 and his widow, Bertha Boeing, lived another twenty years at the farm she so dearly loved. The ownership of
Aldarra Farms was passed on to William E. Boeing, Jr. in 1977, shortly after his mother’s passing. The Boeing family continued to enjoy their property however found themselves using it less and less. At one point, they realized the land was ideal for a championship golf course and they had legendary golfer Arnold Palmer establish a preliminary course routing; however, this course was never built.
In the 1990s, golf was booming around the globe and the Pacific Northwest, when a handful of prominent Seattle residents and passionate golfers began discussing their dream of creating a world-class private golf club in the Seattle area. Based upon establised foundational tenets found in some of the world’s best golf clubs, the vision of
Aldarra Golf Club was formed by founders Jack Sikma, Tom Foley, Gene Becker, Charlie Ainslie, and Elliott Friedman. On any given day, you can still see them out enjoying
Aldarra today.
The Founders of
Aldarra identified the following absolutes they felt were critical in creating the finest golf experience in the Pacific Northwest and beyond: a core golf experience (no homes), and without many of the amenities found in country clubs. Just world class golf. The hope was to bring together local top players and golf enthusiasts to form a club that would be known for its simplicity, integrity, and optimal routing, on a parcel of land with inspiring Pacific Northwest views.
The Founders spent several years searching for a site, and eventually determined that William E. Boeing, Jr’s
Aldarra Farms would be the perfect setting. After extensive negotiations with the Boeing family, the Founders purchased the land in 1997. They then identified the preeminent course architect, Tom Fazio, to be the course designer. It took a bit of convincing, and ultimately upon understanding the Founders’ vision for
Aldarra, Tom Fazio signed on to build what is now the championship
Aldarra Golf Course.
The Founders then began the task of identifying a minimum of 100 members needed to secure a large part of the capital needed to start the club. In large part led by Founder Gene Becker, this campaign proved successful and the initial membership community was formed. In April of 1999, construction of the golf course began. The development team took great care to use only the finest of systems, talent, and equipment to complete the golf course. Each fairway, green and tee box were seeded with bent grass and the rough was carefully established with a sod combination of rye or bluegrass from eastern Washington. In order to provide the highest level of playing conditions throughout the year, Mr. Fazio recommended that all of the fairways and rough areas also be capped with nearly a foot of sand in order to provide excellent drainage. (This practice has since become a benchmark standard for top-quality new golf course construction projects.) The grass was given ample time to grow and flourish, so that when the course opened in 2001, the impeccable condition of the grass would become one of the hallmarks of
Aldarra. Along with the majority of the first 100 charter members, the Founders struck the first tee shots on May 4
th, 2001. The
Aldarra dream had become a reality.
With respect and gratitude, a heartfelt thank you is offered to the:
- Founders for their vision, commitment, and passion for the game of golf
- Charter Members for their belief in the Founder’s vision
- Board Members who have helped navigate the Club to where we are today
- Employees, Golf Professionals, and Club Leadership for carrying out the vision every day
- and to Aldarra’s Members, past and present
In thinking about what the future holds for
Aldarra, the most valued principal will continue to be the strong and lasting relationships that are fostered, both on and off the course.