By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Self-proclaimed Wizard of Fun, Allison George, is the General Manager at her family-owned and operated golf and entertainment venue, Toad Valley Golf Course of Pleasant Hill, Iowa. Her dad, Tom Brady, her uncle, Steve and their father Dale, built the first green in 1972. The following year, they worked hard to finish the rest of the golf course and simple clubhouse opening to a whopping four golfers on opening day in August of 1973. Tom and his wife, Fred, managed the facility with Steve and his wife, Nancy, until 2004 when Steve and Nancy retired. Sadly, Tom passed away in 2022, but his legacy lives on through his children, grandchildren and the golf course he quite literally designed and built from the ground up.
Today, Allison George also manages two other golf courses under her management firm 1237 Golf Partners (named after her dad’s favorite tee time). In fact, he played at that time for almost 50 years! She manages nearby Deer Run Golf Club and Colfax Country Club and relies on her Assistant Managers to run the daily operations.
“I love the business of golf and do play the game, but I am just an average Joe golfer,” George admits. “We don’t have any golf pros in the family, but we are passionate about the game and the business.”
Allison says she started “working” at her family’s golf course at the young age of two years old, helping her dad change cups on the greens. She picked up garbage and moved tee markers when she was nine and helped behind the counter at 11 years old. When she was 18 years old, she moved to outside maintenance work – mowing, landscaping and trimming hedges.
George attended the University of Iowa for three years as an English major, got married and attained her English degree from Grand View University in Des Moines. After graduation, George considered teaching but instead stayed home with her two boys for a few years before buying out her Uncle Steve in 2004 with her brother Jason.
Toad Valley is an 18-hole golf course with a full driving range and Toptracer Range technology. Big on tech, they installed two Golfzon indoor golf simulators in 2020, replacing their golf retail shop.
“We have a cabinet, from which we sell tees, balls, gloves and hats, and we make as much money as our 800 sq. ft. pro shop used to,” George says. “With such a short season, apparel sales often underperformed and equipment became unfeasible to carry considering the cost involved.”
George says the indoor simulators were more lucrative in three months than her golf shop was in three years, and she saw almost instantly the great demand for the gamification of golf.
Soon after, as COVID was transforming the landscape of golf, she considered the merits of adding on to the clubhouse to create space for more simulators. She visited with Don Rea, PGA of America Vice President and Cathy Harbin, a former PGA of America At-Large Director and the current President of the National Golf Course Owners Association, an organization on which George serves as a Board Member. Rea and Harbin are facility owners and they schooled George on the benefits of Toptracer Range, highly recommending that she consider installing the very popular amenity at Toad Valley.
Permitting took a couple of years, but with a new building erected, George had ten Toptracer Range bays installed and opened last December. Through this new attraction, George wants to sell an experience that her customers can’t get anywhere else. “I like selling memories,” she boasts. She wants time at her facility to be held in high esteem in the hearts and minds of her customers, and she and her team go all out to ensure those memories are made.
“We’ve just recently opened and already host five birthday parties a week, and everyone has a great time,” George adds. “We have six lit targets on the range, TVs in the bays and full food and beverage service through our main clubhouse.”
George says they’ve already held customer appreciation events, as well as vendor appreciation events that help achieve her mission and goals, while also saying thank you and giving back to her community.
The 20-stall grass range remains highly popular and hosts lessons from Toad Valley’s golf instructors. With a huge lesson program, they’re not only creating stellar scenarios today but are growing the game for the future. They host junior golf camps, leagues and a huge ladies program with more than 100 women participating.
As the Wizard of Fun, Allison George has many balls in the air every day. She has created a facility where people go to have a fun experience with family and friends, and she’s proudly put her own spin on it. They host an annual Easter egg hunt…at night and are the home venue for the Crappy Beer Open!
