“When we came on the property, the club house and the golf course were extremely distressed,” Managing Partner Ted Lambert said. “Several of the greens were totally shut down, a lot of the fairways, tees and greens didn’t have any grass on them, weeds were growing out of the bunkers. So it’s been a tremendous amount of work and resources to get the conditioning of the golf course back.”
Shaker Golf Group LLC paid $3.3 million for the piece of real estate in December, according to the Warren County auditor’s website. Lambert said he, his dad Steve — who built the golf course in 1979 — and others finalized the deal and got to work. They plan to show off all the improvements during a Post Renovation Grand Opening at the Turtlecreek Twp. course on April 15.
An open bar area with banquettes and tables, large screen TVs and fresh cream colored paint have lightened up the look of the underutilized area that used to serve as the bar and a small banquet room. The pro shop space was reconfigured to allow more space for the new Nike line they are selling and other golf accessories.
Lambert said they have hired two top people who used to work at the Manor House in Mason, executive chef Donald Fay and Sales Director Sherri Cornell. Cornell specializes in weddings and banquets and the ceremony space — dedicated to the former sales director Julie Gutzwiller who died of cancer — provides a serene setting for brides with soaring trees, the verdant golf course and lapping lake.
The Lamberts also created a Golf Academy out of space that used be a storage shed. Here, PGA golf trainer — and their brother — Tim Lambert plies his trade. The academy features indoor video training facilities and a sand bunker for practicing chip shots.
Golf club member John Johnson says he’ll go sit on the course just watching the golf pro work his magic.
“Tim is fabulous with kids,” he said. “I’ll go out there with the kids sometimes and just listen to him. He talks their language, they listen. It’s really neat to watch.”
“It’s still a work in progress for us,” Lambert said. “We’re not going to be content until this is at a level where it is a championship golf facility. I think this will be a telling year for us, with all the work we’re putting in initially, this is going to be the year where you see the fruits of our labor.”
Johnson said what the Lamberts have undertaken bodes well for the entire area.
“They are definitely headed in the right direction,” he said. “It’s going to be a good thing for Lebanon and Cincinnati because I feel if they can get this course back in shape, they can be the number one public or semi-public courses in the city or in Ohio.”
The golf course is located at 1320 Golf Club Drive.
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