By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
It’s an exciting time at Persimmon Woods Golf Club in Weldon Spring, Missouri. PGA of America General Manager/Director of Golf and Facility Partner Benjiman Kent recently shared details of some great course renovations and a full greens restoration that commenced just a few weeks ago and is being facilitated by Case Verde Golf of Scottsdale, Arizona. Kent says he’s been impressed with their communication leading up to the project.
“In addition to the full greens restoration, we will be restoring a majority of our bent grass tee boxes and will certainly redo bunker faces and the green surrounds as well,” he added. “We’re also cleaning up our many native areas, doing some Bermuda eradication and are adding a walking bridge at one of our holes.”
Kent says the back nine holes closed on June 11, with the front nine remaining open until July 6. The full course will be unavailable from July 7 to September 5, at which point temporary greens will open so members can enjoy their course and see firsthand the investment the ownership group, led by Donna Calamia, and the Persimmon Woods team are putting into their club. Kent describes the expected course reopening in precise terms – April 29, 2025, at 8:00 am.
“Our maintenance facility has a countdown clock,” Kent added, “which might be a good idea for our golf shop as anticipation builds for the beginning of a new era of excellence at Persimmon Woods Golf Club.”
In the meantime, Kent says the driving range will be open seven days per, rather than its customary six days and will hold some skills competitions, special social events and other forms of engagement to bring members to the club for the great F&B services.
“We anticipate a lot of club activities taking place on our already fantastic practice facility and also look to implement some improvements once the course work is completed,” Kent says. “We have five target greens on our two-side range right now and will move one of them, redefining them a bit better and making them more distinct. We’ll add some wedge targets on the back side of the range but first have to determine how many golf shots our grass turf can sustain, while maintaining the stellar conditions our members expect.”
With TurfHound already installed on the front portion of the range, his facility’s biggest amenity, Kent is considering the merits of adding an artificial surface on the back side to accommodate the extensive practice time his die-hard golfers commit to each day.
Although the long-term outcome is positive for the club, Kent understands that course renovations are often inconvenient and can even be frustrating because members don’t have their normal access to the golf course.
“We’re going to use this time to engage and educate members and staff,” Kent states. “There’s always a thirst for knowledge on the part of our members, and we’re going to focus on maintaining engagement during this time by sharing the expertise of the people doing the work.”
In addition to special events on the range, Kent plans on combining F&B functions with seminars and walk-and-talks given by the team from Casa Verde Golf, including golf course architect and VP Art Schaupeter. How a golf green gets constructed will be one of the themes embraced during these events. Persimmon Woods members and staff will be more enlightened and will appreciate the efforts of the professionals once the project is completed. There will be a sense of ownership having seen the work done firsthand, and they’ll feel more connected to the club.
Kent has set up reciprocals with other area courses and will also host several member trips and player development programs so his members can stay engaged with each other, as well as with the club’s staff.
With the Persimmon Woods project fluid and happening as we speak, we look forward to providing an update in the fall and ultimately showing off the finished product next spring.
