Dan Pohl, current Director of Golf Operations and designer of the Mt. Pleasant, Mich., property, is working to reinvent the club under new ownership. Updates in the works include replacing cart paths, upgrading bunkers, renovating and expanding the banquet facility, and updating the driving range complex.
Dan Pohl, PGA Touring professional and designer of the PohlCat Golf Course in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., which opened in 1992, is in the process of reinventing under the property, the Alma, Mich., Morning Sun reported.
In recent weeks the Brehm family sold the course to John Kulhavi and Jon Voightman and the new owners have brought Pohl back full time to go over the course with a fine-toothed comb, the Morning Sun reported.
“With new ownership came a whole different philosophy,” said Pohl, who is Director of Golf Operations. “These gentlemen came in with the idea that they want to make the PohlCat one of the best golf courses in the state. On the golf course side, that means upping the maintenance and improving the course from the first hole to the last hole. It also means making the PohlCat an entertainment venue with the new banquet facility and a new outdoor pavilion.
“We want the PohlCat experience to be second to none from the moment people drive in,” Pohl said. “We’re a team that has one goal thing in mind and that is to give everyone the best experience possible from the pro shop to the course.”
Over the next couple months, all cart paths will be replaced. At the end of this season, every single bunker will be updated and new PGA spec sand will be brought in. PohlCat will be undergoing a complete reevaluation and rebirth in the coming years, the Morning Sun reported.
“We want to create a much more intense maintenance program where we will add some of the things that have been missing like flowers, making sure tree limbs that overhang are trimmed back, removing things that aren’t supposed to be there,” said Pohl. “We’re doing a total evaluation of the course hole-by-hole. It’s already a good golf course, but we want to take it to the next level, so we’re re-evaluating the course not only hole-to-hole but also shot-to-shot.”
The banquet facility is currently being completely renovated, with its square footage expanding from 3,200 sq. ft. to 3,700 sq. ft. The new facility, which will feature high-vaulted ceilings and seat 300, will be open by June 1 for weddings and corporate functions. Pohl also intends to build a Wall of Fame that will feature bios and items from Mt. Pleasant professional golfers, the Morning Sun reported
“I look at things and ask ‘what can we do with this or where can we take it,’” said Pohl, who added the course will be adding tap beer from Mountain Town Brewing this season. “We have a great golf history in this town and I want Mt. Pleasant to be proud of it.”
The property is also updating the driving range complex by widening the tee boxes and adding two new bunkers to serve as a chipping area. The club is also installing a 75-foot by 30-foot pavilion entertainment area, the Morning Sun reported.
“There’s been a disconnect between this golf course and the city of Mt. Pleasant, we just don’t get a lot of local play out here which to me is sad,” said Pohl. “We’re trying to bring golf to this area period. With what this area has to offer with the university and the casino we have an opportunity to put together some great golf packages that everyone can benefit from.”
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