Loomis Trail Golf Course will be a new Silver Reef amenity

By Oliver Lazenby

Now that the Lummi Nation owns Loomis Trail Golf Course, Silver Reef Hotel Casino Spa – which is also owned by the Lummi Nation – will have access to the course, according to an October 4 press release from Silver Reef.

“With Silver Reef having access to Loomis Trail, our team will look to host local and regional tournaments and fundraising events, as well as utilizing their banquet space and outdoor wedding venue,” said Rita Jefferson, chief operating officer at Silver Reef Casino, in the press release.

The course will be open to the public everyday, the press release confirmed. Previously, it was open to the public on even days and members-only on odd days.

The Lummi Indian Business Council purchased the 180-acre property south of Blaine, including a hotel and restaurant, from Resort Semiahmoo LLC for $3.75 million on October 1, according to documents from the Whatcom County Treasurer’s Office. The course receives national recognition, including a rating as the No. 8 course in Washington from Golf Week Magazine in 2018.

The Lummi tribal community will receive discounts on green fees, and elders and youth will play for free, according to a Native Business Magazine article.

Silver Reef Casino will also offer golf specials and discounts for Silver Reef  “players club” members, according to the article, and the Lummi Nation School golf team will practice and compete on the course.

The course is on the traditional homeland of the Semiahmah people, a Coast Salish tribe with several villages in and around Blaine, Semiahmoo Bay, Boundary Bay and Drayton Harbor. Many Semiahmah people moved to the Lummi Reservation after being forced off their land.

“To the descendants of the Semiahmah people, this is not a real estate investment,” an October 1 press release from the Lummi Nation said. “This acquisition is one step toward reclaiming our original territory.”