ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Willow Tree Golf Course has been a fixture in Liberal for many years, and recently, the course’s clubhouse celebrated getting a facelift.
The remodeling of the clubhouse was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting last week, and Special Projects Administrator Steve Carroll said the project has been a long time coming.
“We started looking at the project more than a year ago, and we decided to move forward with getting approval from the commission and looking at funding and all of that, and then everything got started in either November or December,” Carroll said. “The major parts of the project then wrapped up in April, and there are still a few decorating things we want to do in the future. We're talking a 3,000-square foot pro shop facility that has not been remodeled or updated to this scale in the past 20 years, at minimum, so we're really happy with how everything turned out. We're looking at also offering food options, we have an area in the back where we could put a kitchen and a grill and things like that, which would be great for tournaments and other events or for small groups who come for lessons.”
Carroll and Willow Tree Golf Course Clubhouse Manager Chris Ewalt said the work was definitely needed.
“The golf course is one of the oldest facilities we have in Liberal, and this is a man-made golf course that's been revised and remodeled throughout the years,” Carroll said. “And quite frankly, it's been a concept that was only for a select few people who would want to come out and enjoy this facility, so over years of neglect and Chris being a one-man show out here, we had it on the radar as far as making updates. Anyone who's seen the clubhouse in the past would agree it didn't look the best and definitely needed upgrades. We have a lot of people in the city and surrounding area interested in playing golf, and that led us to thinking 'Let's take more of a look at this course.' As a city as a whole, we've been looking at every building and thinking about where we need to make updates.”
“It's absolutely beautiful, and the shop turned out way better than I could have ever expected it to. Back in January, I slipped on some ice and tore my rotator cuff, so I was here for most of the demolition, but not so much for when everything was being put in like the carpet and cabinets and that stuff,” Ewalt added. “I couldn't wait for everything to get done so everyone could see the finished project. It looks great, and the space is so, so much more usable than before, and I love how it all looks.”
Carroll added there was a lot of time and thought put into what all work would be done with the project.
“There was a lot of planning and thinking about how we wanted everything to look. We didn't want this to look like a cookie-cutter clubhouse/pro shop, we wanted it to be representative of the people of Liberal and Southwest Kansas, so we went for a more rustic feel,” Carroll said. “We still have a little decorating to do, but the overall concept is bringing things natural to this area into the clubhouse. Colors were definitely a big deal, so we kept all of that in mind, as well as texture. Our big goal was to create a space for people in this area and guests who come in to see how much this represents the people of Liberal. The majority of the work was done in-house by City of Liberal employees, which is a great way for them to give back to the community, and we also used multiple other local businesses for other various work on this project. This was truly a community effort and something that took a lot of time and planning in terms of laying everything out how we wanted.”
Ewalt and Carroll said they are excited with the project’s completion.
“I couldn't be more pleased, and it was a true relief to get everything done. We came in after everything was finished and my first thought was just how nice everything looked now,” Ewalt said. “We'll be able to offer different events and food options – I'd love to see people come in after a round and have a burger or one of the other options and just have a nice time relaxing afterward. The clubhouse looks absolutely beautiful now, and we're looking forward to being able to offer everything we can.”
“This also really makes it known how Willow Tree Golf Course is truly the golf course of Liberal. We're wanting to attract tournaments, group events, in-house events and other similar events, and we'd also love to expand the junior golf program and beginner golf program,” Carroll added. “We'd also love to start an ambassador program where we have volunteers on the course monitoring and educating our golfers out on the course about the game. We have a full-service pro shop that does special merchandise orders and club fitting and other services that aren't available in this area. On top of all the work that was just done, we'd love to see more guests actually explore the course and take advantage of our driving range and practice areas and everything. We're not trying to compete with the country club or other golf courses in the area, but we want to provide a place for people to come and enjoy. There's also not a lot of indoor space we have, so this is really prime real estate. We're looking at 3,000 square feet that's been remodeled and customized to fit this area. This is local people working to get this accomplished, so that creates that sense of ownership and pride in what we want to accomplish.”
Overall, Carroll and Ewalt agreed, patrons should enjoy the updated facility.
“We want to grow golf in this area, and this remodel is a way for us to help with that, because we want people to come and actually use the course,” Carroll said. “Whether you're doing beginner lessons or youth golf or hitting the course on a weekend, we want this to be a place for everyone to be able to come and have a nice time.”
“We've got a beautiful course here along with excellent practice facilities, and we'd love to see everyone possible come out and see what all we offer here,” Ewalt said.
