Last fall the Walnut Grove board of directors asked club members to recruit friends to give WG a taste test for one year at a reduced rate.
For $1,500 plus a $60 monthly food and beverage contribution, a family could enjoy golfing privileges and the social benefits of belonging to the club for one year. A single golfer could get the deal for $1,000. Golfers were required to pay an additional $100 for lockers and $100 for bag storage.
The drive began on Nov. 15. According to WG membership chairman Bill Ackman, the club had acquired 100 new members by Feb. 21.
“It was all done by our members,” Ackman said. “We didn’t advertise.”
Some of the old members had questions about extending full privileges to others for what amounted to one-fourth the regular dues, but they quickly saw some benefits.
The infusion of money enabled Walnut Grove to give its clubhouse a dramatic facelift.
Walls were removed, and the addition of new furniture, lighting, ceiling tiles, wainscoting and flooring gave the entrance, the mixed grill and the Greenmont meeting room a modern casual appearance. Nine flat screen televisions were purchased.
Ackman said the clubhouse was a beehive of activity during the NCAA basketball tournament and when the University of Dayton was playing in the NIT.
With 350 current members, WG is still 20 short of its stated capacity of 370, so the golf course should be able to handle the increased rounds this summer.
“A lot of people are happy with the change,” Ackman said. “As far as I know, we’ve not had one member leave this club because of what we did.”
The total value of the program will be known after this season when WG learns how many of the newcomers will decide whether to become members at the full price next year.
“Later this summer will give them something to stay on next year and beyond,” Ackman said. “We know we’ll have some people who are just chasing a deal, but we think we’ll have many who will stay. We also want to reward the people who’ve been here in the past.”
Tap-Ins
• Former Daytonian Randy Leen won his second Minor League Golf Tour title of the year and his fifth overall on Monday, April 19, when he birdied the final hole to win at the Santa Lucia River Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The 34-year-old Alter High School and Indiana University graduate birdied Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 18 for 69 to win by one stroke. He earned $700 from the $3,055 purse.
• Matt Kern, a 15-year-old freshman at Springboro High School, is off to a good start in junior golf this season. He has won an AAJGT event in Knoxville, Tenn., and a Kentucky Junior PGA tourney in Lexington. Kern, the GWOC South Conference player of the year as a freshman, has been invited to play in the Joe Haas Invitational junior event May 10 at Firestone Country Club in Akron.
• Nicholas Scott, a Northmont High School junior from Union, got off to a great start in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Tournament on April 1 at Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club in Florida. He was the first-round leader with a 69, but he faded with score of 78 and 79 to tie for 23rd in the 54-hole event. Alec Tahy of Oakwood posted scores of 78, 76 and 78 to tie for 53rd.
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