The new owners of Riverside Golf Club are hoping Friday the 13th will henceforth be known as a good-luck day to them.
That's the day Darrell Sorenson and Mitch McCullough took over the Chehalis golf course, which has been in operation near the Centralia-Chehalis Airport since 1927.
Sorenson and McCullough bought the 110-acre tract from Darrin Thompson of Yelm, who has owned the course the past six years.
Thompson bought the course from a Japanese group in 1999.
It's the first local ownership in quite some time.
Sorenson and McCullough took over last Friday and then presided over the final men's club event of the season Saturday.
They were introduced prior to the post-tournament dinner to enthusiastic applause from the large gathering.
"We've always loved this golf course and we're thrilled to be the new owners," said McCullough, speaking Monday for Sorenson, who is off on a hunting trip.
"I approached Darrin last year but couldn't make it work, and then Darrell joined me three months ago; we made it happen."
Darrell's wife, Sonja, will be the course's bookkeeper, and help in day-to-day operation. McCullough, 53, the minority owner, will be the general manager and be responsible for all employees and day-to-day course management.
"This is such a wonderful situation," said Sonja. "Darrell and Mitch love golf, and we're all at a time in our lives where it's more important to us to have a good time and love what we do, than it it is to make huge dollars.
"Not that we don't plan on making a profit," she said with a smile. "But our main concern, No. 1, is customer relations. We invite everyone to come out and say hi and play golf and just have a good time."
Sorenson said their first priority is to redecorate the clubhouse and to continually improve all facets of the course.
One of the main concerns of local golfers is the state of the sand traps, which take a beating annually from flooding.
Sorenson says they plan to address that in the spring.
"We want to get back to a nice home-town atmosphere around here," Sonja said. "We're really gong to emphasize customer service and we're all going to go out of our way to make the golfers feel special."
McCullough said that entails working on everything from Junior golf to the senior market.
"We'll try and bring back some tournaments that we've lost, and try to make the course more visible and attractive to out-of-town business. We're all in it for the long haul, so we're very serious about making this a fun place to gather."
Darrell Sorenson, 59, grew up in Grays River and graduated from Naselle High School. He came to the Twin Cities in 1975 when he started Sorenson Transportation Co., a trucking business that moves refrigerated food products from Canada to Mexico.
The business started with Darrell and one truck and now he employs 200 people. The business services seven Western states.
Darrell also sports a 15 handicap and is an avid golfer.
McCullough grew up in Coldwater, Mich., 60 miles south of Lansing, and moved to the area in 1994. He was the general manager of the Fred Meyer distribution center in Chehalis from '94 until 2005.
The Sorensons and McCulloughs became friends through their daughters who attended school together.
McCullough's wife, Kate, is employed at Arvid's Interiors as an interior designer and will coordinate the redecoration effort.
Painting will begin in a week and new carpeting is planned for spring.
"Our Phase I plan is customer service," Sorenson pointed out. "Then to do what we can to give it a hometown feel, and then the clubhouse renovation."
Thompson was also the course superintendent, and now that job belongs to former W.F. West golfer Andrew Hunziker, 27, who has a degree in agronomy and has work experience at Washington National Golf Course, the home course of the University of Washington golf team.
McCullough said now is an ideal time to take over the course.
"With the season winding down, it gives us time to get our feet on the ground and ease our way into things," he said.
Sonja is inviting people to drop by anytime, but there will also be a formal open house at a later date.
Plus there is a special 80-year celebration of the course planned for next May.
