What saved this delightful golf oasis? Money from a surprising source

GREENFIELD, Wis. – Like any commodity industry, golf courses exist on a spectrum. This is easy to see. But the best view of the course list across America is a bell curve. Fat in the middle—defined by your typical, $100 round on a treed course—and thin on either side, from Pebble beach THE pitch-n-shot.

Diametrically opposed, however thin the edges of the curve may be, you rarely get to the right, exclusive, architecturally brilliant end without starting somewhere near its cheap, basic, communal opposite – places like Zablocki Park, just to the southwest of Milwaukee.

Zablocki warms the heart, like most pitch-n-group shots. It’s stocked with tank tops and cargo shorts. You see more Crocs than golf shoes. In the heat of summer, some players turn the collared shirt to no shirt. (And no one cares to stop them!)

Tee 1 is about eight steps from the parking lot. The third green is about eight paces from the center field fence of a nearby baseball field. The nine holes range in length from 77 to 110 yards. You can watch football games while you wait for Game 5, like I did two Mondays ago. The sunset was rosy for the six of us on the property, tearing itself at a 45-minute pace. Does beginner golf get better?

Zablocki defines the phrase no frills. Every time I’ve played it, there wasn’t even an employee kicking in the blue, brick hut near the first tee. Herein lies part of its brilliance: they don’t really need anyone to direct it. With an honor box — and the modern equivalent: a scannable QR code to pay — guests don’t have to be sent through a cordial Milwaukee County Parks employee. You show up, pay and then leave.

The price you will find is an insultingly modest $8. Cheaper than your Subway BLT. You are bound to ask yourself – how can a golf course with $8 greens fees work? Well, her green fees have become nothing.

Thanks to federal COVID-era funding through the 2021 America’s Rescue Plan Act, Milwaukee County won $22 million in one-time investments designed to improve future cost savings. Part of this money was earmarked for Zablocki, due to its popularity and rate of use. It was surprisingly expensive to maintain natural grass greens for a small pitch, so the Parks Department replaced those greens with synthetic turf, effectively eliminating daily maintenance costs. In an era defined by government cuts to municipal golf, this feels like intentional fodder.

A similar pitch-n-putt on Milwaukee’s north side — Noyes Park — used $1 million of the same funding for a new irrigation system, improving the course without forcing the Parks Department to raise greens fees. Conveniently, Noyes also charges just $8 per round. The funding has given Noyes a three-decade lease, Parks Director Jim Tarantino said. Milwaukee Magazine.

For Zablockin, it could be a permanent lease. Mainly because synthetic greens are really, really good. They are not free. They are resistant to damage. They drain better than a bathtub. Each green has four holes cut into them, which are rotated for use by Parks staff and otherwise filled with ground covers when not in use. They have serious durability but are willing to roll. What was once a set of damaged landing areas filled with ball marks are now a very believable, challenging endeavor. Making a 3 is easier than it used to be, but making a 2 is very difficult. Make a 1 and your name goes on the white, paper leaderboards stuck to the windows in the starting hut.

“The only rule we require is that you play only one ball, no memorable, honorable play,” the leaderboard reads. “CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR AWARD!”

Congratulations indeed. When I played it, the last ace on the board was made by 14-year-old Christopher, who, according to the nearby top score leaderboard, has been filling up on Zablocki. Christopher birdied the first hole, as did 8-year-old Dominic in late August. On the other hand, 73-year-old DJ Haugh birdied the 8th hole three weeks ago.

How about that for a spectrum?