100 CENTENARY!

Tukwila’s Foster Golf Links turns 100 and Beacon Hill’s iconic muni celebrates a Seattle pioneer and hero

It’s not clear why tens of millions of Westerners have long associated the number 13 (and Friday, the 13th) with bad luck. Maybe a simple clerical error mistakenly omitting the 13th law from Babylonian King Hammurabi’s legal codes? Could it

be the fact that 13 people attended the Last Supper? Perhaps even that King Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of The Knights Templar on a Friday 13th in the year 1307. Whatever the reason, nothing about “13” ever bothered George H. Eddy.

Born in Cornwall in 1878, the Englishman emigrated to the U.S. in 1910 and established himself in Oregon, where he was the head professional at a few golf clubs. He moved to Renton, Wash., in 1922 to work at Earlington GC, which had opened in 1894 (it closed in 1981.) Eddy was the pro at Earlington for a couple of years before deciding to take a risk and build his own course.

Rainier, Fircrest, Glen Acres, Inglewood and Broadmoor had all opened in the Seattle/Tacoma area between 1920 and 1924, and with golf booming after the first World War, Eddy was convinced he could make it work. However, he would need a large mortgage, his wife to oversee the F&B operation (sandwiches and coffee), a lot of community support, and a fair share of luck to achieve success. So, it must have come as a surprise to

many, when six months after breaking ground on his nine-hole golf course — laid out on 50 acres of the old Foster homestead on the banks of the Duwamish River — Eddy announced it would open … on Friday the 13th in February 1925. The Seattle Times ran an editorial in which it seemed to question Eddy’s choice of opening day.

“Howdy, George. And you too, Mrs. George,” it said. “We wish you luck. Which will be the smart and proper thing to say when we all meet George Eddy and Mrs. George out at their Maple Grove Golf Course (its original name) at the formal opening next Friday. For, besides being Friday, it will also be the 13th day of the month. So, the Eddys will probably need that luck sign hung on them. But neither George nor Mrs. George are worried about Friday, the 13th…”

Luck seemed to be on Eddy’s side, when two years later, 35 acres connected to the original parcel came up for sale, and he was able to purchase the land. The addition would bring his total acreage to 85 and enable him to add a second nine. He managed to survive the Depression, probably as much by skill as by chance. However, his luck appeared to crumble in December 1933 when a month of heavy rain caused the Duwamish to flood, covering the course in silt, muck and logs. Again, Eddy staved off disaster with the help of his own inventions, and a collection of equipment that included his elaborate “leaf vacuum machine.”

When Eddy died in 1941, course ownership was passed on to his son. Robert Eddy would eventually sell the course 10 years later to his father’s former caddie and greenskeeper Joe Aliment. Then, in 1978, Aliment sold the course to the City of Tukwila.

That brings us to 2025. On Feb. 13, 2025 (a Thursday), Foster Golf Links celebrated 100 years of golf with a ceremonial tee shot hit by Joe Aliment’s granddaughter, Laurie.

“From there, we went inside to continue the event with snacks, drinks and special guest speakers,” says Deron Pointer, head professional at the course since December 2021. “Approximately 80 people attended, and golfers had the chance to play all 18 holes for just $7.50 or nine holes for $3.50. It was a very fitting occasion.”

Foster has an exciting schedule of events coming up this year, and excitement is building. “There’s a slight buzz going around the club at the moment,” says Pointer. “But we expect it to grow with the warmer temperatures this summer. People are aware of 2025’s significance and, if they aren’t, we’re pumping it up and informing them of the greatness.”

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Jefferson Park Renamed To Honor Local Legend Bill Wright

Local golfers are also being made aware, if they weren’t already, of why Beacon Hill’s Jefferson Park GC changed its name last October to the Bill Wright Golf Complex. Wright, a junior member of the Fir State Golf Club (based at Jefferson Park since being established in 1947), won the 1959 U.S. Amateur Public Links, becoming the first African American golfer to win a USGA national championship. Wright was also a golf and basketball star at Western Washington State College (now University), winning the NAIA collegiate individual golf championship in 1960. He competed in the 1959 U.S. Amateur and was a member of the 1959 Hudson Cup team before playing professional golf, albeit briefly. He played in the 1966 U.S. Open, and qualified for five U.S. Senior Opens. He is enshrined in the USGA Museum. The USGA, WA Golf, First Tee of Greater Seattle, and Jefferson Park GC all declared October 10, 2009, as “Bill Wright Day.”

Andrew Soderberg, the complex’s general manager, thinks many of its patrons did know who Wright was, especially those who have been involved with the Fir State Golf Club.

“But many others do not,” he adds. “We want this message to be bigger than just golf, and that includes bringing awareness to the entire community of who Bill Wright was and his impact on history.”

Soderberg says reaction to the name change has been very positive and that the really special thing that came with it is being able to keep the story of Bill Wright’s historic win alive and well.

“Those who didn’t know about Bill or what he accomplished ask why we changed our name, and we get to keep spreading the word about his win’s significance.”

With May 2024’s announcement of the impending name change came word that a permanent memorial to Wright was to be placed in front of the clubhouse. The unveiling of that memorial has been delayed, but Soderberg remains hopeful that it will still happen.

“It is still very much in the works,” he says, “and the renaming committee is still in communication with Seattle Parks to share its vision. The entire process has been very time-consuming and expensive, but I know the committee is working hard to raise funds for all the dedications it hopes to achieve around the property including some permanent fixtures.”

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