Whitefish golf pro Dowaliby dies at 84
WHITEFISH — Mike Dowaliby, the longtime PGA golf professional at Whitefish Lake Golf Club, died on Sunday at 84.
Dowaliby retired in 1999 after 22 years as the PGA Professional at Whitefish Lake Golf Club. In 2013, he became the first person from Montana to be inducted into the Pacific Northwest Section PGA Hall of Fame.
Dowaliby was known for his strong junior programs, teaching many young people about the game of golf and providing life lessons along the way. Two of his former junior players now run Whitefish Lake Golf Club, Tim Olson and Christine Newton continuing what Dowaliby started, serving as the PGA Head Professional and PGA Assistant Professional, respectively.
“Everything you hear about him is true,” Olson said. “He’s a gentleman. What I learned most from him is he could remember names and faces going back years and years. I think that’s what set him apart from other golf professionals, was his ability to relate to people, no matter if it’d been a year if he saw them or 10 years since he saw them. He always remembered a name and a face and usually a story behind the person he was talking to.”
Newton was a high school state champion for Whitefish in 1981 and Women’s State Am champ in 1985.
“He was so giving of his time. He was wonderful,” Newton said.
“He helped me through high school golf, helped me get to college, helped me get on the mini tour. Even when he was busy he always took the time if I needed help with my swing.
“He did that until the end. He was working with the high school team on Wednesday.”
As a head golf coach at Whitefish, Dowaliby’s teams won three boys and two girls state championships in the early 1980s. Following Dowaliby’s tenure as coach, juniors from his programs won another 13 state titles. Dane Thorman, won the 1984 state championship and today is the PGA Assistant Golf Professional at Iron Horse Golf Club.
Dowaliby oversaw the expansion of Whitefish Lake to 36 holes and built the clubhouse into the first Montana facility to be recognized by Golf World Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Golf Shops” in America.
“He would find individual tasks for each student,” Olson said. “He would never generalize the golf swing. He catered to all of our needs, whether it was the short game, the mental game, the mechanics of the swing, he would adapt to his student in so many different facets it just worked for that kid. It was a pretty unique way of coaching. He certainly knew what he was doing.”
A PGA Member for 50 years, Dowaliby began his career in 1960 at the Woodland Hills Country Club in California. In 1968, Dowaliby opened the Calabasas Country Club, also in California, as their first PGA Professional and set out building a large Junior Golf Program. Finally, in 1977, the native Californian took over the helm at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club, beating out U.S. Open champion Jack Fleck for the job.