The Pellucid Perspective - October 2022 - 9

The staff was helpful in getting us re-routed and we got there
with at least two minutes to spare. That was used up when they
couldn't figure out how to account for the GolfNow deposit
and how to charge for Student rate - they needed her Student
ID, but at least they gave me a Senior discount without an ID.
I would have been more flattered if it was a " parent discount " ,
but we got out close to on time and the staff was very nice.
It's a pretty good layout and the greens were in great shape.
I guess I was expecting better overall conditions, but I suspect
the Turf Department isn't getting a whole lot of input and the
course does get a lot of traffic. All in all, it was a good experience.
Compared to some of the other collegiate operations we
have observed, it was an above average experience and a good
value.
The next day, I had arranged to visit the golf facilities at
Oakland University in suburban Detroit. I've kown Bill Rogers
and some of his Staff for a long time. They have attended our
State of the Industry presentations in Orlando for more than a
decade and Bill and I have exchanged notes frequently over the
years. Based on my observations of other collegiate golf operations
and recent added exposure to the MSU courses; I was totally
unprepared for what we saw at Oakland. We were greeted
at the bag drop by two uniformed kids who were as friendly
as they could be, and that was before they found out who we
were there to visit. I watched as they greeted other golfers and
provided any assistance with directions and other questions.
The cart staging area was precisely arranged and very efficient.
The attractive clubhouse was immaculate and the counter
service was impeccable. It was becoming clear that this was a
special place. One of Bill's Assistants, Ashley Dewling, volunteered
to be our course tour guide. I've also known Ashley for
awhile, but I didn't know she played golf at Michigan State
so there was some immediate connection with my daughter
which only added to the wonderful experience. Ashley also has
golf in her DNA - her father, Jim Dewling, developed and
managed a number of courses in Michigan and is still helping
with Junior Golf programs at 80.
Built on the old Dodge Farm (as in the automotive brothers),
the Scharf Course is also tied to Chrysler. The funding was
largely provided by Steven Scharf, who was Lee Iacocca's CFO
during the turnaround during the 1980's. He also donated the
new clubhouse. Designed by another well-known Michigan
golf personage, Rick Smith, the Scharf Course is fun to play
and the conditions were very good - as good or better than
what we saw at MSU the day before and other college facilities
we've visited in the past.
I could go on with more superlatives - I know his revenues
and expenses; but the quality of the overall Oakland University
golf experience went beyond that. Bill Rogers clearly understands
the value of staff training and goes out of his way
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The Pellucid Perspective - October 2022

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