(Photo by John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal)
With private-funding help from Michael Keiser and his wife, the city of Madison, Wis. has improved the 94-year-old, nine-hole public course and is now making plans to set aside off-peak golf hours on the property for everything from history and science programs to fat-tire biking and “skijoring” (skiing when pulled by dogs). “For municipal golf to survive long-term, it needs to reimagine the experience and how the land is used, in a much more inclusive way than historically operated,” said a Parks Department official. “We think golf and non-golf uses can and must coexist for the future of golf in our parks system.”
From a new name to a mix of golf and other public uses, the reimagined “Glenway Golf Park” in Madison, Wis. will be like no other golf course in the state capitol—or most anywhere, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
The nine-hole, 42-acre course underwent a privately funded $750,000 upgrade in 2021 that significantly boosted native plantings and redesigned holes and tees to make it more playable for people at all skill levels, the State Journal reported, while also creating a free-to-use putting course and adding walking paths.
But the city is also making plans to set aside off-peak golfing hours for history, science, art and athletic programs, cross-country races, disc golf, hiking, movie nights, community events, picnics, fitness classes and more, the State Journal reported. In the winter, the course could host cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, fat-tire biking, and even “skijoring,” in which skiers are pulled by dogs.
Glenway GC, which opened in 1927, features large hills and mature oak trees and has long attracted players of all abilities and generations, the State Journal reported. But in recent decades, Madison’s Golf Enterprise Program, which operates the city’s four courses as a stand-alone business, has been hit by competition, failing infrastructure and unstable revenues.
In 2019, with the program running deficits, the City Council created a nine-member Task Force on Municipal Golf in Madison Parks to explore the future of the courses, the State Journal reported.. In its final report, adopted by the City Council in 2021, the group advised that the city should continue to offer affordable golf while investing in making the courses more sustainable and with a focus on racial equity and inclusion.
In early 2021, well-known golf course developer Michael Keiser and his wife, Jocelyn, approached the city with a plan, including a substantial donation of time, talent and resources, to improve Glenway (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/michael-keiser-offers-to-fund-renovation-of-public-glenway-gc/). In March of 2021, the council gave the go-ahead to work with the Keisers and Madison Parks Foundation to improve the golf experience, focus on non-golf activities, and make substantial improvements to the environmental stewardship of the property.
Redesign work at Glenway began in April 2021, the State Journal reported. Madison’s three other municipal golf courses—Monona, Odana Hills and Yahara Hills—are set to operate as normal in the 2022 season, with 63 public holes, while the Parks Division hopes to reopen Glenway in the early summer.
“Historically, at least in Madison and mostly across America, golf courses are very single-utilization,” Assistant Parks Superintendent Lisa Laschinger said regarding the city’s latest thinking about what is being done at Glenway, the State Journal reported. “We think this is a part of the problem with golf, especially in the municipal context. Golf is and will be the core of the property, but getting more people involved in the game and using the land is important to us.
“For municipal golf to survive long-term, it needs to reimagine the experience and how the land is used, in a much more inclusive way than historically operated,” Laschinger added. “The course updates are a key part of this. The entire design was thoughtfully laid out with diverse recreation and programming opportunities and their potential in mind.”
The clubhouse and patio operations at Glenway will also be improved through support from the Keisers and the Madison Parks Foundation, the State Journal reported. The food-and-beverage menus are being reevaluated, with the possibility of integrating food trucks through the city’s “Carts in Parks” program.
“We are hopeful that this vision of a shared public space that centers on golf and includes other uses will be embraced by almost everyone,” Laschinger said. “Certainly there may be people who see it differently, but we feel the direction and vision from the task force is worth pursuing.”
In February, to signal the beginning of a new era, staff will ask the Park Commission to officially change the course’s name to Glenway Golf Park, the State Journal reported. The city has engaged a local firm to help create a new brand for the course, and plans are being made to offer new merchandise and souvenir items at the golf shop.
A long-term goal of the new branding is to create a sense of belonging and reduce barriers for those who may not now feel welcome at the course and to change the face and reputation of American golf, the plan says.
Golf will continue to be the primary use, with a focus on introducing more youth to the sport through various programs, partnerships and special fees, the State Journal reported. The Parks Division is also proposing an increase in regular greens fees to subsidize some of the other recreational activities.
“The proposed possible activities were gathered through community feedback and surveys,” Laschinger said. “We see activities such as classes, movies, food carts, and entertainment just scratching the surface of potential. Staff are intentionally taking a flexible approach in order to allow innovation and easy adjustment to programming as needed.
“We think golf and non-golf uses can and must coexist for the future of golf in our parks system,” Laschinger added. “We believe creating a facility and inclusive welcoming environment will help grow overall interest to the property. In turn we believe many people who either never had interest or felt uncomfortable trying the game of golf will in turn create new prospective users.”
While it’s possible that the added uses could cause damage to the golf course, Laschinger acknowledged, “we have great confidence in the public being responsible users of shared park spaces,” she said.
A possible program schedule shows most core hours still being reserved for golf, the State Journal reported. But the schedule would allow the course to be reserved for recreational programming from 5 to 8 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 6 to 8 p.m. on Fridays; 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturdays; and 1 to 8 p.m. on Sundays. Through smart scheduling, some golf could still happen on the course during those times, officials said.
The Park Commission’s Facilities, Programs and Fees Subcommittee has voiced support for the plan with an interest in efforts to pursue equity and getting youths to the course, metrics and opportunities for public input, the State Journal reported. The Golf Subcommittee has also expressed strong support for the plan, but had questions about the use of resources charged to the golf enterprise for other activities, impacts on leagues and other details.
In recent online meetings, two Park Commission subcommittees voiced support for the park’s programming plan, albeit with concern and questions about finances and some other details, the State Journal reported.
“It’s a very innovative undertaking, transitioning the golf course to more of a golf park and opening the land up to be a true community asset,” said Ald. Tag Evers, 13th District, who represents the area where Glenway is located. “Residents seem excited about this more inclusive concept [and] that a variety of recreational activities, not just golf, will be offered.
“There are a few golf traditionalists who are less than enthusiastic about these changes,” Evers acknowledged. “But this is wise stewardship, both in the ecological improvements that will result in reduced chemical treatments—a key consideration for the Wingra watershed—and in the cultural adaptations [that] will create a more welcoming space for non-golfers and those new to the sport.”
Diego Saenz, president of the Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association, also said that “Neighbors are excited to see the Glenway Golf Park be open to more uses and how environmental stewardship was a core part of the design,” the State Journal reported.
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