The Cowlitz Indian Tribe, which already owns and operates a hotel and casino complex in northern Clark County, is looking to expand into the golf business.

The Cowlitz Economic Authority was the sole bidder for Three Mountains Golf Course. Clark County put the 132-acre property up for auction in September. Tri-Mountain is just 2 miles south of ilani at 1701 NW 299th St., Ridgefield.

The 18-hole course has been operated by Troon Golf LLC for years, but Troon’s current contract will expire at the end of this year, county spokeswoman Joni McAnally said. What happens after that depends on the Clark County Council’s decision whether to sell or not.

The county had set the minimum bid requirement for the golf course property, which includes a pro shop, commercial kitchen, offices, dining room and driving range, at $3.525 million, with the additional requirement that Tri-Mountain remain a golf course in perpetuity. Only the county council has the power to change that requirement, according to tender documents.

The county’s request for bids went out in mid-September and bids were reviewed on Oct. 30.

An offer from the tribe, for $3.6 million, was accepted for further discussion, McAnally said. The council will evaluate the bid during a public hearing that has not yet been scheduled.

Another offer from Cowlitz was substantially larger — $5 million, according to bid documents — but was rejected because it included ending the golf course requirement after five years, McAnally said.

If Cowlitz’s $3.6 million offer is accepted, Tri-Mountain will remain one of the last surviving golf facilities of any size in Clark County.

Green Mountain Golf Course, a full-size 18-hole course in Camas, closed in 2014 and The Cedars on Salmon Creek, another 18-hole course, closed in 2021. The nine-hole Hartwood Executive Golf Course, in Brush Prairie, closed in 2021 and so did the Lakeview Par 3 Golf Challenge near Lake Vancouver. At the end of October, the Vanco driving range in Vancouver it closed its doors.

What remains now is Lewis River Golf Course in Woodland, Camas Meadows in Camas, Fairway Village in east Vancouver and Pine Crest, a par-3 course in the Salmon Creek area.

According to a property appraisal included in bidding documents, growing revenues at Tri-Mountain have not kept pace with even faster-growing expenses. According to the assessment, in 2022 net income decreased by 46 percent.

But the Cowlitzes remain interested.

“The sale of the property offers compelling opportunities and we look forward to engaging in discussions about the best potential outcomes for its future,” Cowlitz Indian Tribe Chairman William Iyall said in a statement.

Earlier this year, County Councilman Gary Medvigy said the county faces a long list of backlogged capital needs and needs to focus on them.

The county hopes to close the sale of Tri-Mountain in January.