A golfer strikes the ball down the fairway on Friday at Strawberry Ridge Golf Course in Harmony, which has improved siginificantly in the 12 years since its opening.
HARMONY — Strawberry Ridge Golf Course has come a long way since its first “Dirt Ball Open” 12 years ago.
“That’s what we called it when we opened the first nine holes here in 2000,” owner Tim McNulty said, laughing.
The second nine holes opened two and a half years later.
McNulty and his wife, Ann, built the golf course on grounds that used to be a strawberry patch.
“Shortly after we opened, one critic did a publication reviewing golf courses and said we should have stuck with farming,” McNulty said. “We just laughed it off.
“It takes a lot of time, effort and loyal people to make a golf course work. We’ve got between 100 and 200 loyal customers who have been with us since the bitter beginning. They feel like part of our family. We’ve put in the time and effort and we’re still here.”
And they’re still growing.
Sand bunkers have been added to holes No. 10 and 18. Pro (black) tee boxes are being implemented on holes No. 8, 15, 16 and 18.
“We’re not going overboard with the sand, but we feel like we should have some because sand is a part of golf,” McNulty said.
More brush is being cleared around holes No. 2, 4, 5 and 14, allowing the course to be more forgiving.
“We’re providing more rescue shots,” McNulty said. “We want more of that area to be playable rather than see players losing their golf balls.”
A short-game practice facility may open at Strawberry Ridge by mid-July, a 1.5-acre feature that will give golfers a venue to practice difficult bunker shots and chips off rough terrain.
McNulty described the venture as a practice area for tougher conditions.
“There won’t be anything like this anywhere in this area, but we feel there’s a need for it,” he said. “Golfers go on vacation and may play upper-end courses in those regions.
“They’ll come across holes and lies they’ve never experienced before. Our practice area will give them a feel for what some of those holes are like.”
Strawberry Ridge’s short-game practice area will be a charged facility — much like a driving range — with a bucket of balls available for use.
TV monitors offering shot advice from pros like Phil Mickelson and Tom Watson will be part of the short-game facility.
“Those practice videos will be readily available,” McNulty said. “It’s hard to pinpoint when this section will be completed. It all comes back to available funds to get it done.”
McNulty said area golf course owners and the golfers themselves are “in this rough economy together” and need to work with each other to stay solvent.
“Golf courses can price themselves right out of business if they’re not careful,” he said. “You can also make a course play so tough that people hate it.
“We’re extremely appreciative of our customers here. Family, friends and employees have been instrumental in our survival ... I’m left without words at times when I think about that.”
Prices remain the same to play the course: $26 for 18 holes on weekends, $23 on weekdays and an additional $10 for a cart. Specials are offered for senior citizens and women.
Strawberry Ridge has approximately 20 golf outings scheduled this year — ranging in size from 20 golfers to 120 — and has a restaurant offering sandwiches and a short menu from noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. A more extensive menu is offered Friday through Sunday.
As for the course’s signature hole?
“That goes by opinion,” McNulty said. “Different customers choose different holes as our signature hole. That’s a nice problem to have.
“Some holes here, golfers should play it safe. But the temptation is always there to go after it ... It’s a risk-reward thing. That’s the beauty of golf.”
