Golf course slowly coming back to life
The Springfield Golf Course is open for play.
“It’s playable,” Club House Manager Jennifer Schultz said during an interview last week. “It not up to the standard that Jeff (groundskeeper Jeff Kretsch) likes to keep it, or to the standards we were accustomed to, but it’s playable,” she said.
The Springfield Golf Course is situated along the banks of the Big Cottonwood River and prone to flooding. It sustained extensive damage from the July 4th flood last summer — the worst flooding in the club’s 53-year history.
Damage from flood waters that closed the Springfield Golf Course last summer have created lots of challenges, but all nine holes are open to play, although numbers 1 and 9 are short yardage that currently rates them a par 4 rather than par 5. No.1 green is a temporary green. Five greens were reseeded last fall. They are coming along and improving daily, said Schultz.
Golfers appreciate the reciprocity agreement offered by the Farmers’ Golf and Health Club in Sanborn, and the Sleepy Eye Golf Club; and the partnership agreement with the Redwood Falls Golf Club and the New Ulm Country Club.
Springfield Golf Course members can acquire a membership card here and play at the Farmers’ Health and Golf Club any day of the week, and Sanborn golfers can play in Springfield any day of the week without paying green fees. They pay only for a cart if they choose to use a cart.
Local members may play at Sleepy Eye Monday through Friday with the exception of Wednesday afternoon, which is Men’s Day when play is arranged strictly by tee times.
The loss of revenue whether it be memberships, green fees, cart fees, food and beverages, has created challenges for the golf club, but, also opportunities. “We are trying to focus on what we have and what we can do,” said Schultz.
Schultz is planning and booking social events of all kinds — class reunions, family reunions, birthday parties, bridal showers, groom’s dinners, small group parties, and business and employer meetings among other events.
See complete story in this week's issue of the Springfield Advance-Press.