Longtime Whitefish golf pro and coach Mike Dowaliby died last week.

Dowaliby was the PGA Golf Professional at Whitefish Lake Golf Club for 22 years before he retired in 1999. He became the first person from Montana to be inducted into the Pacific Northwest Section PGA Hall of Fame.

He died Sept. 17 at the age of 84. He is survived by his wife Sally Dowaliby, and his children Mark Dowaliby, Todd Dowaliby and Sue Strauser.

Terry Nelson, who coached the Whitefish High School golf team alongside Dowaliby and worked with him at the golf club, called him the “consummate golf professional.”

“He was an incredible person,” Nelson said. “He had this way of focusing on you that made you feel like the only person around — he was warm and kind. He was a great friend and very generous.”

Dowaliby was known for teaching many young people about the game of golf. He started the junior program in Whitefish in 1977 with the assistance of banker Gary Norby. He mentored many of today’s PGA Professionals in the state. 

Nelson said when Dowaliby first arrived in Whitefish in the late 1970s, young golfers weren’t exactly welcomed onto the course.

“Mike changed the culture completely,” Nelson said. “People always say that they feel welcome here and that started with Mike.”

“He knew that those juniors were the future,” he added. “He loved the game so much he wanted to grow it.”

Dowaliby’s juniors have found their own success on the golf course.

Dane Thorman, won the 1984 State Championship and today is the PGA Teaching Professional at Iron Horse Golf Club in Whitefish. Tim Olson and Christine Newton serve today as the PGA Head Professional and PGA Assistant Professional at Whitefish Lake Golf Club, respectively. 

Christine Newton said Dowaliby was the “most giving, loving, patient” person. She grew up with him in the juniors program, in high school and college and on the mini- tour.

“He was my mentor and my boss,” she said. “He was always there for me. He was a kind-hearted, gentle man.”

She noted that just days before his death he was out coaching the high school team.

“We will miss his presence around here,” she said. “The success of the high school teams all started with him. We have a lot to thank him for.”

As the head golf coach, 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.

Dowaliby’s golf shop was the first Montana facility to be recognized by Golf Operations Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Golf Shops” in America. 

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.

In a 1998 article in the Pilot, Dowaliby recalled finding golf for the first time while he was stationed in England for he Air Force and then his subsequent career as a PGA Professional.

“It’s sure made my life complete,” he said.