“Fattyshack” at Brandywine Country Club gave the public the chance to explore the snowy property on a local business’ “fat bikes.”
With cold temperatures and snow accumulation, winter challenges club properties to flex their creative muscle and figure out ways to first bring, and then keep, people on site.
Sometimes, those ideas can even be inspired by in-season concepts. After Brandywine Country Club, a public facility in Peninsula, Ohio, approached a local bicycle rental shop, Century Cycles, about offering the property’s Wine Bar as a “recovery room” for summer Saturday night bike rides, that discussion led the two businesses to collaborate on “Fattyshack”—an event for which participants rented “fat bikes” from Century Cycles and rode on snowy trails at Brandywine’s 18-hole golf course.
Fat bikes, used for winter cycling, ride like regular mountain bikes, though a bit slower. Their wide tires give bicyclists extra traction and float over deep powder, like snowshoes.
Mark James, Brandywine’s course superintendent, teamed up with Century Cycles’ Kevin Madzia to mark two riding paths—the front nine stayed mostly flat for beginners, while the elevation changes in the back nine served as a more advanced course.
More than 220 attendees turned out for the event on January 17. There was no cover charge to ride, but Brandywine featured Spindoktor, a locally made, alcoholic root beer beverage, as well as New Belgium Brewing’s Fat Tire and Slow Ride craft beers. Sandwiches and other drinks were available as well.
With no cover charge, the event provided exposure for Century Cycles as well as the club’s Wine Bar.
“With the perfect weather conditions, our participants had so much fun that they have reached out to do it several more times, and tell us they would pay for the opportunity,” says Kim Nakel, Brandyine CC’s Director of Events. Both businesses are already planning a similar event for next year, Nakel reports.
A time-lapse ride of the full course can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXXkkunwYY0.
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