Courses survive winter

A mild winter and a warmer- than-average early spring until Tuesday, anyway left area golf courses in top-notch shape for the 1995 season.

"Our greens have come through the winter season in remarkable shape," said Steve Bailey, golf manager for the Milwaukee County Parks Department. "We got the snow cover when we needed it, to insulate and protect them, and then the snow melted real fast, which is what you like."

The Brown Deer Park Golf Course is scheduled to open Thursday, weather permitting. The other seven 18-hole county courses are open, Bailey said. The Warnimont and Hansen par-3 courses also are open.

The state's top-ranked public course, Blackwolf Run in Kohler, plans to open its Meadow Valleys Course later this week, probably on Saturday. The River Course is scheduled to open April 28.

Greens fees for 1995 are $71 for the Meadow Valleys Course and $100 for the River Course, making Blackwolf Run the most expensive public course in Wisconsin.

A spokesman at Blackwolf Run said, "We came through the winter very well. Of course, we cover our tees and greens. The course is in great condition."

In Racine County, the Ives Grove Golf Links and Browns Lake Golf Course opened March 25 and are in good shape, according to Bill Hagensick, the golf professional at both courses.

"We've got a little bit of snow mold, but just a couple little spots," Hagensick said. "The courses are in real good shape."

Hagensick said a third nine at Ives Grove was scheduled to open on July 1. With the expansion to 27 holes, the routing of all three nines will be changed, he added.

The Country Club of Wisconsin in Grafton, which opened last July, has overcome some early growing pains, according to Jack Gaudion, the new director of golf. The course has been open since March 17.

"Last year was more of a construction year than an operations year," Gaudion said. "But the course is absolutely phenomenal. All we need now is some warm weather."

County course changes: Bailey said that the infamous sixth green on the Dretzka Park Golf Course would be rebuilt this year, one of several renovation projects scheduled for county courses in '95.

The sixth green at Dretzka has a huge hump in its middle.

"When we want to get the green speed up for tournaments, that green pretty much becomes unplayable because of the hump," Bailey said.

Other projects include the construction of a new tee box on the par-4 13th hole at Brown Deer, which will lengthen the hole from 414 yards to 435 or 440; an expanded parking lot at Greenfield Park; and drainage work at Oakwood Park.

New Berlin Hills: Crown Golf, a Chicago-based management company, signed a long- term lease contract with the City of New Berlin on Jan. 1 to operate New Berlin Hills.

Crown Golf plans some renovations and improvements in '95. The 18th green will be rebuilt and the shared tee box on Nos. 5 and 9 will be redone, giving each hole its own tee.

Pat Clark has been named operations manager and head pro and Jeff Kingsley has been named golf course superintendent.

Chip shots: The 1995 Rules of Golf booklet is available from the United States Golf Association. The booklet costs $1 and can be obtained by calling (800) 336-4446. . . . Two instructional videos by Nick Faldo "Nick Faldo's Fixes" and "Nick Faldo's Tips and Drills" will be released by PolyGram Videos on Tuesday.April 11 The suggested retail price is $19.95 each.

Copyright 1995
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