The Greens at Redmond

Published 12:00 am Monday, March 10, 2014

This is the latest installment of a weekly Tee To Green feature in which we check in via email with Central Oregon golf facilities for an offseason update. This week we contacted Randy Shipley, who bought The Greens at Redmond in late December.

Shipley, who lives in the Portland suburb of Sherwood, is new to the golf business but has plans to make some improvements to his executive course. This is what he had to say about the current business of golf and about The Greens at Redmond:

Q: How was business in 2013?

A: We were down a little last year, but most of the reduction was caused by the uncertainty of the golf course’s ownership issues.

Q: Were any changes of note made to the facility during the last year?

A: At the end of the year the course was purchased by me and it will be run and managed as a family owned golf course.

Q: Are any changes and/or improvements to the facility scheduled for 2014?

A: We plan on major upgrades to the condition of the course. Greens and tee boxes will be plugged, sanded and fertilized twice this year. The sand traps will be cleaned and sand added where needed. The clubhouse will begin inventorying golf merchandise. And food and beverages will be available for purchase, both in the clubhouse and on the course. A full-service club repair shop has also been added.

Q: After a recession that began in 2007, how have your golf operations changed in recent years?

A: As we all know, Central Oregon built many new courses just before and just after the recession. The good news for The Greens at Redmond is it’s an executive course with a niche market for its (short) length and playability for all levels of golfers. We are also working to keep the average time for rounds at three hours.

Q: Are the local golf facilities doing enough to attract and foster local play? If not, what more can be done?

A: This is hard to say for all courses, but one of our top priorities is bringing in more local play. We are developing a marketing program to encourage local play by having reduced tee fees for locals at certain times of the day. In addition, we plan on scheduling outside tournaments open to all golfers and adding teaching clinics for women and children. We are also open for company leagues if there is an interest.

— Reporter: 541-617-7868, zhall@bendbulletin.com.