Getting to know your neighbor: Practice your swing at Concord Crest Golf Course

Now that the snow has melted and the heavy jackets are finally coming off, golfers can pull out the golf clubs and go for the holes-in-one.

While the surprise snowstorm last week forced golfers to head inside for a while, Concord Crest Golf Course still had its earliest opening date ever this year on March 14. Those hoping to get a round of golf in can do so at the East Concord course from 8 a.m. - dusk every day.

Gail and Don Ploetz started the 130-acre facility in 2001, after two years of planning and “with a whole lot of work,” Gail Ploetz said. She and her husband had tossed around the idea of starting a business of this type, and, with help from Don’s parents Ken and Deby Ploetz, Concord Crest Golf Course opened. The course originally had nine holes. “Golfers like to play 18 holes, not nine, but we needed revenue to come in while we worked on the back nine,” Gail Ploetz said. In 2004, the final nine holes were unveiled, making the course regulation-sized.

In 2007, the Ploetz family added a three-hole practice facility on the back side of the golf course, near the maintenance shop on Sharp Street, which Ploetz said is “nice for beginners [who are] just getting started.” There is also a practice green at the beginning of the course, where golfers can practice chipping and putting.

After several stages of construction, the clubhouse was completed last year. The course also sports a banquet facility, The Concord House, which is available for rent during the regular season. A kitchen is located inside the hall. Ploetz plans the menus, while cooks and other staff members keep party-goers well-fed.

Concord Crest Golf Course participates in the First Tee Organization, which is a six-week instruction course for kids ages 5 - 17. Ploetz is certified as a First Tee coach, but the Concord branch of the national conglomerate is mostly overseen by Director of Golf Sue Frentz. The First Tee participants - which numbered 150 last year - use the Sharp Street practice facility. “They learn the sport and everything that goes along with it,” Ploetz said. “It’s such an honorable sport, and it’s so huge for these kids.” Guidelines are given to the coaches by the First Tee organization and participants are divided according to age and skill.

While young golfers are able to participate in First Tee, Ploetz said that people of all ages can begin golfing with little difficulty and that all are welcome to the Concord course. She said that her favorite part of helping to operate the golf course is seeing various generations play together. “It’s a really nice thing, when you see a grandpa and a grandson doing it together,” she said. “It’s so unlike other sports.”

Concord Crest currently employs 23 individuals, and Ploetz attributes the course’s success to her staff members’ hard work. “We have the most dedicated team of people you’ve ever seen,” she said. “They have all worked very hard. Who wouldn’t love their job when they get to work with all these nice people?” All four of the Ploetz’s children have worked at the course at one time or another, and Ploetz said she is thankful for the ability to work with her children. “My kids are amazing workers,” she said.

The family aspect of the business goes beyond those who are employed at Concord Crest. “We want people to leave happy and satisfied, and we want to encourage people to bring their families,” Ploetz said, adding that she and her team seek to keep the atmosphere clean and kid-friendly.

Visitors to Concord Crest getting ready to head out for a round of golf can grab a bite to eat and a drink from the clubhouse before taking off in one of the facility’s 50 golf carts. The menu offers Sahlen’s hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, snack foods, soft drinks and beer. The outdoor grill is open weekends from Memorial Day - Labor Day, 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and the indoor grill is always open. The clubhouse stocks golf balls, hats, gloves and shoes, as well.

Evening leagues, which meet weekly, assemble at the clubhouse. Golfers can purchase nine or 18-hole passes or obtain season passes, which allow them to “golf as many times as they want,” Ploetz said. All types of passes are available. Golfers can choose to rent a cart or walk the course.

“We are so conveniently located,” Ploetz said. “You would be surprised how far golfers come to play.” She said that she really appreciates the sport’s adaptability. “It is dictated by your personality, because you’re really playing against yourself,” she said. “You don’t have to be concerned about other people. It’s a great sport - you can get exercise without exerting yourself.”

Both natural and man-made ponds and hills dot the landscape, which is peppered with trees, shrubbery and sand pits. Ducks and geese flock to the bodies of water and seagulls keep the golfers company.

Concord Crest belongs to the National Golf Course Association, which Ploetz said provides many resources to the course operators. “It’s just all come together for us,” she said. “Our focus is on making the customer happy. We want people to want to come back.”

A survey that was sent out to Concord Crest customers in March provided information about what kept them coming back again and again. “We had more than 700 replies,” Ploetz said. “It was fantastic. We received some of the nicest comments. Overall, it gave us a real direction as to what our customers appreciate.”

While the 2012 golf season is still young, Concord Crest’s schedule is packed full of benefits and fundraisers for local organizations. Links Fore Love, a benefit for Love INC, will be held May 19. Other planned events in the works include the West Valley Sports Boosters, Swingin’ for the Center (to benefit the Springville Center for the Arts), a fundraiser for the Helping Individuals to Smile Foundation, several company picnics, church events, firemen banquets and more. “Our events continue to increase yearly,” Ploetz said. “It’s been fabulous. I’ve been able to meet and work with the nicest people. We’ve been really blessed.”

Concord Crest Golf Course is located at 9255 Genesee Road in East Concord. Tee times are recommended for the weekends. For more information, call 592-7636 or visit facebook.com/concordcrest. First Tee starts on July 2 and more information about that program can be obtained by visiting www.concordcrest.com. “We consistently offer a good product at a great price,” Ploetz said. “If I can touch people’s lives for just a moment, I’ve accomplished my goal.”