b'Flying High at Sage HillsFrom playing professionally, to paramotoring, to baking pizza, to golf course ownershipLevi Venn doesnt hold backby Doug Miller working toward improving the facilitypro, so I gave it a shot, Venn says. T he game of golf has taken Levi Vennand delighting its tight-knit community ofI tried to, anyway. It was me at 30 on an adventure with an itinerarycustomers and families. playing against guys in their early 20s. that matches his personality: all over theI dont sit still, says Venn, 43. In allAnd a lot of those guys had family place, in the best of ways. honesty, I dont really plan what I do. Imoney or sponsors, and Im paying out Its taken the former prep golfer fromjust start doing it and finding a way toof my own pocket. Washingtons Auburn-Riverview Highmake things happen. You come to the point where you School to the Canadian Tour, where heVenn made something happen indecide that owning a house is pretty nice tried his best to slug it out alongsidegolf after high school, playing at Centralcompared to going hotel to hotel.current PGA Tour stalwarts Tony FinauArizona College and California StateBack in Washington, Venn moved and Joel Dahmen. University, San Bernardino. While in theto Yakima to escape an increasingly Its taken him to the air, where themidst of honing his game on the course,crowded Seattle metropolitan area. sense of competition and fearlessnesshe began a career at Boeing.He continued to play golf with friends, he finds on the links helped prepare himAfter two years, he decided to shunincluding Chase Looker, one of four for his high-flying hobby of paramotoringthe corporate life and worked withbrothers in the asphalt restoration (powered paragliding). a friend on building a constructionbusiness with whom Venn had worked on Its taken him to Florence, Italy,excavation business in Westernexcavation jobs throughout the years.where he spent 13 days immersed in anWashington. He kept lowering his scoresVenn knew that Lookers family had intensive course to learn how to cookon the course during his off hours, butowned Sage Hills in Warden, Wash., authentic wood-fired pizza. by the time he was good enough to teefor 27 years, and he had heard about And its taken him to Sage Hills Golf &it on the Dakotas Tour and Canadianits sneaky-tough layout and slick, true RV Resort in Washingtons rural ColumbiaTour, he was already approaching 30greens. What he didnt know was that the Basin, where in 2023 he went all-in as theyears old. Lookers were looking to sell the property.course owner and immediately beganI didnt want to regret not playingWell, he didnt know it until Chase 26 PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER|SEPT 2025'