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Approach Shots Not even a physical limitation has hampered Robert Elwinger’s drive to succeed at Over Lake Golf Course. A Lifetime of Lessons through the highs and lows, Robert Elwinger has soldiered on at Over Lake Golf Course By Kyle Darbyson I t’s one thing to turn your waterlogged farm into an 18-hole golf course, but another thing altogether to run a course successfully for more than 50 years. If you’re Robert Elwinger, however, you do both—even without the use of one arm. This story might sound incredible, yet it’s just another chapter in the fascinating life of the bright, articulate, 81-year-old owner of Over Lake Golf Course in Girard, Pennsylvania. Elwinger’s tale begins decades earlier, when his family owned a farm near the city of Erie. “We had a little use of his left arm, Elwinger realized the physical demands of farming would be too much. “My mom and fruit stand along the highway where we sold sweet corn, pumpkins and all sorts of vegetables,” he recounts. “It dad were getting on in age, and we knew something was a really special time.” had to give,” he notes. After serving in the Armed Forces, Elwinger returned to Erie in 1952 to help his parents work the proposed converting the land into a golf course, an idea So, without ever having picked up a club, Elwinger land, a job he assumed he would have for the rest of his he believes “came in a dream.” His family agreed to the life. But when an accident robbed him of nearly all the decision, but problems began to mount almost imme-
diately. When Elwinger approached his local bank to ask for $24,000 to build the course, they responded by “laughing” and saying, “No way.” The rejection forced the resourceful farmer to get creative. Elwinger couldn’t afford to hire an architect, so he joined the local chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and leaned on his colleagues for advice so he could design the course himself. “They explained drainage, routing, not facing finishing holes into the sun, things like that,” he says. Without money, the only collateral Elwinger had was his word. “I approached a local contractor to form the greens and told him I couldn’t pay him, but he’d be the first person I paid when the course opened,” he says. Less than one year later, Elwinger paid the man in full. Not surprisingly, the lean budget forced Elwinger and his family to do much of the work themselves. He and his dad seeded all the greens with hand rakes, dug six miles of drainage ditches, and laid drain tile every 50 feet in particularly wet fairways. The entire project took less than 12 months. “I like to say we went from pumpkins to golf in a year,” Elwinger quips. Over Lake Golf Course opened its first nine holes in 1960, with green fees priced at $9. A few years later, Elwinger bought an adjacent 80-acre parcel, added nine holes, and hasn’t looked back since. Anyone searching for folksy wisdom or knowledge gleaned over five decades of golf course ownership will be disappointed to learn Elwinger attributes his long-time success to one simple thing: hard work. But a closer look at his operation shows a few other things that have helped. For starters, his bank’s original lack of foresight turned out to be a blessing, as it allowed Elwinger to navigate the early days of course ownership without the stress and obligations of debt hovering over him. “I’m not sure if I would have survived [had he had to service a loan],” he says. His timing was good, too. “When I started out, there was one public golf course within 45 miles of me; now, there are 50.” The barriers to entry were also less burdensome when Elwinger started in the golf industry in 1961. “My first greensmower cost me $375 or something like that. Now, we go with a Toro three-gang that costs close to $30,000.” Though times have changed and the cost of just about everything has risen, Elwinger has managed to always keep his overhead low. “My full-time staff is three,” he notes. His wife oversees the clubhouse, runs carts and watches the bar during the day, while Elwinger and his seasonal help maintain the course. This no-frills approach might not fly for a lot of courses built around superior service, but it’s allowed Over Lake to survive downturns, recessions and stiff competition over the years. Elwinger’s focus on premier conditions has also enabled Over Lake to stand out in a crowded market. “Without a doubt it’s one of the best-kept courses in the area,” admits Rick Williams, general manager of the nearby Elk Valley Golf Course. “He just does it right.” After years of 16-hour days at Over Look, most would expect Elwinger to take some well-earned rest, but this energetic octogenarian shows no signs of slowing down. “I still mow fairways seven days a week!” he proclaims. What’s more, Elwinger has parlayed his financial success with the golf course into several other businesses and allowed him to buy what he calls “a nice play in the Florida Keys.” He spends winters there now, but every spring Elwinger heads back north to prep his labor of love for another season. Kyle Darbyson is a Vancouver-based freelance writer. Doing It HIS WAY When Robert Elwinger decided to convert land that had long been used as a family farm into what eventually became Over Lake Golf Course in Girard, Pennsylvania, he didn’t ask for anyone’s permission. Instead, he says he “just kind of started building.” Elwinger would certainly face a very different regulatory environment today, but Jake Welsh, director of the Erie County Department of Planning, says he has no doubt the course could still be built. “These laws are meant to protect both the public interest and the individual rights of the landowner,” Welsh notes. So what would Elwinger encounter today A lot more red tape and environmental considerations, for sure. Girard Township has zoned Elwinger’s land as A1-Agricultural. The zoning bylaws list several “permitted uses” for land in this designation, including “public parks and recreation.” A golf course would fit that categorization, but zoning officers would refer to the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Index to see if any species of concern would be impacted by the development. “They’re mostly concerned with endangered animals or impacting wetlands, that sort of thing,” says Welsh, who “doubts” a full-blown environmental impact assessment would be needed. Another possible bump in the road could be the local government’s movement to preserve farmland. Erie County has placed 7,000 acres of land into what it calls an “agricultural security area.” Landowners in this protected area have the option of selling a conservation easement—basically giving up their right to future development—in exchange for cash. If Elwinger had done so, Over Look would have never happened. It’s a hypothetical scenario that thousands of golfers, including Jake Welsh, are glad never happened. —K.D.
Page 2 and 3: TO AUGUSTA Bill Stevens buys the Te
Page 4 and 5: Greensmaster ® TriFlex TM & TriFle
Page 6 and 7: Viewpoint From the CEO T he unsung
Page 9 and 10: CONTENTS March ‘13 20 24 FEATURES
Page 11 and 12: THE STAKES ARE TOO BIG TO SETTLE FO
Page 13 and 14: First NEWS, VIEWS, [ TRENDS & ANALY
Page 15 and 16: Industry Pulse December 2012 Monthl
Page 17 and 18: Industry Pulse December 2012 Averag
Page 19 and 20: Long On the Range The Hype: Trojan
Page 21 and 22: parcel, the Lemons had something di
Page 23 and 24: marketing and advertising agency, a
Page 25 and 26: THIS CAR HAS IT ALL BATTERIES WITH
Page 27 and 28: hese days, you can’t grow revenue
Page 29 and 30: Runs in: Mar, Jul, Oct Consider a g
Page 31 and 32: Hills Golf Course in Fullerton, Cal
Page 33 and 34: © 2013 Illustrations by David Cutl
Page 35 and 36: “You just NEVER KNEW when you wer
Page 37: “Bentgrass has RUN a lot of good
Page 41 and 42: “I don’t think there will be mu
Page 43 and 44: ommunity A positive Outlook can hel
Page 45 and 46: Keeping Guests Happy s the battle t
Page 47 and 48: Playin’ In the Sand he shortest d
Page 49 and 50: southern California by many, Spinel
Page 51 and 52: Creating a New Labor Model Jeff Spa
Page 53 and 54: MEMBERS IN MOTION Purchasing Networ
Page 55 and 56: C L A S S I F I E D S (Pinehurst ar
Page 57 and 58: d Index Interact with the companies
Page 60: [ Who Says Three’s a Crowd ] Ther

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