Weird golf deeds, insurance sales, forklifts part of Don Tracy's journey to Desert Aire Pro Shop

DESERT AIRE - Many golfers like to think, or imagine, that a golf pro's life is charmed. And it is - for some.

But Desert Aire pro Don Tracy can attest that it's not always that way. His first stint in a pro shop, in 1988 at Sage Hills near Warden, was good only eight months of the year.

"I drove forklift at Columbia Colstor in Quincy the other four months," he said.

Tracy took that off-season job to make ends meet. He had residuals coming in from previous work as an insurance salesman, but they were not enough.

As a player, Tracy has had some non-pro-like experiences as well. He was on the Moses Lake High School varsity three years, before graduating in 1976.

Tracy's team made it to state his junior year and should have made it his sophomore year. A costly non-playing error by a teammate ended that dream.

That player started his round without his putter, which he'd left on the practice green. While his teammates relayed the putter forward to him, he used a competitor's putter on two holes.

At the end of the round, the player was assessed a four-stroke penalty. That gave the state berth to Richland, which finished two strokes back of Moses Lake on the course.

"We had beaten them the four times we played them that year," Tracy recalled.

Moses Lake went to state the next year with a team that was not as good as Tracy's sophomore group. The berth was won when Richland suffered paybacks for the previous year.

The Bombers finished 34 strokes ahead of Moses Lake, but one of their players signed a card that had 36 recorded for the final hole instead of the back nine. The team had to eat the 36 strokes and allow Moses Lake to go to state - by two strokes.

After graduation, Tracy went on to Washington State University, were he was on the golf varsity three years. Mostly what he got out of that was the understanding there were lots of great golfers in the Pacific-10 Conference.

Tracy experienced three PAC-10 tournaments. The best his team did was eighth. The best he did individually was below 50th. Many of the guys he couldn't touch are now on the PGA or Senior Tours.

That does not mean Tracy can't play. His best score ever has been 64, at Lakeview Golf & Country Club. He has a 66 at Sage Hills and a 68 at Desert Aire.

"The difference is those guys do it all the time," Tracy said. "I can play bad. I can shoot 80."

Tracy has won several pro-am tournaments, saying: "I've had a very good team this year."

Not becoming a golf pro was okay by Tracy. He did not go to WSU with PGA dreams. He went for a business administration degree with an emphasis on accounting. He came back to the Columbia Basin and insurance sales.

But Tracy had a passion he could not deny for the game. When Sage Hills Pro Rod Marcum gave him the opportunity to work in the shop, Tracy went for it, even if it meant a drop in income.

"I had caddied for him in the Washington State Open," Tracy recalled.

Tracy later took over for Marcum but was at Sage Hills only three years. In 1991 he became the head pro at Lakeview, a private layout between Ephrata and Soap Lake.

After nearly 12 years at Lakeview, Tracy was offered a new opportunity at Desert Aire. On Nov. 1, 2002 he made the change.

"I felt this was a very progressive club," he said. "I could see all the improvements they were making."

Desert Aire was a full 18 holes when Tracy arrived, but the pro shop was an aging double-wide in the area of the current practice green. Now the pro shop is housed in a spacious, modern, well-appointed building that also houses community offices.

The community center/club house opened in October of 2003. It has 3,300 square feet of main floor and 3,300 square feet of basement.

The main floor contains the community offices, the pro shop and a relaxing commons area in between. The basement has a banquet room for community and private functions and a full kitchen.

The golf course has grown into prominence. It started as nine holes in 1972. The second nine was added in 1993, and the course grew in quality from there. Golf Digest listed it among "best places to play" in 2009-10 and rated it a three-star course.

Desert Aire has more than 300 members. It can also draw from an pool of 1,400-plus Desert Aire property owners. Last year there were 24,000 rounds of golf.

"Our best year was 2009," Tracy said. "From 2005-09, there was an increase every year. There was a small drop-off in 2010, but 2011 will be better. We are experiencing a 15 percent increase in play. Most other places are having a 15 percent loss. I think it has to do with the condition and reputation of the course."

Tracy was just a golfer when he launched his career at Sage Hills. Now he is a Class A member of the Professional Golf Association of America. He is serving for the second time on the Central Washington PGA board of directors.

Tracy has arrived at this stage through continuing education. He completed the PGA apprentice program years ago. He has gone to week-long schools and testing at Boise, San Francisco and Kissimmee, Fla. and has done online study.