Turning Course Care Into Community at Glenmoor Country Club

Glenmoor Country Club (Cherry Hills Village, Colo.) hosts its Divot Happy Hour not because the golf course is in poor shape, nor because the club can’t afford to pay staff to fill the divots themselves. Rather, the initiative has proven to create strong and lasting community engagement among membership.

In fact, Alan Palmer, Glenmoor CC’s Head Golf Professional, says this event has become an often-asked-about member staple.

Palmer uses the event to create a social environment where members gain respect for the course, talk with maintenance crew, and create lasting memories with other members.

A simple formula for member engagement

Palmer usually holds the event in late summer and early October, averaging around 30 to 40 members per session. Before heading out to the course, Palmer runs members through a quick tutorial on how to fix ball marks and replace divots with the original grass, sand or seed.

“We get a lot of families and couples that participate in the event and then stick around to grab dinner in the clubhouse after,” says Palmer.

Following the demonstration, members are split into 10 groups of three. This way, they’re able to interact with one another and take advantage of the beverage cart and appetizers Palmer and his team set up for the event.

Food and beverage make up most of the costs, which ends up around $300.

“In the late summer, we focus on the front nine. I split the groups up by having one group focus on holes one through three and another group focusing on four through six and so forth,” he says. “Then, maybe a month or so later, we head back out and do the back nine holes.”

The grounds crew delivers around three to six golf carts with sand and seed in the back of the bed. Each group takes one to two carts and uses it to refill their bottles as they move throughout the course.

More than a maintenance project

The event allows Palmer, the club’s GM, and other members of the team a new opportunity to interact with members.

And Glenmoor CC’s members leave with a sense of shared culture and investment in their course.

“Members love this event. It’s a great way to get them involved in the club and to generate excitement about the course,” says Palmer.