New path to green
Golf is booming and Flossmoor discovered the formula for survival
Within days of completing a rescue mission to save a century-old south suburban golf club, Dave Goich put his head in his hands and asked himself: What have I done?
The Goich brothers’ vision for revitalizing Flossmoor Country Club called for pumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into the 187-acre property with streams, bridges, leaf-shaped bunkers and Autobahn-fast greens.
They would trim members’ costs by scrapping events such as the annual Halloween party and Easter brunch. Return the focus to golf — and cater to the younger set by using giant speakers to unleash tunes that could be heard on the driving range, practice green and first tee.
And they would eliminate any whiff of stuffiness, transforming the members lounge into a quasi-sports bar.
But as Goich sat in that lounge by the rows of flat-screen TVs he had installed, he and brother George considered thedisaster on their hands.
Their vision did not include a global pandemic thatwould send Chicagoans into their homes, where they spent only on food, toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
“How are we going to adapt?” George Goichwondered.
If worse comes to worse, George decided, the kitchen will serve nothing but cold sandwiches and booze.
But then something unexpected happened. Golfers craving fresh air, Vitamin D and socially distant human contact began flocking to courses in Indiana and Iowa. And then to Illinois courses after Gov. J.B. Pritzker lifted restrictionsMay 1.
They played … and played … and played. With youth sports canceled and majorleague ballparks closed to fans, they had free time tomake bogeys and grind on their short game.
Golf has boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with tee sheets stuffed from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Rounds on U.S. courses were up 10 million from August 2019 to August 2020, a surge of 20.6%, according to theNational Golf Foundation.
“If you read the data or look at any of the reports,” George Goich said, “it’s insane.”
And as crazy as it would have seemed seven months ago, when the Goich brothers invested in a dying club with only 39 equity members, Flossmoor has been given new life.
‘Caught in this spiral’
Frank Kaminsky never has taken a golf lesson. The 7-footer sometimes cuts the sleeves of his golf polo to get some color on his arms. He grew up playing at Cog Hill, taking advantage of a $22 afternoon all-you-can-play special.
The west suburban native is not what you’d call a country club guy. Yet he felt at home during a recent weekend round at Flossmoor.
“The typical country club has so many rules and restrictions,” Kaminsky said. “You feel like you have to act a certainway. It’s not fun when you’reworried the whole time.”
Flossmoor allowed Kaminsky and his buddies, whom he rarely gets to see while playing for the Suns, to go out in a sixsome.
They played a modified scramble to keep a sub-four-hour pace. Caving to convention, Kaminsky tucked in his white polo.
But as he learned on the first tee, Flossmoor has an unconventional vibe. Hearing music being pumped from the clubhouse, Kaminsky turned to one of his friends and asked, “Is something going on here?”
Yeah, something different.
The music is a mix of live tunes, the best of the ’80s, a little country — and after one expletive-laden song sneaked on, the club made a rule that everything had to be FCC-approved (i.e. playable on terrestrial radio).
George Goich said the music gets cranked once or twice a week; members have commented that they feel more relaxed on the first tee.
“It’s not for everybody,” he said, “but we’re trying to liven things up.”
Nick Zagotta, a Flossmoormembersince 1986, said: “I’m 63 years old, so I’m not the guy who’s going to spend a half-million there in the next 40 years. The young guys like it and it adds to the relaxed atmosphere and allows us to separate from everyplace else. Wedid not need another stuffy clubon the South Side. We needed a laid-back place like this.”
Zagotta, a retired attorney who represented Albert Belle, was one of Flossmoor’s 39 remaining equity members late last year. (They had another 50, counting senior, junior and associate members.)
Zagotta encouraged the Goich brothers to take over and save a club with a rich history that hosted the 1920 PGA Championship and 1923U.S. Amateur.
“It was an unbelievable stroke of good fortune,” Zagotta said. “We needed someone who understood the importance of its place in Chicago golf history and what it means to the South Side.”
The Homewood area, about 30 miles south of the Loop, once had five thriving private clubs: Flossmoor, Ravisloe, Calumet, Idlewild and Olympia Fields.
Ravisloe and Calumet went public. Idlewild advertises a membership of $750 on itswebsite.
Olympia Fields, a national treasure basking in the glory of a thrilling BMW Championship, collects $45,000 to $50,000 for initiation.
Where did that leave Flossmoor? “We were a ’tweener,” Zagotta said, “a 6-4 guy who played in college, but when you get to the NBA, you better find a different position.”
At one point, with 90% of the membership living within eight miles of the club, Flossmoor stressed family activities — the pool, social events and dining. But discretionary income dried up during the recession of 2007-09, and many members resigned ormoved. Ontop of that, theCook County assessor raised property taxes.
“We got caught in this spiral,” Zagotta said.
‘Classy but relaxed’
The Goich brothers met with the Flossmoor board last summer and explained their vision for the club. It could be summed up in oneword: golf.
“What do people care about?” George Goich said. “The golf. The places I love focus on the golf and the practice area. The food is nice and decent but never a focal point. This is not a dining destination.”
The emphasis on golfwould allowthem to keep dues low — $700 a month versus $1,200 at many clubs. And to reflect the movement, they would change the name from Flossmoor Country Club to Flossmoor Golf Club.
FGC.
“The Fun Golf Club,” Flossmoor member Terry Lavin said.
The Goich brothers, who hail from South Holland, closed their deal March 1. And then theworld changed.
But they didn’t curl up into a ball. They began marketing aggressively.
George Goich, Flossmoor’s director of golf, had a connection to radio personality and former Bears receiverTomWaddle. So he had Waddle read for an ad that ran on WMVP-AM 1000: “Since 1899, Flossmoor Golf Club has been one of the finest golf courses inChicago.… Nowyou can become amember of Flossmoor and experience its grandeur.… Join one of the oldest and most prestigious golf clubs in Chicago.”
“We started getting 30 to 40 emails a week,” Goich said. “Iwas shocked. I signed up one guy just by driving him around (in a cart). Other peoplecameto play the course, and the momentum snowballed.”
It’s understandable. The course is a trip. Chicago-based golf course critic Andy Johnson called it “Chicago’s overlooked gem” and “a must-play for lovers of classic architecture with … some of the most strategic and challenging green complexes to be found anywhere.”
The greens can run at U.S. Open speeds thanks to former superintendent Bob Lively. When club officials interviewed him for the job and asked for his philosophy on green maintenance, Lively replied: “Well, first of all, I don’t like the word green. Because I don’twant it to look green. I like a little yellow. I like a little brown. I mean, if I can get purple …”
Said Lavin, recounting the story: “That was it. He got hired. The greenswent from 9 to 12 (on the Stimpmeter). They’re hard to hit because they’re small and they’re also hard to putt. Sometimes you have to play defense.”
But the course is manageable from the white tees (6,437 yards) and wide in spots. The 16th hole has a double fairway that even keeps rope hooks in play.
You can wear jeans in the clubhouse. If you need to text or email someone during your round, there’s no phone police to arrest you. If you really want to flip your baseball cap backward, youwon’t get fined.
“We’re trying to be classy but relaxed,” George Goich said. “We had a couple of guys show up with jeans on freezing days. Whoare you bothering?”
Goich’s pre-COVID-19 goal was to add 60 new members in 2020. The club passed that in July. At last count, that figure was 103.
“We’re $12,000 to join, going to $15 (,000), and still a steal,” he said.
Waddle played Flossmoor recently for the first time. He lives in the north suburbs and plays at Ivanhoe.
“Oh, man, the course is incredible,” Waddle said. “If Iwas singleand25andhad a little cash flow, Iwould join in a minute.”