The short answer: Spokane Polo Club, in Airway Heights just west of Spokane, Washington, is one of the oldest polo clubs in the United States. Polo came to Spokane in 1913. Today the club has two full-size fields, an arena, and a small, tight-knit membership. When I visited, it had about 22 members and a great girl gang, and the season was very affordable.
These notes come from my 2021 and 2022 tour, when I tried to visit every polo club in America as a playing USPA member. Seasons, contacts, and prices change, so check each club's Instagram or the U.S. Polo Association before you go.
Spokane Polo Club at a glance
Where: Airway Heights, Washington, just west of Spokane.
History: Polo arrived in Spokane in 1913, after a Canadian team played at the Interstate Fair (The Spokesman-Review).
Facilities: Two full-size fields planted in 1967, a regulation arena, on-site stabling, and a three-quarter-mile track (U.S. Polo Association).
New players: The club says it welcomes new players, whether or not they've ridden before.
Members when I visited: About 22.
My visit
I emailed Caitlin, called Liz, the club's instructor, and texted Caitlin twice. It worked. Caitlin and I went to lunch, had mimosas and then cider, and met up with her friend.
Spokane has a great girl gang. About 22 members, a really tight group that always hangs out together, and rowdy women. When they aren't playing polo, they go boating or do something else outdoors. Caitlin told me the season is very affordable.
What Spokane gets right
A polo club runs on its people. Spokane has had polo since 1913, and the members I met are the kind who keep a club going: they play together, hang out together, and go boating together.
If you're a woman thinking about polo and wondering whether you'll fit in, Spokane is a club where women are right in the middle of it. More in women in polo.
Tips for visiting
Come in summer. Pacific Northwest polo is mostly a summer sport. See when polo season is.
Reach out more than once. It took me an email, a phone call, and two texts.
Say yes to lunch. Some of the best polo conversations on my tour happened off the field.
For the rest of the region, see my guide to polo in Wyoming, the Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii.
Small clubs, big welcome. PoloFlow is the app I'm building to help you find them. Polo, wherever you are. Join the waitlist.
