- by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - August 2014

FISH CREEK, Wis. - A new six-hole golf course intended to help introduce people to the sport of golf will open this week at Peninsula State Park in Door County. The new course will complement the existing 18-hole course and driving range already in operation at the park. The Peninsula Golf Course has been in existence since 1921 and is the only golf course in the state park system.

The Short Course was developed by Lohman Golf Design and will be managed by the Peninsula Golf Association, which operates the existing course and driving range. The association coordinated fundraising for the new course, raising $600,000 in donations for its construction.

"This is a shining example of the importance of partnerships our state parks have with their communities and the local organizations and friends groups that support our parks," said Department of Natural Resources Secretary Cathy Stepp. "This new Short Course will expand the opportunities for the local community as well as the more than one million people who visit Peninsula State Park each year."

The short, six-hole golf course was designed especially for the beginning golfers regardless of age or ability, who want to learn the game of golf in a setting that is realistic but not as intimidating as a regulation course. It was built on what had been a hole on the existing 18-hole course that was abandoned in the 1950s. The new Short Course brings that parcel back to a golf venue.

The Short Course is unique with only one or two others of its kind in the state. The holes are short, the longest being just 110 yards, the greens are undulating, and the bunkers strategically placed so that many facets of the game can be practiced. The course will serve youth and school groups who want to learn the game of golf and life lessons through golf, in addition to adults who want to learn the game and people with disabilities who find it difficult to golf on the 18-hole course.

The Peninsula Golf Associates, Inc., formed in 1982, is a non-profit organization that oversees the management and operations of the Peninsula State Park Golf Course through a lease agreement with the Department of Natural Resources. The PGA has made many improvements to the golf course and its facilities such that it has become a premier place to golf for residents and tourists alike. The association held a dedication ceremony for the newly constructed Short Course earlier this month when it had originally hoped to open the course, but the long, cold winter and less than ideal growing conditions this spring have delayed the course opening.

The Short Course development was 100 percent funded by private donations from Peninsula Golf Association members, the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation, the Raibrook Foundation and private family foundations and individual donors.

The course will open to the public on Thursday, August 28. The hours of operation through fall season will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fees are $8 for adult with a $5 replay fee, $5 for juniors with a $3 replay. Rental clubs area available for $5 and push carts for $3.

For more information about Peninsula State Park search the DNR website dnr.wi.gov for "Peninsula." For more information about Peninsula State Park Golf Courses, visit the Peninsula Golf Associates website at www.peninsulagolf.org (exit DNR).