New Gunflint Hills golf course superintendent Paul Jones recently took some time off to sit down and graciously answer some questions about the golf course and the recent improvements made to the clubhouse. Staff photo/Laurie Johnson
Gunflint Hills golf course superintendent Paul Jones is an old hand at helping golf course superintendents fix their turf. In fact, that’s how he became familiar with the Grand Marais city owned 9-hole course.
Last summer after the early retirement of superintendent Mike Kunshier, Paul was hired as a contractor to help maintain Gunflint Hills fairways and greens until a new superintendent could be found. He got to know and like the crew and before you know it, he applied for the position and was hired.
That was the easy part. Having never been a superintendent, Jones, a seasoned agronomist, has been learning on the job, and he admitted, there is a lot to learn.
Located 3½ miles up the Gunflint Trail, the 9-hole par 36 city owned golf course is 3,030 yards with three sets of tees that Jones said would test even the best golfers.
“For a 9-hole golf course, this is really a good golf course,” he said.
But coming off of yet another tough winter, the fairways and greens needed a lot of work to get the course in shape for the 2019 season.
“Last year when I came on we had some dead greens and some dead fairways. We seeded and cultured and this spring we started seeing the results. The course is coming back but we still haven’t figured everything out. We will learn as we go but we will offer a quality product.”
In his first year at the helm, Jones talked about the projects going on inside and outside of the clubhouse.
Much of the interior of the clubhouse has been renovated. Some of the walls are painted with bright bold accent colors. The front desk has been moved closer to the clubhouse entrance and the old carpet is gone, replaced with darker slate and charcoal-toned carpet tiles.
Marlo Luik pressure washed the deck and Jones said he was impressed by the painstaking detail and fine work that Luik did.
“This will be really nice when the work is done. It should be a nice place to hang out,” he said.
Another significant upgrade is the installation of a sleek, new Ipad that will be used for a point of sale system that will track inventory and customer data.
While the numbers have been up and league play is off and running, Jones hopes more people will come out and experience the course. A mixed Friday night fun league has been started. Participants are encouraged to bring brats, hot dogs, hamburgers to grill and enjoy the golf course in a non-competitive outing with friends, or use this time to make new friends.
Another new outing that will take place at the Gunflint Hills golf course will be the Chip in for Charity, a fundraiser for the YMCA and will take place Sunday, July 28, 2019 at Gunflint Hills.
In the future Jones said he hopes to add more events but for now, the work will continue to make improvements, as time, finances, and the weather will allow.
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