A new dance floor has been laid, wainscoting has been added to the walls, the whole space received a fresh coat of paint, ceiling fans were replaced, a new bar was built and a second bar was added. The Woodbine Golf Course Board took over the former Shadow Valley Golf Course on March 1, 2022. “It was restructured as a nonprofit, and it is intended as a community-owned enterprise,” says Todd Waite.

“It will be done by the end of the month; we are finishing up our last wall in the event room,” said Todd Waite of the remodeling project that has been taking place at the Woodbine Golf Course clubhouse in Woodbine, Iowa, The Bulletin and Review reported.

“We’ve been working on it in phases since March 2 of last year when we started on the clubhouse proper, and since November we’ve been working on updating the Event Room,” said Waite, who is the owner of Good Fellows Restaurant in Woodbine.

A new dance floor has been laid, wainscoting has been added to the walls, the whole space received a fresh coat of paint, ceiling fans were replaced, a new bar was built and a second bar was added, The Bulletin and Review reported.

“We’re close to wrapping it up, which is a good feeling,” Waite said.

The Woodbine Golf Course Board took over the former Shadow Valley Golf Course on March 1, 2022, The Bulletin and Review reported; the nine-hole course had been under private ownership since 1998.

“It was restructured as a nonprofit, and it is intended as a community-owned enterprise,” Waite said.

He said all the work on the clubhouse has been done on a budget; golf club members have donated funds, the board has used funds from an operating loan, and Good Fellows Restaurant has also contributed, The Bulletin and Review reported.

“We’ve done our fair share as far as financing and also labor for all the projects; we’ve pretty much done all of those in-house,” Waite said. “The restaurant stands to gain as much as anyone.”

Good Fellows has collaborated with the golf course board to oversee the sales of concessions, and is the exclusive provider of catering for rentals of the Event Room, The Bulletin and Review reported

Waite believes the improvements will lead to more bookings of the facility.

“The Event Room seats 400; it’s a great space for business meetings, fundraisers, weddings. From the restaurant point of view, we’re looking to grow our business by offering catered events and the bar for those events,” Waite said. “We partner with local businesses, florists, vehicle rental for party buses and limousines, photographers, and DJs to make the talent we have here available for a prospective bride or groom or business that wants to book it for an event.”

During the summer of 2022, the Event Room was rented for weddings, funerals, graduation parties, and baby showers, The Bulletin and Review reported

“It’s a community space for all phases of life,” Waite said.

He told The Bulletin and Review that the Woodbine Golf Course Board members have a variety of areas of expertise and backgrounds.

“They’re mostly people from the community who care about the course, love golf and they are volunteering their time to help get it back to a level where, through a combination of memberships and events, it can be sustainable enterprise,” he said. “It’s really important for the community.”

The board wants to bring more live entertainment to the Event Room, The Bulletin and Review reported

“This winter, we’ve had a couple live bands and comedians,” Waite said. “On Saturday the 18th (of March), we’re hosting an indoor corn hole tournament as a fundraiser for the golf course…As small towns go, it’s good to have entertainment options locally, and that’s something else we’re really trying to establish at the golf course.”

Golf club members and members of the public have responded positively to the changes, The Bulletin and Review reported

“We’ve increased bookings in the off season; we hosted four business parties in December,” he said. “The great thing about that is it’s revenue for the golf course because the course gets all the rental fees in off-season months. Any additional revenue streams for a nonprofit, nine-hole public course in rural western Iowa are important because it’s tough to make a go of it with just the golf course fees.”

The course is now part of the Iowa Golf Reciprocal, The Bulletin and Review reported

“It allows golfers to use their membership at their home course to get access to any of the other participating courses – that’s new to Woodbine,” Waite said.

Waite said the course is unique for the area.

“A lot of the courses in the area have fairways that are side by side, and this has water in play on six of the nine holes,” he said. “It’s very hilly, so the terrain varies from each hole. You go around instead of up one fairway, back the other, up one fairway, back the other.”

Waite said the greenskeeper, Sam Amato, who started last year, has done a great job.

“We know from operating the clubhouse that when golfers come in with overwhelmingly positive comments throughout the season, they were impressed with the way the course improved and how quickly it did,” he said.

Beginning on April 29 and running until the end of September, at least two golf tournaments are scheduled at the course every month, The Bulletin and Review reported

Waite extended his thanks to all the volunteers who pitched in to help with the remodeling project.