When folks want to denigrate an aging commercial structure, they often refer to it as “a barn.”

Well, the soon-to-be-replaced clubhouse at Pocatello’s Riverside Golf Course literally is a barn.

In fact, rumor has it there’s still an old hay bale in the attic.

Hopefully by this time next year, the process of tearing down the 80-some-year-old structure will have begun, and a modern, 3,300-square-foot replacement facility will be taking its place.

“I think it’s fantastic — it’s a long overdue type of thing,” said Billy Satterfield, who is chairman of Pocatello’s Golf Advisory Committee. “We’ve been fortunate to make do with an old barn for as long as we did. It was a long time in the making, and a lot of people have tried to make this happen.”

The city of Pocatello recently announced the time to replace the old barn has come. With assistance from Connections Credit Union, the city has begun design work on a new clubhouse that will likely be constructed just south of the existing structure. The estimated cost of the new building is $2 million to $2.2 million, with Connections providing $700,000 of the funding in return for naming rights.

While the design for the new clubhouse hasn’t been finalized, Anne Butler, who is Pocatello Parks and Recreation Director, has a specific “wish list” for what she’d like to see in the new facility:

• A main floor that will include a golf simulator, an expanded dining area, ADA-compliant restrooms, and an expanded pro shop to accommodate sign-ins and a larger selection of merchandise for sale.
• A large window that will overlook a patio area that will surround most, if not all, of the building, which will accommodate a better dining and socializing experience.
• A basement that will house a golf cart storage area, with potentially more storage under the patio, depending on the final design.

“I have two priorities,” Butler said. “No. 1 is to create (a social and dining) experience for golfers that we don’t have right now. We just really can’t provide that type of service with what we have.

“And No. 2 is to help us get as much parking out of the space as possible. We’re kind of landlocked on that east side. There is nowhere for us to go. So we really have to be creative in ways that we figure out the parking. We’re growing and the golf course is busy, but everyone needs to be able to get in and out as well.”

Butler says she’s been hearing about the need to replace the clubhouses at both Riverside and Highland, the city’s other public golf course, since she took over as parks and recreation director in May 2023. She was visiting the city’s zoo recently when she noticed the Connections Credit Union name on the entrance, and she asked the zoo manager what kind of partner the credit union was.

“He said they are fantastic,” Butler said, who noted the Connections CEO who had entered into the zoo agreement had retired. So she called his replacement, Jamie Simmons, and they began a conversation about partnering on the new Riverside clubhouse.

“They were on board from the get-go,” Butler said. “Both clubhouses are quite old, but I think Riverside is probably in a little worse condition than Highland, and that’s why we’re looking to take care of that one first.”

“We’re proud to partner with the city on a project that will enhance Riverside Golf Course and benefit the community for years,” Simmons said in a joint release with the city. “Riverside Golf Course is an important part of Pocatello’s recreational offerings, and this new clubhouse will create an even better experience for golfers and visitors alike.”

The Connections donation will cover about a third of the estimated cost of the new clubhouse, with the golf Capital Improvement Fund paying the rest. A part of every golfer’s greens fees go to the improvement fund. The city council also contributed to the project by transferring some funds to the CIP.

Satterfield said he knows there will be some opposition to spending taxpayer money on a new clubhouse, but he pointed out that Pocatello’s two golf courses generate revenue for the city, unlike many of the other parks and recreation programs that require taxpayer subsidy.

“The popularity of golf is so high right now,” Satterfield said. “Last year to this year, play is up 12% — that’s a huge increase. There are days now when every single tee time is full — that’s never happened. Since COVID, golf has gotten busier. It really makes sense to take some of that profit and upgrade the facilities. ... Putting some money back into the facilities that are generating revenue makes a lot of sense.”

Greg Albright, whose company Fore Golf manages both courses under contract to the city, said the new clubhouse will help assuage a number of issues he deals with in the current clubhouse.

“I deal with a number of things in the existing facility — electrical, plumbing, the building is settling a little bit,” Albright said. “It will be nice. I have an old picture of the clubhouse and you can tell how old it is based on the size of these trees. They’re the same height as the two ladies walking in the picture. That barn’s been here a long time.”

The city has entered into a contract with Construction Services Inc., which is working with Butler on finalizing a design for the new clubhouse. Then they’ll go out for bid on the subcontracting packages to complete the work.

Butler is hopeful that the design and bid work can be completed in time for excavation on the new facility to begin this fall. If so, it’s possible golfers can begin using the new facility sometime next summer. The existing clubhouse will be torn down once the new facility is complete to accommodate more parking.

“There are a lot of factors in play right now,” Butler said. “If we can get the design completed and have a good design to go out to bid and get good, solid bids, I would say that (opening next summer) is feasible. If for some reason we’re a little slow in design and we can’t start construction until the spring, then we’ll be under construction all season next year. I don’t know which way that is going to go yet.”

While a final location for the new clubhouse hasn’t been selected, there aren’t a lot of options besides building it just south of the current clubhouse near the ninth green. The optimal location would be closer to the 18th green, which is where tournaments end, and casual golfers finish their rounds on their way to the clubhouse. But Butler said there is a large natural gas line located in that area, inhibiting development there.

Albright is looking forward to being able to expand his hospitality services in a larger facility. While the design hasn’t been finalized, a preliminary drawing shows eight tables inside and 10 outside of the new facility.

“I currently have five or six total inside, that will double that capacity,” Albright said.

The Highland Golf Course could also use an upgrade in facilities, but it may be a while before it sees a new clubhouse. Both Satterfield and Butler said replacing the irrigation system, which was installed in the 1980s, is probably at the top of the priorities list there.

Replacing Riverside’s irrigation system, which was installed in the 1990s, likely won’t be far behind.

Albright said there was a water line break in the irrigation system at Highland this summer. He’s not sure when the city will move to replace the system or how long it will take once that decision is made. He noted that the Pinecrest course in Idaho Falls recently replaced theirs, and shut down nine holes at a time during the process.

“There hasn’t been any pricing done at this point,” Albright said, noting that while necessary, upgrading the irrigation system is not something that gets golfers excited. “You’d like to spend a lot of money where people are able to see it physically, like the new clubhouse.”

Meanwhile, Satterfield and Butler also agree on another priority: tree removal on both city courses.

“I think of all the trees that were put on both courses, a lot more made it than anticipated,” Satterfield said. “You go to Riverside, it’s kind of crazy how big and close those trees are. That’s a big movement in golf. I’ve played over 1,000 golf courses, and tree removal has become a huge priority. It opens up the playing corridor ... and the turf condition is better — you don’t have the grass fighting the trees. ...”

Butler said tree trimming and maintenance is a constant battle within the park system.

“It’s the same with the golf courses,” she said. “Tree selection: cutting down the ones that are diseased and removing the ones that are appropriate.”

In the meantime, work will move forward on replacing the Riverside clubhouse. Butler and Satterfield both recognize that once construction begins, it will likely exacerbate an already tight parking situation at Riverside.

Satterfield said the golf advisory committee is working with the city in identifying potential temporary solutions to the parking problem that is likely to arise next summer.

“We’re working on that right now,” he said. “There are some nearby land options that we are looking at to open up parking options. We’re in the process of talking to a couple of different entities, and hoping to alleviate that.”

Butler, meanwhile, is asking Pocatello golfers for their patience.

“It might be an inconvenience, but we are still making huge strides,” she said. “I know plenty of previous directors have tried really hard to make a deal like this happen, and so if golfers are just patient with us, we can make this happen. I think it’s going to be really good for everybody.”