TWENTY YEARS AGO… yes, twenty, Marquette Golf Club opened Greywalls, their second eighteen hole championship course.
My recollection of the process goes something like this… A golf developer/entrepreneur from downstate, named Tom Stewart, met with the MGC membership and proposed to buy the club and build a new 18-hole course to complement the existing original course.
Membership listened politely but didn’t jump at the offer. The thinking was more like… Who needs this guy to come take our club and build us a new course? We can do that ourselves!
So the wheels were in motion to take the project on… without Tom Stewart. Here’s the rub. There couldn’t have been a worse time to build a course in the United States of America. The golf boom was ending and courses nationwide were closing, with their property being reassigned to condos and other such developments.
As Al Czervik, played by Rodney Dangerfield, proclaimed years earlier in ‘Caddyshack’… “Country clubs and cemeteries are the biggest wasters of prime real estate!”
Whose Idea Was This?
It isn’t a stretch to think the Marquette Golf Club would never have taken on such a project were it not for Tom Stewart’s pitch to the membership. I don’t recall anyone suggesting another course was needed, as well as all the costs associated with such an addition.
But here we are, just one year away from the club’s 100th Anniversary, and MGC is looking to the future, with the industry downturn fading away in their rear view mirror. In the spirit of playing it as it lies… MGC leadership stared down the financial challenges and made the best of a tough situation.
According to current club president Michele Butler, recent years have seen improved revenue, with much of that going to “paying down the debt.” Though most of the capital improvements taken on have been of the unseen, infrastructure type, both the clubhouse and the pro shop have been cleaned up and modernized to be more representative of the national acclaim given to the award-winning Greywalls course.
Room to Grow
Which brings us to last Monday night’s city commission meeting where MGC representatives presented a letter of intent expressing interest in purchasing 14 acres of land, currently owned by the city, and adjacent to club property, at the end of Pioneer Road.
The city clerk’s reading of the proposed purchase included wording that suggested the club’s intent for the property was “to assist with the development of a new clubhouse.” Though it’s unclear exactly who put that idea on the tee, the club’s board and staff are taking a mulligan and letting club members know… there is no plan currently on the table to build a new clubhouse.
Whether you were excited about the prospect of a fancy new facility more convenient to Greywalls, or you were terrified at the financial implications of a new multi-million dollar 19th hole, you can rest assured… it’s not going to happen. At least not in the near future.
It’s likely many members shared both of those emotions at once. A new clubhouse? Yeah! A steep increase in my dues? Uh… not so much. Actually, thanks to a few good years at the cash register, and the contributions of time and talent from a core of active members, the current clubhouse looks better than ever.
It seems, according to MGC board member Kenn Hruska, who spoke for the club before the commission, the intent of the property purchase is to “start a process of due diligence” and to “explore the opportunities for future amenities.” He was sure to point out any plans for future “amenities,” like a clubhouse, would have to be run by the membership first.
For now, the purchase of the property, which will have to be negotiated with city staff and approved by the city commission, would serve to protect the current club property boundaries against any other development which would be in conflict with the club’s vision.
A Community Asset
For those of you who wouldn’t know the difference between a Texas wedge and a foot wedge… why should you care what happens at Marquette Golf Club? Well, like other local institutions that stand alone in their offerings… everything from Marquette Mountain to Northern Michigan University, MGC helps bring positive notoriety to this community.
You can’t read anything about golf courses in Michigan without seeing Greywalls prominently mentioned as the favorite of many, and a must-play for serious golfers. And for those locals who’s only handicap is that of being a card-carrying slicer… present company included, MGC offers their traditional Heritage course as a playable, yet challenging alternative, to the unforgiving walls of grey.
Old-timers might harken back to the day when MGC was thought to be a fortress for the fortunate. In fact, it used to be called the Marquette Golf & Country Club. Kind of haughty… especially when it was just nine holes and a grill. But that was then. These days, the club welcomes any and all to both the course and the clubhouse.
Good Game!
In case you haven’t picked up on it, I like golf. It teaches a lot of good things, not the least of which is sportsmanship. In a day when competitors routinely argue with officials about every infraction, golfers still call their own fouls.
Though there’s an active county-wide program for young golfers, and another junior program new to the area called First Tee, you’re never too old to enjoy a great time on the links with friends, while you suffer the humility only a round of golf can offer.
A Valuable Property
With or without the additional 14 acres, MGC seems well-positioned for future success. As our city continues to thrive with an engaged and active population, we’re undeniably better off with a proven recreational asset like Marquette Golf Club. No matter how you slice it.