After 40 years of service to the community, Sims Oak Hills Golf Course may be sold or close its gate. As a municipal golf course, this will be a first for Indiana. No other municipal has ever closed or been sold. Also, this is not what Mr. and Mrs. Sims had in mind when they sold the course to Elkhart for $1. They wanted a course that was reasonably affordable to the public.

You may have noted that I said the course has been a service to the community. There should be an appreciation by golfer and non golfer.

First, you can’t get much greener. It’s very environmentally friendly. So much so that it could possibly be an Audubon candidate.

It also would be interesting to know the total dollar amounts received from charity events held at the golf course, many of them benefiting non-golfers.

Countless new golfers have developed their game at the course. Juniors from all over the county have taken group lessons there.

And Elkhart should be proud of the beauty of the property.

The so-called negatives are not really negatives. For instance, the course is said not to be paying its own way. While the last four years have been tough on golf facilities around the country, Oak Hills has done pretty well.

The location has nothing to do with it. Golfers will travel up to two hours or about a hundred miles to play a course.

Some things will play a role in its success. The following are not new or impossible:

1. Maintain the course.

2. Provide friendly, knowledgeable staff.

3. Market the course.

4. Put a golfer or two on the park board and council. (Or at the least, have every park and council member attend a seminar on municipal golf courses.)



Tom Conway

PGA Professional

Elkhart