Fore!
Edgewater seniors looking to hit the links and shoot a few holes can now do so for a little less, thanks in part to a partnership between the Elgin community and the Bowes Creek Country Club.
Jerry Clinnin. (Photo provided)
The one-month partnership, which may continue into August, was formed between the two organizations by Mike Lehman, who serves as the general manager for the course, and Edgewater resident Jerry Clinnin, who has had a love of the sport since childhood.
“When they first opened the golf course, [Mike] was approached by a golf group to see if he could come up with some reasonable rates. The lesser amount of money we could pay, the better it would be. It would give the public golfer a private club experience, but it was too premature to get any situation or deal at the time, so nothing really happened,” Clinnin said.
However, as rates at various golf clubs increased this year and forced Edgewater’s golf association to look elsewhere, Clinnin and a couple of friends also surveyed the area to see what deals were available.
Enter Bowes Creek.
“We thought, ‘Maybe we could create a relationship.’ Bowes Creek has a lot of single-family and mixed-use homes, just like Edgewater, and it just worked out for us this time,” Clinnin added, stating residents would be able to get discounted rates or specials on given days, including special deals at the club’s restaurants. Those figures were not immediately available.
One of the deals, according to Clinnin, allows residents to pay a one-time fee Tuesday night and play multiple holes or until they grow tired. In addition, the club has created a discount card for Edgewater residents that can be used at the various shops, stores, or restaurants in the country club.
Throughout the month, Clinnin said special membership pricing could help “introduce the facility and restaurant to our people here.”
Clinnin said, “Edgewater residents have specials of various kinds going on all the time. The Bowes restaurant, Porter’s Pub, may offer certain specials throughout the week for all residents, but in addition could even offer select specials just for us.” He added, “The partnership could help us set the stage for next year to see if we could organize some dates for our golf league.”
Clinnin is not sure what sort of partnership may be made for August, if any, but encouraged residents to head out to the country club to see what it is like.
Clinnin’s love for golf started when his dad bought him a set of golf clubs from a traveling carnival that was closing up shop in preparation of moving on to its next location.
He would play the game while serving as a caddy at Valley Country Club in Willow Springs, where he would hitchhike every day from downtown Chicago to work.
“They would let us play for free every Monday, so you just had to take them up on that,” he said.
While he played football and was on scholarship at Purdue, he would, on occasion, head to the links “every so often” to continue his love of the game.
After graduating and receiving his master’s from the university, Clinnin moved to southern California to take a spot as a wrestling coach at Pomona High School, but “that’s essentially why I decided to take that job, so I could play golf all year long.
“I don’t consider myself a terrific golfer, but I do respect and enjoy the game,” Clinnin said.
More information about the Bowes Creek Country Club can be found on its website at bowescreekcc.com.
