By Joe Morey
News Editor
Big Fish Golf Course General Manager William LaPointe met with the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Governing Board (TGB) on Monday, March 7, at their weekly meeting, to give a report on the current plans for the new bar and golf simulator.
LaPointe said the golf simulator is close to opening. Currently, LCO Development is doing a remodel project for the area where the golf simulator will go, and he added, the event center is also being painted.
A contest was held to name the new bar, with the name Dye Hard’s winning. The Dye reference is to the designer of Big Fish, Pete Dye, who is a world famous designer who’s was the architect behind just over 100 courses, many of which hold PGA Tour events.
“You guys have something very special,” LaPointe told the TGB. “You have a Pete Dye course and that’s worldwide, not just a local thing. There are golfers who come from all over just to play a Pete Dye course. And this course is in great shape and it hasn’t even reached maturity yet. Our course is in the best shape it’s ever been."
The new bar will feature pool, darts, music and a menu featuring homemade pizzas. In addition to his report, LaPointe brought the TGB a couple of their new homemade pizzas and they were well-received. The new top of the line golf simulator will allow course members and the general public to get their golf fix all year round.
LaPointe also informed the TGB that they have all new golf carts and beverage carts on order for the upcoming season, expected delivery on April 1st. He added that one problem they had in the past was with the hardwired watering system, which was prone to lightning strikes and would take out the system, has now been fixed with a radio-controlled system installed.
“We increased our membership last year from 55 members to 221 with our Memorial Day Membership Drive, and so far this year we’ve had 126 already return,” LaPointe explained. “We are planning another membership drive again so we expect to have those kind of numbers again, if not better.”