It’s Tee-Time On The GolfCourt™ At Fort Sill
New modular golf learning/practice center installed on a tennis court
Lawton, Oklahoma— The once popular trio of tennis courts at the Fort Sill Army base just weren’t getting the traffic they once did.
But with the increasing popularity of golf and the base’s revamped Golf Club, more practice area for personnel, their families and base patrons was definitely needed, said Shane Dunlevy, Fort Sill’s recreation manager.
Problem solved with GolfCourt™, a golf learning/practice center designed to fit in a tennis court. It was designed and constructed in August by Traverse City, Mich.-based Adventure Golf Services, which has been in the business for nearly 30 years.
Dunlevy said the space has seen plenty of use since it was installed in just under a week this summer. The GolfCourt™ is the latest in a number of recent and planned upgrades to the base, including improved park areas adjacent to the courts and a planned youth center that will incorporate GolfCourt™ into its programming.
“The feedback we’ve had so far has been very positive,” he said. “(Installation) was quick and smooth. I was very surprised how simple it was.”
Ernie Altic, golf manager and golf pro at Fort Sill, has spent hours at a time on the GolfCourt™ since it opened.
“The biggest plus to this whole thing so far has been having everything so close together, especially when I’m running clinics,” he said. “Before, with the putting range, the chipping green and the course so far from one another, it was difficult for me and for other staff to feel like we were able to give all players good attention.”
With GolfCourt™, “I can get to them pretty quick and be right there where I can see everything at once. Any time you can be right there with a dozen or more folks, they feel like they’re getting more hands-on than in an ordinary clinic.”
Not to mention what players can do on the GolfCourt™.
“The swing and the fundamentals, it’s absolutely just perfect,” Altic said.
“Especially for the newer players, they won’t be so intimidated when they actually get out on the golf course.”
GolfCourt™ can be installed anywhere on concrete or ground, indoors or outdoors, or certainly wherever there is a tennis court: state, city and regional parks and recreation departments; schools; hotels and resorts, retirement communities and camps. Chipping and putting surfaces are built using a compression-molded, interlocking panel (TourLinks Panel) made from recycled materials. Various non-infilled turfs are used for walkways, roughs and putting surfaces along with extensive topography. The low-maintenance system can be installed in a few days, offers superior drainage, no mess with sand/rubber infills and can be moved to other locations. It can be used as an amenity for guests or a new profit/revenue center for the owner.
The Fort Sill model includes five driving stations, six contoured chipping stations, a two-person sand bunker, a 1,300-square-foot contoured putting area, open space for group instruction or relaxing, retractable safety net separators an overhead ball containment net, second cut rough perimeter and golf surround graphics. Other optional equipment includes PGA approved TOUR Simulator, launch monitors, bleachers, signs and clubhouse.
At Fort Sill, optional 6-foot high photographic images of golf course scenes – mountain ranges, coastline and fairways — is hung around the entire perimeter to immerse players in the environment and create the look and feel of a real golf course.
Adventure Golf Services has designed, constructed and installed its products in a variety of venues in 32 states and more than 10 countries, including for the Mall of America, General Motors, Royal Caribbean and Ripley Entertainment.
Company founder and President Arne Lundmark got his start as an owner-operator of miniature golf courses and family entertainment centers, including ski resorts. He also has served as chairman of the miniature golf committee for the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions and served on the IAAPA board.
Lundmark has become known in the industry for his innovative, creative design approaches. The company spent two years in research and development of GolfCourt™.
“In our travels across the country, my father and I noticed so many unused or under-utilized tennis courts and thought, this vacant or idle space could become an area for golfers of all levels and offer proprietors a new activity/attraction for their guests,” said Scott Lundmark, AGS vice-president. “The design and fabrication phases are always fun for us. But it’s seeing the equipment so widely used and enjoyed by so many kids and adults that’s really satisfying.”
For more information about GolfCourt™, go to www.adventureandfun.com or call 888-725-4386.