(Photo by Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer)
“The majority of people, impression-wise, don’t realize they can come to [our] course or North Shore Grille,” says Jack Baker. “When they hear Bemidji Town and Country Club, people get hung up on that word ‘club’, and they think it’s members-only, but it is not.” The semi-private club on the shores of Lake Bemidji dates back to 1916 and Baker is now looking to “liven things up” with everything from watch parties to wine tastings, Caddyshack trivia nights and possibly even ballroom-dancing classes. “With any business that’s been doing the same thing for 20 or 30 years, it’s always good to get fresh eyes,” he says.
When Jack Baker took on the role of General Manager of the Bemidji (Minn.) Town and Country Club in early April, he recognized immediately that the sprawling greens of the golf course that overlooks Lake Bemidji were a hole-in-one for both members and guests alike, The Bemidji Pioneer reported.
“It’s hard to beat this,” Baker said. “Looking out at the lake, you’ve got the eagles and the loons going off. So what more is there?”
With nearly three decades of professional golfing experience and course management under his belt, Baker knows a good golf course when he sees one, The Pioneer reported. Originally from Minot, N.D., he’s an alumnus of the University of North Dakota, having started out in the golfing scene by teaching lessons on the school’s Ray Richards Golf Course.
When he moved to Wendover, Nev., he joined the PGA program there, becoming the first assistant director of instruction at the Toana Vista Golf Course, The Pioneer reported. He also worked to earn the PGA Assistant of the Year in 1998 for the Utah Section.
“It was one golf course tied to five casinos,” Baker said with a laugh. “So there’s not much you can do on a golf course that I haven’t seen. Some of it I didn’t want to see. But it’s all good, because it provided a tremendous background.”
Afterward, Baker made a move to Monument, Colo., where he helped to open the King’s Deer Golf Club as General Manager and Director of Golf, The Pioneer reported. He then returned to the Midwest to open a course at The Summit Golf Club in Cannon Falls, Minn., where he worked as General Manager for almost a decade.
Now, in Bemidji, Baker is overseeing the Bemidji Town and Country Club’s entire operation, and in that role he’s looking to alter a widely held belief that the country club is exclusive to members only, The Pioneerreported.
“The majority of people, impression-wise, don’t realize they can come on to the course or into the North Shore Grille,” Baker said. “When they hear Bemidji Town and Country Club, people get hung up on that word ‘club’, and they think it’s members-only, but it is not.”
The general public can play golf on the course by scheduling a tee time either by phone or online, The Pioneerreported. And the club’s restaurant, the North Shore Grille, is also open to the general public, like any other restaurant in town.
The move for country clubs to become more inclusive to the general public is a change he’s seen in the industry, Baker told The Pioneer, so he’s actively working to create events at the club and communicate them to the community.
“With any business that’s been doing the same thing for 20 or 30 years, it’s always good to get fresh eyes, so that’s what we’re doing here,” he said. “One thing that we’re going to focus on is letting the public know, ‘Hey, not only is it open to you, you’re welcome to come, so come on in and check it out.’”
Baker is also looking to “liven things up” at the club by hosting regular events, such as wine tastings, Caddyshack trivia nights and possibly ballroom-dancing classes, The Pioneer reported. So far, he has put on a variety of events, such as a watch party for the Bemidji State University Beavers in the NCAA hockey tournament, a Masters Tournament special, and a Cinco de Mayo celebration, among others.
With an early spring, Baker said the club’s golf course is about three weeks ahead of schedule in terms of getting it prepared for the season to kick off around Memorial Day weekend, The Pioneer reported. He has also been working to give the club a bit of a refurbishment by adding new patio furniture and deck railings, and there are also plans to install fire pits.
“We’re going to have fun, and there’s going to be something always going on up here,” Baker said. “Our daily operation goes up and down with Mr. Sunshine, and as he gets up earlier and goes to bed later, so do we. Come mid-summer, 18-hour days are pretty standard in this industry.”
In his spare time, Baker enjoys angling, especially ice fishing, The Pioneer reported. As the director of the North American Ice Fishing Circuit, he helped to resurrect the United States ice fishing team and has sent it off to participate in world championships since 2009.
He also worked as the tournament director of Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit and Cabela’s North American Bass Circuit, along with other events in the open-water world.
Baker said he hopes to use his leadership and array of experience, from on and off the water, to make the Bemidji Town and Country Club become a place where everyone in the community feels welcome to play some rounds of golf and relish in good food and drink, The Pioneer reported.
“If I’m doing something, I really do something—I’m not a sit-on-the-sidelines kind of person,” Baker said. “I’m glad to be here. It’s a fun [golf] course to play, and it provides a little bit of everything. It’s a good [golf] course with good people, and again, everybody’s welcome.”
The Bemidji Town & Country Club golf course dates back to 1916 and was renovated in 2011 by Norby Golf Course Design. It currently serves as the home course for Bemidji State University’s golf teams.
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