Nix family, Linden Golf and Country Club continue family legacy

The Nix family, much like many of the members at the Linden Golf and Country Club, see their time on the Puyallup golf course as an opportunity to make and revisit cherished memories.

The Linden Golf and Country Club was built more than 90 years ago on the original Nix family homestead site, which was settled in 1852. The golf course was created following a lease agreement with the club and the Nix family.

“Not much is known of the original agreement, but I believe it was a very informal (agreement) with local businessmen who wanted to play golf,” Janet Nix, whose family still owns the property, said in an email. “My grandparents were already farming as much of the 160-acre original claim as possible in those days, so they probably saw this as a profitable opportunity to use property they were not farming.”

More than 90 years later, the Nix family and the Linden Golf and Country Club have renewed their lease agreement for another 30 years, until 2045.

When the issue of contract renewal came up, it was only the details that needed discussion, Nix said.

“Linden has been a part of our family for so long, I don’t think we are able to think of it in any other way,” she said. “It is beautifully maintained and a joy to visit. I am always struck with how lucky we are to have this sort of long-standing relationship.”

Golfing at Linden has been a tradition in the Nix family since coming to their original lease agreement nearly a century ago.

“Linden has really a good relationship with the Nix family,” said head golf pro Will Styler. “The kids and grandkids play all still play here. It’s a family tradition for them.”

For Larry Kolano, another member of the Nix family, the golf course is a living legacy not only handed down by their grandparents, but by their great grandparents, who were the original homesteaders.

“In a way, it’s our family’s way of giving back to the community by having the land developed and used as a recreational facility,” Kolano said.

As the oldest cousin in the Nix family, Paula Fairley recalls hitting golf balls into rhubarb fields with the first set sold in the pro shop to her grandmother. The clubs are stamped with “Linden Golf & Country Club 1924” on the driver.

“Linden holds a special place in my childhood memories,” she said. “When we were there this past summer and able to play Linden again, it brought back many, many happy memories of Ron’s (Fairley’s brother) and my idyllic childhoods. For me, those first balls hit had me hooked. I am still hooked. Those days spent with Ron and (cousins) Larry and Gary (cousins) at Linden are some of the best memories of my childhood, and (they) make Linden a special place for me. I am glad that the family decided that the land should remain a golf course.”

The continuation of the lease agreement allows the 108-acre golf course to remain as open space rather than be developed into the current zoning, allowing for 20 apartment units per acre.

Much like the Nix family, members of the Linden Golf and Country Club have played the course for years, but new members are discovering the course tucked away from it all.

“A few people have been members since the 1960s, and a bunch since the 70s and 80s,” Styler said. “There’s been an influx of people in their 20s and 30s joining. Most are local and have known each other for a long time.”

Currently, the club has 290 members, out of a maximum of 300 members. Monthly dues for individual club memberships are $168 month, and for families $227 a month, plus a current initiation fee of $1,000.

“It’s a great deal ... it’s hard to get anything better,” Styler said. “You’re only limited by your schedule and your ability. It’s a great membership. There’s no noses up or anything like that here.”

Nix says that four generations of their family, and a fifth up and coming have been able to play golf at Linden.

“As our family has grown and moved to other places, I feel the land represents a physical place where family can return and feel like this is how and where it started,” she said. “Even though the livelihood from farming is gone, Linden represents a very unique way to preserve and pass to future generations a legacy that represents a point in history when our state was beginning to take shape.”

This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Nix family, Linden Golf and Country Club continue family legacy."