Peninsula State Park Golf Course Considers Learning Center

The land across from the driving range at Peninsula State Park Golf Course was originally part of the course and is owned by the state. The Peninsula Golf Associates would like to create a short course, or learning center, on the property to draw more people in to the game of golf. Photo by Len Villano.

There are some challenges facing the game of golf beyond scheduling tee times and finding lost balls. In some ways, the future of the game is at stake.

“We’re fighting affordability and time,” said Jason Daubner, general manager of the Peninsula State Park Golf Course. “If you don’t have time to do it and you can’t afford it, how are you going to be out here?”

But if people can play six holes for less than $10 and get a chance to try golfing in a comfortable environment, they might be more likely to stick with the game and play in the future.

That’s why the Peninsula Golf Associates, Inc. (PGA) is proposing to build a golf learning center, or a short course, across from the driving range at Peninsula State Park. That area is owned by the state and was originally part of the golf course.

The proposed short course would have six par-three holes, with the longest one 125 yards. It will be designed to look like a regular golf course – not a miniature golf course – and could be used by players of all ages, skill levels and speeds.

“The concept of the learning center is to provide an environment to teach the game and get people kind of hooked on the game so that they’ll want to practice and play,” Daubner said.

Daubner envisions a learning center that will help new golfers learn about the nuances that make the game intimidating for a lot of first-time players. He pictures informational signs displayed along the course that say what to do with divets or lost balls, or giving golfers basic rule books before they start the course.

“We’re just trying to search ways to get people more comfortable with their surroundings,” Daubner said.

The Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation has promised a $150,000 grant to build a short course at the Peninsula State Park golf course. Between the grant and donations from community members, Daubner said the construction costs are already covered.

The Wadsworth foundation tries to promote the game of golf and the values that come with it by helping communities build short courses.

“The concept of the learning center is to provide an environment to teach the game and get people kind of hooked on the game so that they’ll want to practice and play.” ~ Jason Daubner, general manager of the Peninsula State Park Golf Course. Photo by Len Villano.

“In our society today there’s not a better sport than golf that teaches the important lessons by which we are to live life,” said Leon McNair, president of the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation. “There is no violence. The setting is peaceful and friendly. It’s more suited to teach the principles that can effectively guide a young person through life.”

McNair said that young people who play golf are better students with better character because the game teaches them values important to life.

“That can happen if a child just has the opportunity in Door County to maybe learn to play the game,” McNair said.

The First Tee program, which teaches children to play golf, lists nine core values taught by the game: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment.

“We try to help them transfer the core values to other places,” said Julie Pyne, director of First Tee of Northeast Wisconsin.

The First Tee of Northeast Wisconsin chapter wants to partner with the PGA and use the short course for programs, Pyne said. A shorter course gives kids a better chance at getting a good score, which encourages them to play more.

“It’s a little bit more appropriate to have a course that is more their size than to just have it be some daunting, long, difficult hole,” Pyne said.

The PGA will host an informational meeting about the golf learning center on Tuesday, Sept. 25 from 4 – 6 pm in the clubhouse at the Peninsula State Park golf course. Drawings of some proposed holes will be there to show what the course will look like.

“We want to give people an idea of what we’re talking about, and what the quality and look is going to be,” Daubner said. “I think some people think it’s going to be miniature golf.”

After the meeting, Daubner said the PGA will work with the Village of Ephraim and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to get permission to build the course.