By Mark Larrabee
The simple joy of playing golf brings complete strangers together on the first tee. Golf members, public golfers, their friends, Eastman Community Association (ECA) Members, and people who simply find Eastman Golf Links (EGL) through a mobile app search have no hesitation to tee it up together at the links. ECA and EGL bring the term “family” to a new level. Witnessing members’ spouses, children, grandchildren, and extended families learning the game is heartwarming.
Our golf tournament at Eastman is one of our favorite events of the year because there’s an amazing sense of camaraderie that takes place regardless of where golfers and volunteers have come from, and it reminds me a lot of David’s House, itself.
—Jaye Olmstead, David’s House Executive Director
Marketing efforts to the public during the last 12 years have begun to yield results. A typical weekend summer day could now have a 50/50 split of members and public golfers. Working cooperatively with numerous groups, we provide opportunities for members of all ability levels. Whether we are hosting the annual David’s House charity golf outing in September, the New Hampshire Golf Association State Amateur tournaments, a member-guest tournament, Lebanon High School’s golf team, the Ladies on the Links league, or the Eastman Women’s Golf Association’s (EWGA) annual charity tournament for Turning Points Network (TPN) in August, it all comes down to one critical element for success in the golf program: relationships need to remain strong.
Securing a vibrant golf membership along with having inter-generational representation is key to satisfying ECA’s long-range goals and strategies, and we achieve that in part through an after-school program and a 4th grade field trip for the Grantham Village School students. Eastman sends well over 250 complimentary greens fee certificates every year to charities throughout New Hampshire to support their fundraising events. We host multiple outings for local companies and have implemented an attractive corporate membership option for Upper Valley businesses.
While cost of play, scarceness of free time, an aging golfer base, the difficulty of mastering the sport, and an increasingly wide range of entertainment alternatives are major reasons for a decreased number of golfers countrywide, ECA has adapted well to keep the sport strong. Through aggressive marketing, a strong volunteer Golf Committee, and the community‘s support, EGL has weathered the ups and downs of the industry. A forward tee program has made the course easier for all levels of play, and programs for beginners make learning fun and not intimidating.
In 2015, EGL was designated a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary—one of only eight golf courses certified in the state of New Hampshire—helping Eastman promote a healthy ecosystem on the course. ECA’s Lakes and Streams Committee tests EGL’s ponds to ensure they have clean water. A bee “hotel” constructed by the Youth Conservation Corps provides a pollinator habitat on the 16th hole for an adjacent wildflower plot. The Woodlands and Wildlife Committee has identified species of plants to attract wildlife, such as purple martins, to the course. These are just a few examples of how the ECA community has come together to support both the sport and environmental improvement projects for the present while keeping an eye on a sustainable future.
A Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) member for 33 years, Mark Larrabee is beginning his 13th season as Eastman’s Golf Pro. Eastman Golf Committee members Scott Gerlach, Beth Truax, and Jake Catanzarite, and ECA staff members Michael Gornnert, Logan Kenney, and Billy Mitchell contributed to this article.
LEARN MORE
To read more about EGL’s Audubon certification go to Eastman Living Spring 2016 at www.eastmanliving.com/archive/.
