By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
We’re in an era when golf is increasingly dominated by technology and the entertainment venues that have undoubtedly helped grow the game. Private clubs are prevalent in many areas, and courses are adding holes, putting courses, short game areas and pitch-&-putt layouts to entice beginners to play more and keep patrons on the property longer.
Sometimes overlooked during this boom in golf is the nine-hole public golf course. These courses serve the average Joe golfer by making the game affordable to play and manageable within a golfer’s busy schedule. After all, a nine-hole round of golf takes just two hours to play, similar to most movies and shorter than a baseball game, even in this era of pitch clocks and faster ball games.
“I believe in both public and private golf and understand the importance of both in communities,” says Brian Bonesteel (pictured below center), the owner/operator of Green Acres Golf Course in Kingston, New York.
What used to be known as “Easy Acres” for its wide open fairways and lack of penalty areas is now a challenging layout for Bonesteel’s many public golfers. He’s added water on several holes and bunkers throughout, and he carves the fairways within knee-high fescue to create a unique public course experience for his diverse customer base.
“I believe you should be able to get great course conditions at a public course and shouldn’t have to join a private club to get those conditions,” Bonesteel says. “I treat all my customers as members and family and try to provide that same feeling for every golfer we serve.”
Purchasing the course in 2018, Bonesteel had a vision of change that he felt would bring people back to Green Acres. And with each change or enhancement he makes, new thoughts and ideas come to mind. He’s not only planning the work, he’s on the machines doing the job. That’s the nine-hole golf course owner for you. “I have an idea and make a change, then see all other future changes as a result of the change I just made. For me, this whole process has been very exciting.”
Just 20 minutes from Green Acres in High Falls, New York is Stone Dock Golf Course. This nine-hole public course was purchased by Francis and Jennifer O’Donnell (pictured above) in 2021. Francis was a local superintendent at a couple of courses and a former farmer who studied agriculture at the University of Delaware. Jennifer is an environmental and urban planner who has frequently worked with environmental organizations.
“Our primary goal when we acquired the course was to bring it up to the highest level possible,” Jennifer said in a recent interview. “That was a gradual process that we’re seeing come to fruition.”
O’Donnell says her core golfers have offered rave reviews on the work she and her husband have done to the nine-hole layout. In addition to the course improvements, the O’Donnells have taken over the very popular on-site restaurant.
Similar to Green Acres, there have been new bunkers added, and Francis has also created some new undulations in the greens. He’s added ponds and new walking bridges as well.
“We’ve planted over 1,000 trees on the shoreline to address erosion in conjunction with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and its Trees for Tribs program,” O’Donnell says.
According to the NYS DEC, this is “a statewide effort to reforest New York’s tributaries – small creeks and streams that flow into larger rivers and lakes – by planting trees and shrubs along these waterways. The goal is to create or improve riparian (streamside) buffers to decrease erosion, reduce flooding damage, improve wildlife and stream habitat and protect water quality.”
O’Donnell says she wants to protect the soils and the habitat through more sustainable integrated pest management practices – no pesticides on the course except where absolutely necessary on the greens.
Stone Dock was once a periodic qualifying site for The Ulster County Men’s Amateur Tournament (The Herdegen), and O’Donnell wants to see her course return to that level of play.
Stone Dock’s Hackers league is more than 40 years old, and with the recent closure of a local 18-hole course, additional leagues are now enjoying the revitalized Stone Dock.
“We’re also attracting some young families and new golfers who’ve come to the game since the pandemic. This new generation of golfers will be our customers of the future. We want Stone Dock to be their home away from home,” she explains. “We cater to a lot of people who work and have families and other responsibilities. So, not only is it affordable, but it fits into their lifestyle.”
Back in Kingston, John Durcan, Sr. is the PGA of America Owner/Operator of Alapaha Golf Links. Run by Durcan Sr., his wife Mary (pictured above) and their son John Jr., Alapaha is a nine-hole executive golf course, full grass range and indoor golf studio with four aboutGolf simulators that draw customers in for leagues and public play throughout the winter.
Durcan’s clientele predominantly consists of juniors, seniors, couples, women and beginners. He is a “birthing center”, a huge feeder system for the Par 36 courses in the area, which not only help fill the membership rosters of the local private clubs but also sustain the local golf shops, increase the rounds of the 18-hole courses in the area and fill the tee sheets of the many charitable golf outings held in the area each year.
Alapaha has a large annual junior program with several clinics each summer. These golfers of the future often call the nine-hole public course home while gauging their level of interest in the sport.
“Not everyone can go out and spend $100 to play a round of golf,” Durcan says. “Here you can take a date for less than $50 for the two of you.”
Durcan eliminates the traditional barriers to entry in the game that we have long sought to eradicate – cost, time and skill. He’s got the lowest rates around and you can play the course in little more than an hour on some days. In addition, Durcan has a dedicated student base that seeks his many years of teaching on the lesson tee. They’re playing better golf, and they’re playing it more often.
Public golfers encompass a vast number of players in the industry, and since the pandemic, we’ve got many more of them than ever. Thankfully, people like Bonesteel, the O’Donnells and the Durcans are dedicated to offering a cost-effective option that fits into anyone’s schedule. It keeps a larger population of golfers playing the game, while building a solid foundation for the game’s future.
