GolfVisions to enhance the golf operations at Valparaiso golf courses

Tim Miles, Sr.

The City of Valparaiso, Indiana, Parks Department and GolfVisions Management, Inc. are pleased to announce the formation of a partnership wherein GolfVisions will work closely with the City’s Parks and Recreation staff to enhance the golf operations at Forest Park Golf Course and Creekside Golf Course & Training Center.

Goals of the partnership include bolstering player development and retention programs, sustaining/improving upon current levels of usage, optimizing use of human, physical and capital resources, and improving the City’s financial position with respect to golf operations.

The Park Board approved hiring GolfVisions for a two-year consulting term in a unanimous vote on January 27.

Parks and Recreation Director John Seibert expressed enthusiasm for the outcome of an exacting three-month process, conducted by the Park Board Task Force and spearheaded by Golf Operations Manager Rich Frey, to evaluate the credentials and proposals of numerous parties vying to partner with the City. “GolfVisions has outstanding experience in the regional market, a reputation for integrity, and a realistic assessment of the challenges the golf industry is facing,” said Seibert. “We believe GolfVisions will bring a fresh perspective and intense focus to assisting us in meeting the challenge of moving the City’s golf operations in a positive direction for a sustainable future.”

The City owns and operates two facilities, Forest Park Golf Course and Creekside Golf Course & Learning Center. The more centrally located Forest Park is an 18-hole layout that marries a traditional parkland front 9 to a rugged back 9 with challenging elevation changes. Creekside offers a links-style full-length 9, a 3-hole short course, and a teaching facility comprising a 48-station driving range with a heated/covered tee box, putting green, and chipping area.

“GolfVisions is delighted to add the City of Valparaiso as a client and welcomes Forest Park and Creekside golf courses into our portfolio,” remarked GolfVisions President Tim Miles, Sr. “We are positively impressed that the leadership in Parks and Recreation and golf operations are quality people who ‘get it’ and have already made many of the adjustments required for golf courses to be viable in today’s economy. GolfVisions will bring our mindset of measuring success both aesthetically and financially to bear on helping the team in place optimize every aspect of both facilities and promote increased golfer participation.”

GolfVisions is the leading golf management company in the broader Chicagoland area and has recent experience in the northwest Indiana market, having operated River Pointe Country Club in Hobart and The Brassie in Chesterton on behalf of Centier Bank from 2010-2012. GolfVisions’ current portfolio in greater Chicagoland and central Florida includes:

  • Whittaker Woods Golf Club, New Buffalo, MI
  • Settler’s Hill Golf Course, Batavia, IL
  • Tanna Farms Golf Club, Geneva, IL
  • Nettle Creek Country Club, Morris, IL
  • Oak Grove Golf Course, Harvard, IL
  • Village Green Golf Course, Mundelein, IL
  • Chapel Hill Country Club, McHenry, IL
  • Foxford Hills Golf Club, Cary, IL
  • Bittersweet Golf Club, Gurnee, IL
  • Bonnie Brook Golf Course, Waukegan, IL
  • Lake Barrington Shores Golf Club, Lake Barrington, IL
  • Longwood Golf Course, Crete, IL
  • HeatherRidge Golf Course, Gurnee, IL (9 holes)
  • Deer Valley Golf Course, Big Rock, IL (9 holes)
  • Greenshire Golf Course, Waukegan, IL (9 holes)
  • Lake Wales Country Club, Lake Wales, FL
  • Green Valley Country Club, Clermont, FL
  • The Club at Pennbrooke Fairways, Leesburg, FL (27 holes)

For more information on GolfVisions, please visit www.golfvisions.net. For more information on the Forest Park and Creekside golf facilities, please visit www.valparaisogolf.com.