Local golf course signs deal to partner with Kansas City organization; new programs to begin soon

For me, a partnership on the golf course involves one player yelling “timber” while I do the hard work of improving my lie. For the president, a golf partnership used to mean a hotel deal but now involves his playing partner keeping the launch codes next to the scorecard. The point is, there are all types of golfing partnerships, and a Lawrence firm has signed one with a Kansas City organization.

The Twin Oaks Golf Complex — the short nine-hole facility along Kansas Highway 10 between Eudora and Lawrence — has announced a partnership with The First Tee of Greater Kansas City. The nonprofit golf organization has chosen Twin Oaks to become its Douglas County affiliate, meaning it will be the only course in Douglas County to offer The First Tee’s popular youth golfing classes.

The golf course will be kicking off the first of those classes soon. The course will offer a nine-week program for any youths between the ages of 7 and 17. The entire nine week program — it meets every Wednesday from 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m. — cost $75, and the course will even loan students golf clubs, if needed. Parents who are interested in enrolling their children in the program are encouraged to attend a parent’s meeting at 2 p.m. Saturday at Twin Oaks Golf, 1326 E. 1900 Road.

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Jeff Burey, an owner and head pro at Twin Oaks, said the affiliation with The First Tee is a big deal for the small course, which also includes a driving range. But Burey said he believes the partnership can be an even bigger deal for area youth.

“Being the facility that gets to do this is quite a privilege,” Burey said. “I know we are going to impact some lives. That is the mission.”

The First Tee program serves about 15,000 kids in the Kansas City area, but it hasn’t been operating in Douglas County, said Gianna Augustine, program director. Augustine, though, said she thinks the program will be a hit in the Lawrence area. She said the program teaches good golf skills, but really emphasizes several core values that can be used both on and off the golf course.

“There are no umpires or referees in the game of golf,” Burey said. “It is a game of integrity. There are temptations in life, and hopefully you learn how to deal with some of them by playing this game.”

The program being offered at Twin Oaks is the entry-level course for anyone wanting to become a part of The First Tee program. But the organization offers several other advanced courses at its Kansas City locations. Augustine said the plan is to begin offering those courses in Douglas County next year and beyond.

“As we continue to grow in Douglas County, we will grow with the participants. We will follow them through college and beyond,” Augustine said, noting the organization has a significant college scholarship program. “We think we give them opportunities they wouldn’t have had if they didn’t have golf.”

As for the golfing part of the program, kids should be excited about that too. Burey — who previously was the head golf pro at the prestigious Pinehurst golf club in North Carolina — plans to serve as an instructor for the program. He said several KU students who are studying to be instructors also will be on hand, as well as some from the Kansas City program. The program operates with one instructor for every six students, Burey said.

Burey also is optimistic the program will do good things for the Twin Oaks Course. The course — right at the intersection of County Route 1047 and K-10 Highway — has been for sale for many years as the golf industry has gone through some peaks and valleys. Burey said nothing is active on the sale front, and he said business has been picking up significantly recently. Despite some bad weather on the Memorial Day weekend, he said business at the course was strong.

“Sunday and Monday were our two best days ever at the course,” he said.

The local golf industry certainly is going through some significant change. The former Alvamar Country Club has changed its name to the Jayhawk Club and has converted its public course into a private course. That means there are 18 fewer holes of public golf available in the county. Burey said that is expected to mean a big bump in business for the city-owned Eagle Bend Golf Course, the Orchards Golf Course on Bob Billings Parkway and his course.

The industry probably will have another round of change to deal with next year, though. Perhaps you have forgotten, but another nine holes of golf are being built in the county currently. The Links project is underway just east of Rock Chalk Park in northwest Lawrence. As we have reported, that is an apartment complex that is being built around a new nine-hole golf course. Residents of the apartments will have unlimited ability to play the golf course, but the Arkansas-based development group has told me that the public also will be able to book some tee times on the course. I’ve never gotten an official word on when the course is expected to open, but it appears to still be a ways off.

The industry, and especially the city-owned course, will take all the help it can get to grow the game locally. I did a quick look at the city’s revenue numbers at Eagle Bend and they show some of the struggles. Revenues at the course below the Clinton Lake Dam in 2006 were about $971,000. In 2015, revenues had dropped to about $734,000 and bounced up to about $770,000 in 2016 after an increase in greens fees. City officials have been cutting expenses to try to keep the course operating at a break-even level, but it still lost about $20,000 over the last two years.