THE ROB REPORT
The Lighter Side of Golf SUMMER HAS JUST BEGUN, but a quick glance at the calendar reveals that we are now more than halfway through another year. Before you know it, we’ll be preparing for the holidays and asking where 2023 went. Because of the nature of this business—always working one month in advance—time seems to fly by even faster than before. While summers used to last forever and time seemed to stop while I was sitting in a classroom, one of life’s great ironies is that time goes by at warp speed as we get older. Because of that, I like to stop and smell to proverbial roses whenever I get the opportunity. In the past, human-interest pieces during the Olympics would drive me crazy. I just wanted to watch the action. Now I tune in mainly for athletes’ backstories and watch the events in between. The same can be said for putting together our daily newsletters. I know it’s important to report on remodeling projects and clubs changing management, but when we can slide in some light reading, I’m all for it. Take, for instance, Don Nistler, an 88-year-old man in Golva, N.D. He’s created a rough, 10-hole golf course on his property. There are no tee boxes and there aren’t any greens, either. “There’s a little bare spot where the hole is,” Don says. Nistler even converted an old granary into a “clubhouse.” It’s really just a space to tell golf stories and display his golf ball collection. Club Nistler, home to the annual family reunion, once hosted the Golva kindergarten class and Don’s granddaughter got engaged on the sixth hole. 6 l Club + Resort Business l July 2023
A rising tide lifts all ships, and it looks like smooth seas ahead.” Similarly, avid golfer Drew Lappe took his love of golf to the next level and created a golf course in his Evansville, Ill. backyard. Over the course of five years, Lappe cleared his property and put in Astroturf to turn his yard into a par-3 golf course. In addition to inviting his friends and family to an annual tournament known as the Lappe Oaks Invitational, Lappe says having his own personal golf course allows him to practice while spending time with family. “My son’s four and a half years old. He loves to come out here and chip around,” he says. “It doesn’t make it so difficult or kind of uppity at some golf courses. It’s a great way for young kids to get introduced to the sport.”
I understand that news from Club Nistler and Lappe Oaks will offer little education for our dedicated audience, but I hope people draw as much enjoyment out of those stories as I do. If nothing else, these places are introducing new people to the game we love. There was another unconventional story in June. Wormburner Park Golf in Logan, Ohio has 18 holes with lengths ranging between 150 to 250 feet. You read that right—feet, not yards. But it’s not a miniature golf course. People play this course with one specialized club that is flat like a putter but built like a driver. And the ball is slightly smaller than a softball. The only other course of its kind is in Akron, N.Y.—Destroyer Park Golf. Again, you’re not likely to find Bandon Dunes or Pinehurst adding park golf to their growing stable of courses, but it’s another golf-adjacent game that’s helping grow our industry. A rising tide lifts all ships, and it looks like smooth seas ahead.
Rob Thomas • Editor
rthomas@wtwhmedia.com
www.clubandresortbusiness.com