Mequon CC Saga

There are more golf courses closing or being plowed under these days instead of being built or purchased, so when one hears that someone has decided to get into the golf industry rather than to abandon it, it is an opportunity, in most cases, to raise an eyebrow.

Courses are going up on the block with alarming regularity and are becoming a metaphor for the present business cycle. The Milwaukee metro area has not been immune from these events. Anyone working in and around the golf industry hears the rumors every week. Efforts to stay afloat in these turbulent waters ultimately lead to very serious efforts to maintain membership rolls. The difficult decisions which families face regarding where their discretionary income goes often results in the decision to scale down the recreational budget. Fact is that 1m. people quit golf last year.

Once the manager of a golf course starts to dip into the maintenance budget, the application of fertilizer and herbicides slows and the visual results are readily apparent. Course superintendents are asked to work their magic with less money and the velvety fairways which attract those of us who are passionate about the game are adjusted to insure survival.

Mequon CC has been a fixture on the north shore for many years.....at least four decades. Before it was Mequon CC it was called Villa du Parc. Before that, I believe it was called River Oaks. Before that??? With 27 holes, it could accommodate a sizable membership and large outings. It's a club that has hosted many enjoyable outings on its 256 acres. Then, things began to change; slowly but surely membership declined and, eventually, Mequon CC was in the hands of a management company whose mission was to do the best they could with limited funds.

Enter Tom Weickardt. Weickardt, a successful entrepreneur with a flair for making good decisions, developed a surge protection device for copiers which garnered a healthy chunk of the market share. He developed a passion for racing Dodge Vipers and playing golf and achieved a measure of success in both contexts. Weichert was enjoying life.

Eventually his company became very attractive and he received an offer which he couldn't refuse. He sold his company and started imagining what might be next. With encouragement from his wife, he started looking for something which would allow him to apply his considerable business skills. He settled on developing property and learned of the availability of 165 acres on the Milwaukee River. Then he learned that Mequon CC was available as part of the package.

"The bank wanted to get out from underneath the golf course and since I have a passion for fixing things I decided to buy it as well as the property that we wanted to develop on the river. So far it has been good. It keeps me busy and working on how to make it an attractive place for our members. It has made my wife happy, too. It got me out of the house!"

"The members were uncertain about what was happening with the club and some were drifting off to other clubs. I've started to meet with the membership and have asked for ideas about what they would like to see happen here. They've been very candid."

Weickardt's vision for the club will probably include a new name and a concerted effort to establish a new "brand". It also includes the possibility of a relationship with Concordia University; one of the groups which were interested in purchasing the property. There are no plans to change the course itself but some of the possibilities include the following;

* A larger hall which will enable the club to host outings, weddings, galas and social occasions which necessitate a large, elegant space.
* Making the restaurant open to the public.
* Improving the pool area to make it conducive to family activities.
* Adding a skating pond.
* Creating X-country ski trails.
* Adding a family-oriented game room.
* Removal of access roads to cut down on thru traffic.
* The addition of outside lighting which will beautify the outdoor views.
* Adding heated outdoor practice booths to extend the lesson/practice possibilities to a 12 month time frame.

Tom Weickardt has been on the job for less than 2 weeks but his passion for "making things better" is apparent. He exudes energy and ideas and he has surrounded himself with like-minded people. This 27 hole golf course seems destined to become what Weickardt describes as a facility with the feel of a "campus" which led me to believe that the family-oriented theme is accurate.

For those of us who support golf it's heartening to witness the excitement which surrounds a survivor.