September 2024

Phil Goodson will serve as the new golf professional for the McCall Golf Course, the City of McCall announced last week.Goodson, who served as assistant golf professional for this year’s golf season, is being immediately promoted to the lead role.Former golf pro David DiMartino resigned his position this month after moving back to Denver, where he previously lived and worked at golf courses.Goodson, who lives in McCall with his wife and two teenage children, will earn a starting salary of $95,000 as head golf pro, McCall Communications Manager Erin Greaves said.As golf pro, Goodson’s responsibilities include supervising the course’s day-to-day operations, managing the pro shop, teaching golf lessons and hosting tournaments, among other things.Goodson told The Star-News that his immediate goals include preserving “the magic that is McCall Golf Club” and balancing the interests of local golfers and tourist golfers.Goodson will work directly alongside golf course Superintendent Eric McCormick, who is responsible for marketing and maintaining the course.The city plans to begin searching soon for a new assistant pro to assist Goodson, Greaves said.Goodson began his golf career at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise and then earned a degree in golf course management from Professional Golfers Career College in Temecula, California.He has since worked as the head golf professional at Whitetail Club in McCall and assistant golf pro at the Quail Hollow Golf Course in Boise and Grants Pass Golf Club in Oregon.Goodson also worked as the general manager of golf and director of golf at courses in eastern Idaho’s Teton Valley.Since 2016, an average of about 34,000 rounds of golf per year have been played at the municipal course.Combined, the three nine-hole courses feature more than 32 acres of playable fairway, plus greens.The golf course’s budget for 2025 totals $2.7 million, most of which stems from golf fees, merchandise sales and sales at the clubhouse restaurant, Banyans on the Green.For more information on the golf course, visit https://www.mccall.id.us/departments/GolfCourse.

Several days of rain brought the Lava Fire’s rampaging spread across West Mountain to a raging halt with “little fire growth” expected in the near future, fire officials said.Between 0.5 and 2.25 inches of rain fell across the Lava Fire, said Catherine Hibbard, a public information officer working on the Lava Fire.That rain will decrease fire activity, but will not be enough to put the fire out completely, with large pieces of stumps, logs and dead trees expected to smolder with the potential to flare up again if warmer and dryer weather returns, Hibbard said.As of Tuesday, the Lava Fire was listed as 33% contained having burned about 97,800 acres, including the footprint of the Boulder Fire, when the two burned together last week to become one fire.There were 825 people assigned to the fire, including 19 crews, two large helicopters, one small helicopter, 58 fire engines, 11 bulldozers, 16 water tankers, six excavators, seven skidders and eight ambulances.Evacuation orders in Valley County were lowered, with all residents along Warm Lake Road allowed to return home on DAY and other zones decreased in readiness throughout the week.As of Tuesday, zones 2 through 6 were in the “ready” evacuation status, the lowest of three levels.Adams County residents were downgraded to level 1 “ready” status, with some Gem County areas downgraded as well.No level 3 “go” evacuation orders were still in place.An area closure was still in effect, but the total area was likely to be reduced later in the week, officials said.Despite the decrease in immediate danger, structure protection efforts were still underway on all sides of the fire, including God’s Acres subdivision, Tamarack Resort and homes on West Mountain Road.As of Tuesday, the Lava Fire cost about $10.1 million, not including the cost of the Boulder Fire, which cost about $36 million before it became part of the Lava Fire.The Lava Fire was started by lighting on Sept.