Most Monday mornings these days, youll find Mert Malek faithfully chasing the ol white ball around Liberty Lake Golf Course.


The retired banker is one of about 200 men who call themselves the Over-the-Hill Gang and meet once a week on the links to spend time together doing something they love.


I play all the time, says Malek. I like the weekdays because I am not that good a golfer. But I love to be out here.


Golf course operators love him to be out there, too.


Retirees like Malek are crucial to the viability of public and private golf courses here because they account for as much as 60 percent of all players, say golf-course operators here. Many senior golfers play at least once a week and often average three rounds a week, operators say.


Theyre the main thread for all of our golf courses, says Mike Stone, the city of Spokanes parks director. We count on them every day of the week.


Its not just publicly operated courses that depend on older golfers.


About 60 percent of our golfers are 55 and older, says Matt Bunn, head professional at the privately owned Highlands Golf Course, in Post Falls. Weve got a lot of folks retired out of California who spend April through the end of the summer golfing.


Bunn says about 400 retirees play there every week.


We dont even use the word senior with them because people are living longer, says Bunn. We are benefiting from that generation.


Marv Wasser, president of the Inland Empire Senior Golf Association, says its 300 members provide a large kick to golf courses. The association averages 200 participants in each of its 17 tournaments a year.


The golf courses are busy Monday through Friday because of us, Wasser says. Our seniors spend $50,000 a year on the golf course passes alone. It doesnt include the beverages and food they buy.


One of the big pluses seniors bring to golf courses is that, as Wasser says, they play during the week, when courses otherwise might be underused, since many adult golfers work weekdays.


Theyre a big part of our business on the weekdays, says Alan Jenkins, the professional at Sundance Golf Course, in Nine Mile Falls. We have a loyal group of seniors. We see between 12 and 32 seniors every weekday.


The seniors like it when its less busy, Jenkens says. They tend to stay away from Saturdays.


Thats the case with the Over-the-Hill Gang, whose members prefer to play during the week because its less crowded and they dont feel pressured by younger players.


Its not just the retired men who are having all the fun on the links.


Increasing numbers of women over the age of 55 are playing golf, says Jenkins. Older women make up 20 percent to 25 percent of our play, which is a huge increase over 10 years ago, Jenkins says. The social aspect of the game is very popular.


In addition to their greens fees, senior golfers also bring valuable experience and wisdom to the courses, says Marshall Farnell, Spokane Countys director of administrative services.


The senior golfers are important to the courses, but not just as a revenue source, says Farnell. Most of them have been playing all of their lives. They know the rules, the etiquette, and they clean up the golf course. It sounds like a simple thing, but they replace divots and ball marks. Seniors are very protective of their courses.


Spokane County operates three golf courses: Liberty Lake; MeadowWood, which also is located in Liberty Lake; and Hangman Valley, which is located just south of Spokane. The financial benefits seniors bring the courses, though, cant be minimized.


Seniors bought the most season passes of any of our age groups, last year, Farnell says. He says seniors bought 375 season passes in 2003, which accounts for about 55 percent of the total number of passes sold by the county. A senior pass costs $500, compared with $1,110 for a non-senior adult pass.


Not all golf courses are popular with seniors. Gary Lindeblad, head professional at the city of Spokanes Indian Canyon Golf Course, says only about 10 percent of that courses regular players are seniors. He says Indian Canyons hilly terrain is restricting for many seniors.


Its a tough course to walk, says Lindeblad. Most of the local seniors arent into renting carts as much, either.


Lindeblad says evaluating the worth of retirees is difficult.


They dont contribute a lot to the revenue stream because theyre playing at the cheapest rate, but theyre guys who have been here the longest and they care about the course more than anybody else, and whose input we value, says Lindeblad. Theyre not afraid to say exactly what they think.


Lindeblad says he has seen more retired people taking golf lessons than ever before.


In addition to Indian Canyon, which is located on Sunset Hill, the city operates three other 18-hole golf courses: Downriver, on the citys northwest side; Esmeralda, near Hillyard; and The Creek at Qualchan, in Latah Valley.


Virtually all golf courses in the Spokane area offer discounted rates for older golfers. Senior golfers generally pay about 25 percent less than other adults, though golf courses vary in what age they say someone must be to be eligible for the discounts. Spokane County requires golfers to be at least 60 years old to qualify for the senior pass, while the city puts the minimum age at 65. Some private courses start discounting rates at age 55.


Seniors clubs


Most courses also have senior mens and ladies clubs during the week. These clubs have guaranteed tee times.


Its all part of the game to entice retirees. Attracting seniors is especially important now because the competition for golfers has intensified, operators say.


With more than two dozens public courses in the region, Stone says golf-course operators are working hard to stay competitive.


Our numbers have been fairly flat the last couple of years, says Stone. Part of that is due to the volume of courses out there. A large number of them are reasonably priced. Its very competitive.


The city has gone a step further to attract senior golfers, by implementing a fast-play program. Stone says the city recognized that many seniors had left the game due to frustration over dealing with slower players ahead of them on the course, and the new program is intended to win them back.


Its wrong to assume seniors are slow players, say golf-course operators.


It takes them less time to play because they tend to hit the ball fair, says Lindeblad. They dont have the big ego, so theyre not grinding as hard as a younger guy.


Fast-play golf is designed to speed up the game by asking slower players to stay off the course during peak times during the week. The citys golf course marshals will even ask slow players to get off the course if theyre taking too long to play.