After having benefited from unseasonably warm weather last year to open the earliest ever, the Falls Country Club is now on course for its latest season opening with much of the winter’s snowfall still remaining.
That snowfall is also covering what this year’s Star Tribune Golf Guide listed as being tied for second among the top 10 public 18-hole golf courses in northwest Minnesota.
FCC’s PGA professional, Tom O’Connell — who noted the course’s record for the latest opening is presently May 4, compared to last year’s earliest opening ever of March 23 — said he is hoping the course will be able to open on the first weekend in May.
“We’ve cleared the snow off of the greens, because it was a very difficult winter as far as turf conditions go,” O’Connell said. “When we took the snow off, we recognized that we did have some problem areas with the turf, so we’ve already applied chemicals to help the turf come back a little bit faster.”
Once the water drains off, O’Connell said the course will be mowed, etc., to get it ready to open.
“We’d like to open with carts being allowed,” he said. “And (we’re) just giving the maintenance crew a little jump onto the golf course before players get out there, so that they can get it ready.”
Second to only Deacon’s Lodge
For the FCC to be ranked this year tied for second among courses in the northwest part of the state, based on the rating system used by Hacker’s Guide, O’Connell said it was evaluated last year by golfers who “came in like a secret shopper.”
The description of the FCC included in the Star Tribune’s guide includes the following: “It is a course that rewards a good shot and can be punitive on a poor one. It is how a course should be. The clubhouse was very comfortable with a large fieldstone fireplace. The people were very friendly and hospitable....”
The FCC’s score of 885 tied Breezy Point’s Whitebirch and was second only to Deacon’s Lodge at 925.
The scores were a combination of ratings based on five criteria — hospitality, playability, conditions, facility and value.
O’Connell said the ranking “validates the type of facility we’ve become,” for which 2013 will be the 15th season the FCC has been an 18-hole golf course.
He said he hopes people will try the course after seeing the Star Tribune’s review, which is also posted online at: http://www.startribune.com/sports/golf/course_directory/?courseName=Falls+Country+Club&courseID=526
Customer service important
When comparing the rankings published last month in Golfweek magazine, which ranked The Classic at Madden’s in Brainerd eighth in the entire state of Minnesota — the same course tied for ninth in just the northwest part of the state in the Star Tribune’s guide — O’Connell said it’s evident that how golfers enjoy a course involves more than its physical condition.
“I think that what people will always notice at our place is that the course is well-maintained, and from the minute they walk in the clubhouse, they’re going to be handled correctly by the staff,” he said. “That’s probably the most important thing we have going for us is that we have such a welcoming atmosphere, and we do try so hard to make sure everybody has a good experience.”
O’Connell said he expects the quality of customer service will remain high this year with several returning staff members.
“That makes it easy, because the new people that do get hired can watch how the more experienced people are handling the customer, so they know right away what their expectations are,” he said. “I think that just handling the customer correctly is our bread and butter.”
Upcoming FCC events
Once the FCC opens, for which reduced rates will be offered when golfers first take the course, O’Connell said “it’s going to be a busy summer.”
He said the FCC will again be involved with the PGA’s “Play Golf America” programs to encourage people to play, such as offering free lessons in May and having 9-hole scrambles for women on Wednesday evenings in June.
O’Connell said the FCC will be having three, three-day sessions of Junior Golf programs for ages 5-12 from early June to mid July.
He also noted various tournaments will be taking place there this summer, such as the annual Smokey Bear men’s amateur tournament July 13-14.
