By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Located in San Rafael, California, just 20 miles from San Francisco, McInnis Park Golf Course is a 12-time Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 50 Stand-Alone Facility. Opened in 1993, McInnis Park Golf Course has 47 hitting bays, each equipped with Toptracer Range technology, a short game area with two chipping greens and adjacent bunkers, an expansive practice putting green, miniature golf, a full-service restaurant and a grass teaching area for coaching and instruction provided through the McInnis Park Golf Academy.
The golf academy offers a full menu of programs and services to help golfers improve their skills and increase their enjoyment in the game. Adult options include beginner clinics, Operation 36 for on-course instruction, women’s clinics and private lessons.
Led by PGA of America Director of Instruction Daniel Stewart and his team of PGA Professionals and Associates – Kelly Smith, Sara Conti and Nicholas Lovi – the McInnis Park Golf Academy has a plethora of junior golf options to get kids interested in the game and help develop a passion for golf that will take them through high school and college. Their Operation 36 Junior Golf Academy, Drive, Chip and Putt Junior Development Program and Summer Camps and Schools deliver timely coaching for kids of all ages and provide the next step as each young golfer steadily advances in his or her game improvement journey.
PGA of America Associate Golf Professional Evan Crowder is the Director of Operations for the Tayman Park Golf Group, the management company that oversees four courses, including the municipally-owned McInnis Park Golf Course, where Crowder spends most of his days. In addition to overseeing the daily operations and all high-level tasks, goals and financials, Crowder runs a middle school golf program that welcomes 16 middle school teams that represent a dozen middle schools throughout the area. The program includes weekly instruction and five nine-hole matches. Participants learn rules, etiquette and how to play a round of golf in a timely manner, preparing them for high school golf and beyond. With benefits being recognized by the junior golfers, their school programs and the golf facility, this highly successful program has been conducted at McInnis Park Golf Course for two decades and has been facilitated by Crowder for the past four.
On-course coaching is made easier at McInnis Park thanks to its nine-hole Par 31 executive golf course. This Fred Bliss-designed layout is ideal for coaching juniors, transitioning beginners from the range to the course and as a fun outlet for golfers of all skill levels. In addition to water hazards, bunkers and rolling greens and fairways, the McInnis Park Golf Course offers views of Marin Park wildlife, San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais.
The restaurant at McInnis Park Golf Course offers full-service indoor and outdoor dining that serves golfers after play, competitors on league night, patrons playing in golf outings and locals simply looking for a great meal with friends and family in a picturesque social environment.
Finally, their mini golf serves families and hosts parties galore, while the facility’s Slush By The Park Italian Ice and ice cream spot will soon serve as a coffee shop for hot drinks and pastries in the mornings before the restaurant opens at 11:00 am, again serving a diverse customer base with unique programs, services and options.
For more information about this perennial GRAA award-winning facility, log on to the McInnis Park Golf Course website today!
