By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Quail Creek Country Club recently completed some extensive renovations across its facility. Josh Wilks is in his third year as the PGA of America Director of Golf at the Green Valley, Arizona facility. He says that a month after he started there, they began renovating nine holes that included new TifTuf Bermuda grass, new greens, new bunkers and a new irrigation system.
“We are a master planned community with a majority of year round residents,” Wilks explains. “Some head out of town for a few weeks each summer, but their primary residence is here in Arizona.”
He says that after many years of quiet summers at Quail Creek, with many members heading north for the summer, he is seeing more members than ever stay local year-round. Serving their needs and creating great golf experiences for them is paramount to the club’s success.
With an active membership and community residents, Quail Creek has 32 pickleball courts, eight tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a full-service fitness center with classes and extensive health and wellness opportunities. An extensive clubhouse renovation project was unveiled to members last month that included a barber shop, saunas and coffee and pizza shops.
Today, there are 27 holes with large greens for more hole options, as well as large tee boxes with tee markers moved periodically. Wilks says they have plans for another nine holes shortly.
A recent renovation of the practice facilities took almost six months to complete. With a surplus of funds stemming from the pandemic, Wilks convinced his Board to add a new tee line at the back of his driving range, as well as a new target green and adjacent bunker. Wilks has been using this area to facilitate some beginner and intermediate golf schools that helped earn him the 2023 Southwest PGA Section Player Development Award for creating more than 300 new golfers through his Operation 36 program. This new area is exclusively for teaching and has dramatically enhanced the learning experience for his group golfers.
Wilks’ programming has brought so many new golfers to the game that the development’s sales and marketing team includes his offerings in their materials to prospective new homeowners. Through Operation 36, Wilks has been able to not only introduce the game to non golfers on the range with a driver or 7-iron, but he takes them on the course soon into their education so they can learn so much more about the rules, etiquette, equipment and how to maneuver their way around a course comfortably and confidently. Wilks attributes the golf schools and much of his success at Quail Creek to the approval and subsequent building of the teaching area on their practice range. His ability to convey his story and the benefits of this project before his Board could see past the dollars is the key to this huge influx of new golfers, increased participation and even new homeowners.
Between the course renovations and the new range amenities, there has been less wear and tear on the existing 27 holes, less water needed thanks to the new irrigation upgrades and successful home sales.
