LA PINE — An infrequent visitor to Quail Run Golf Course might not notice any difference.

But Quail Run, which is under not-quite-new management, has been making subtle changes to the 18-hole golf course.

Todd Sickles was elevated from the course’s head professional to its general manager earlier this year after Bill Martin, who ran the day-to-day operations, sold his 50 percent share of Quail Run to his longtime business partner, Les Howatt, of Gresham.

And Sickles and Howatt are trying to improve the public golf course, Sickles says.

So far the modifications have been mostly minor — a bag rack here, a new merchandise display cabinet there.

Improvements such as a new Web site, www.golfquailrun.com, and cosmetic refinements were undertaken in an effort to be more welcoming for Central Oregonians, Sickles says.

“It’s a great golf course,” says Sickles. “It’s one of the best in the area.

“All these little changes are just trying to get (Quail Run) up to snuff.”

Outdoor bag racks on each side of the facility’s clubhouse, a small building to house the driving range’s ball dispenser and vending machine, and new wooden display cases in the pro shop have all been added.

Quail Run has also filled in the bunkers with more sand and fitted the cart paths with fresh gravel.

The most aesthetically obvious improvement will be on the course’s par-3 14th hole.

That hole’s pond, which was left drained two years ago because it leaked an estimated 1,000 gallons of water each day, will be relined and refilled. That work is scheduled to begin this week.

“Fourteen is a beautiful hole,” Sickles says. “We’re just trying to do everything to make (Quail Run) nicer.”

For golfers, Quail Run’s Web site might be the most significant new addition.

Until this year, the only way to make a tee time at Quail Run was to make a phone call to the course. While booking the old-fashioned way is still an option, of course, it no longer is the only way.

The Web site offers an option to book a tee time online, a staple at nearly every golf course in Central Oregon, and has much more information about the course than Quail Run’s rudimentary old site.

Through the upgraded Web site, golfers can now sign up for Quail Run’s e-club, which sends e-mail blasts offering course information and rate specials.

And Quail Run now offers tee times through www.golfnow.com, a Web site at which golfers can book times at several area tracks.

“We’re modernizing this facility to get up with the times,” Sickles says. “We just feel like we need to do a lot more e-marketing and e-blasts and getting on board with our Web site and online reservations.”

Jeff Scott, a 63-year-old retiree, has been an annual member at Quail Run since 2003 along with his wife, Penny. He has witnessed the course’s growth in 2006 from a well-kept nine-hole course to an 18-hole gem.

And so far, he likes what he sees with the latest tweaks.

“That sort of stuff gets us into the bigger leagues,” says Scott, who lives just south of Sunriver. “Just some nice, positive changes to the pro shop and the golf course amenities will really wind up making it better for all the members and bring in a lot more golfers.”

The layout of Quail Run is highly regarded by many golfers in Central Oregon. And the relatively affordable greens fees at the course have largely stayed the same since last year.

But despite Quail Run’s quality, Sickles observes, the course sometimes struggles to attract Bend golfers despite being just a 25-mile trip south on U.S. Highway 97.

Despite its proximity to Bend, Quail Run is not all that easy to find. It is not visible from the highway, and only recently has the signage improved enough to point uninitiated golfers in the right direction.

The recent changes are just meant to make playing Quail Run a bit easier by breaking down some barriers.

“This is such a great golf course, and people should be accessing it more,” Sickles says. “Where I just need to spend more time is not only in connecting with all my golfers who have come here over the years, but in connecting with Bend people and let them access the golf course, which has not been done enough. We’ll do that through our marketing and getting them on my e-mail list, where they can get specials.”