Indian Springs makeover
The sound of hammers pounding and drills buzzing is a welcome cacophony at Indian Springs Country Club in Broken Arrow, where new owners Ryker Young and Paul Coffman have embarked on a much-needed updating of the 36-hole facility they recently purchased. Workers are busy rebuilding a patio grill area including a new roof on the entryway. Major sprucing up is either underway or about to get started in the grill, locker rooms, fitness facility and restaurant. Superintendent David Jones has embarked on a major face lift of the course, thanks in part to about $300,000 in new equipment that has given him the tools to reinvigorate the two courses, including the River Course which has been the site of numerous important men’s and women’s championships since it was built in 1967. The improvements are not just physical. New general manager Mark Barrett, formerly of The Oaks Country Club, has revamped a whole range of member services and brought a new spirit, unity and direction to a service staff that was floundering. “The facilities were tired,” Ryker said.
Indian Springs Country Club.
“One of the first things we wanted to address was the curb appeal and then throughout the facility. The workout room, for instance, was not just tired, it was dead.” The two owners and general manager inherited not just an aging facility, but a predominantly older membership, many of whom have been dedicated members for decades. The club, with its shorter Windmill course, pools and huge tennis facilities, is ideally suited to appeal to young families and those will be among the targets of the new marketing campaign once renovations are complete. Already 36 new members have joined
since the sale went through in late August. Many of those were previous members who had lapsed. There are plenty more of those to recruit since the club’s peak of about 975 members in 2006. Indian Springs was closing in on 600 members including social and tennis at press time. The two owners are also part owners of Muskogee Country Club and both run other successful businesses – Coffman in road and building construction and Ryker a variety including high-end real estate developments, some of which involve prestigious golf courses. Their investment in Muskogee CC is a labor of love for their hometown course, at Indian Springs it’s a business venture. In both cases, they realize success comes from making the club a relevant and integral part of the member’s lives. “The days of daddy’s club that he disappeared to on Saturday and came home on Sunday night are long gone,” Barrett said. “Everything is geared around the family. We’re competing with soccer and all those other activities. And with our tennis, pool and golf facilities and what we’re going to do here, we feel good about what we have to offer.”
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