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By Design
TEE LOCATION PROJECTS
Members at Sugar Creek Country Club
will soon be able to play on the newly
renovated Robert Course (one of the three
sets of nine holes at the club), which not
only includes new golf holes, tees, greens
and fairways, but a new set of short tees
designed to accommodate players of all
skill level.
The club’s general manager, Gordon
Wagner, says that the renovation with
Jeff Blume, ASGCA, has proved an ideal
opportunity to take the club’s oldest
—
and, previously, least desirable
—
nine
holes of golf, and turn them into
something fun.
“The plan has been to make the course
more appealing to everyone
—
children,
families and older players, particularly
those that are considering downgrading
their membership,” he explains.
Wagner first came across the concept
of multiple tees after reading an article
in
Club and Resort Busines
s in 2015 by
Bill Donohue, which talked about kids’
tees, short tees, quicker tees and so
on. “The article mentioned a successful
initiative at a club in Michigan, which
not only built in new short tees, but
changed its program so that for three
to four days a week, the course was
designated for short tees,” Wagner
explains. “It was committed to growing
participation, and the club’s board
and membership really got behind the
initiative. I looked at what they had
achieved and thought it was genius!”
While he is hopeful about the appeal
of the new short tees at Robert Course,
Wagner recognizes the importance of
communicating changes to members,
and encouraging them to get behind
it. “Members needs to know what it
is all about,” he says. “The club has
to be completely committed, which
means programming, programming,
programming
—
nine hole night
competitions, nine hole par three events
and more. Ultimately, it’s about giving
players a sense of freedom that they’ve
never experienced before.”
CASE STUDY: SUGAR CREEK
Golf for all
Photo: Jeff Blume