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Today is the first day of the 2025 season for Quarry Oaks Golf Course and between every day golfers, big tournaments and special events, it's looking like another busy year at the course.
Mike Pittman, Business Development, Events and Marketing Manager, says things are looking quite good heading into the season. "We're always excited this time of year," he says with a smile. "We see a bunch of the members coming back, everyone is eager to hit the course, it's always happy times for us here."
Like most years, Pittman says he had a lot of people curious when things would kick off at Quarry. "It usually starts in March when the snow starts melting, we get the 'when you opening' question a lot," he says with a laugh. "Now, it's reality. Golf is starting today. Just seeing the member, the smiles already from people who have been waiting through a long winter, it's fantastic. We're in a really great spot."
Overall, Pittman believes the course is in pretty great shape and is in new hands this year. "I haven't been out there too much myself but I'm getting information from our new Super Intendant Kyle Duncan, he took over from Wilf Peters who retired this season, which is big news for Quarry Oaks. We want to wish Wilf all the best in his future. We trust in Kyle and wish him the best in his new role, he says the greens have wintered really well, better than they have in the last couple of years. Minimal winter kill everywhere. We're optimistic the sun will shine and we're going to have great land to play on."
Hosting events is something Quarry does a lot and Pittman says it's going to be another busy year around the course. "I mean, events is what we do. That and large golf tournaments, it's what we do. The bookings are coming in at a steady pace, the calendar is filling up and people want to golf. It's really picked up since the pandemic, golf really picked up speed and traction and now it's up to us to keep those wheels moving. Getting new people into the sport, keeping the long time golfer happy, we're here to do it all."
There is a balance when it comes to having events and tournaments while also making sure there's room for members and walk-in golfers, something Pittman says they're aware of and always work to fine tune. "It's a little bit of calendar-ology, if you want to create a word for it, we know when we're busy, we know when people want to golf. We kind of pick and choose where we put in tournaments around that. We've noticed that the public has come out in huge numbers golfing, so we're trying to balance both and strike while the irons hot."
Pittman and the entire crew at Quarry take a lot of pride in the atmosphere and aura that comes when anyone golfs at Quarry Oaks and it remains very important to the team. "I am big on first impressions, so I look after a lot of the outside customer service people, first impressions are huge in my opinion, it sets the stage for the rest of your day. Lasting impressions, too. It's always nice to be greeted when you're leaving the facility, too. Being consistent with what we're offering and serving, we've done some minor improvements in and around the clubhouse, we got new carts a few years ago, we did some painting, those little projects people notice and appreciate."
Golfers can check the Quarry Oaks website for daily tee times but for big events or tournaments, Pittman says he's always available and can answer any questions. "Hope onto Quarry Oaks website, my info is there and anyone can contact me directly. We also have social media platforms, I can respond on there, it's very easy."
Everything is set up, the course is beautiful, people are happy and now Pittman says we just hope Mother Nature is in a good mood, at least during the day. "It can rain every night, that's fine with me," he says with a laugh. "Let's just hope for sunshine all day and let's get it going."