Wednesday, November 5, 2003
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Wednesday, November 5, 2003 |
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New owner
is teeing off on $1 miilion in renovations at the Palmer Course By JOYCE BEVERLY "This is the hardest I've ever worked in my life... and I've never been happier." The words of John Boykin, chairman and CEO of Wyant Golf Enterprises, Inc., ambassador of golf, and a new face in the Fayette business community. Boykin closed a unique deal Sept. 8 to purchase the former WhiteWater Country Club, immediately changing the name to The Palmer Course at Starr's Mill, and undertaking a $1 million renovation of the facility. Add in a daily commute from his home in Roswell, and it's easy to see how he is busier than he's ever been. And if that's what makes him happy, his delight meter should have been pegged for at least 34 years. A PGA Class A member since 1979, now Boykin is one of only a few pros who actually own courses. Golf pros, he acknowledged in a recent interview, generally are not in the financial position to do this. Nor would it have been possible for Boykin had he not discovered a federal program which allowed him to make the purchase through the United States Department of Agriculture's Community Facilities Development Department. The USDA guaranteed a commercial loan after Boykin found a facility which met their "rural in nature" requirements, completed a 762-page application process, and agreed to operate as a non-profit organization, return surplus revenues to charities within the community, and offer golf programs for schools and senior citizens. It was an arduous application progress which took many months but when completed, made his golf course the first in the country to be approved by this USDA program and open for business. The bottom line is that The Palmer Course at Starr's Mill is a Georgia 501-3C. Its purpose is to make money and distribute those monies to the community. The Joseph Sams School, Friday Johnson Home, and Fayette Sr. Citizens Services, as well as the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women and Children in Orlando, Fla,, are the organizations Boykin has designated to share proceeds from the facility, though profits are not limited to these charities. Boykin's objectives at this point are simple: to return the course to profitability and to make sure it is "the world class golf facility this county deserves." Accordingly, he is upgrading the facility's 35,000 sq. ft. club house which includes opening a new restaurant, Arnie's, by Dec. 1. The Southern-style mansion clubhouse continues to offer private dining options, a 200-seat second floor ballroom, men's and ladies' changing and locker rooms and a full service golf professional shop. It is a popular venue for weddings, receptions, holiday parties and corporate functions and is annually host to many civic, corporate and charitable golf events. Boykin is also completely rebuilding the irrigation and watering system, a move which he says will elevate the course to a very high standard. "I describe this as a Mercedes neighborhood with a Chevrolet golf operation," Boykin said. "We're going to bring it up to at least Cadillac level." The Palmer Course is not for the blue jeans and tennis shoe crowd, he admits. The club will have patrons, not members, but there are three kinds of play: patron, guest and the public. Novices will find themselves welcome at the facility, which is owned now by someone whose life has been spent teaching people how to navigate a golf course. Boykin's 33 year career has included being a PGA TOUR instructor, author, broadcaster, editor/publisher of Gold Industry Magazine, and creator of The Scoring Academy golf teaching system, a program which helps business people reach their goals through golf. He serves as an International Teaching Professional at The Duke's Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, and his tips and instruction have been presented in Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and Senior Golfer. He has also been a featured instructor on the Golf Channel and is currently honorary president of the Atlanta/North Georgia Chapter of the PGA. He is also author of the Executive Women's Beginning Golf Retreat, a two-day program designed to be a benefit to beginning and intermediate women golfers. Boykin has already restored the original 18-hole layout that Arnold Palmer designed in the mid-80s. Immediately after purchasing the course in September, Boykin permanently closed the third 9-holes which the previous owner had added in 2000 and began the restoration. "During the construction of the original 18-holes Arnold Palmer was here often," Boykin said. " The great man's touches are clearly evident throughout his design. We wanted to restore the splendor of this spectacular golf course." Now that the design is restored, Boykin is offering a "Return to 1999" program which invites those who have never played the course and those who haven't been there in some years, on a one-time basis, to come, bring friends and play an examination round for $19.99. "This offer will not last long, so we invite golfers to take advantage of it."
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