The remaking of Morgan Creek

Following the worldwide financial hardships that accompanied the 9/11 attacks, Roseville's Morgan Creek Golf and Country Club project sometimes lacked direction, at one point even opening the course to the public.That all changed recently when original partners Steve Thinglum, Tom Evancie, Ed Johanson and Paul Eblen (founders of the STEP Golf Associate) took sole ownership of the club in May last year, introducing a plethora of plans aimed at refocusing the club's family first atmosphere."It has taken time, but the feeling we're creating is unique," said Bob Bodman, Morgan Creek's membership director. "We're putting the family aspect of the club first. Golf is no longer the only option; there are events designed with the whole family in mind."Following its opening in 2002, Morgan Creek's golf course was largely the sole selling point for potential members."The four of us have been involved since the beginning," Thinglum said. "It's always been a personal project and the family aspect has been the goal since the start. It was only in the past year that we really doubled up and expanded on the family center."Hoping to add to the club's appeal, the foursome introduced, among other things, an 11,000-square foot family recreation center and permanent clubhouse in early 2007. More energy is being focused on attracting members from the surrounding community."It's always been our intent to look outside," Thinglum said. "Granite Bay (Country Club) has the entire Granite Bay area to draw from and we'd love to pull people from all over West Roseville."The state-of-the-art family recreation center will include an aquatic center, children's activities and fitness facility. It will feature a full-size resort-style swimming pool; aerobics room; all-inclusive weight training equipment; locker rooms for men, women and children; a spa treatment room; and a family grill with pizza oven, gelato and coffee area. A kids activity center and babysitting service are also in the works.New activities include Friday night Nine-Wine and Dine - an all-inclusive offering with something for every member of the family - couples events and family golf clinics, to name a few."I applaud their angle," said Alan Opoien, membership director at Granite Bay Golf Club. "They have a limited number to draw from so they have to be creative, and with those additions they are really broadening their horizons and making it appealing to potential members outside of the gates."With just over 70 members (half of whom live outside the gates), get-togethers still have a certain intimacy."Traditionally country clubs have that mystic of the men coming in to get away from the family for awhile," said activities director Stephanie Wasemiller. "But we have so many activities that are geared toward the whole family. Our Cinco de Mayo party was an adult party, but we had a special place for the kids too, so parents don't have to feel bad leaving them at home. You won't find that at a lot of other places."While an abundance of new features, golf remains the foundation of Morgan Creek's existence. A course once daunting to high handicappers, the par 72, 5,431 yard (green tees) to 7,303 (black) Morgan Creek has changed into a much more user friendly trek, while still offering the more experienced player significant challenges. "It's a player's golf course," said Stephen McVay, course superintendent at Morgan Creek. "I call it quirky. It can be discouraging the first few times you play it, but there's always a challenge because there's always something new you didn't see the last time."Designed by Granite Bay resident and Robert Trent Jones II pupil Kyle Phillips, the course's unique look and feel made it an instant favorite.Phillips' extensive study and passion for the English-style heathland courses is evident at Morgan Creek, the first course of its kind build in northern California."We've softened up some of the land forms and shortened the height on some of rough," McVay said. "We're making an effort to make it more friendly but not take away that European feel because it is very unique in the Sacramento valley."The heathland's fine fescues grasses are ideal for golf - fast and firm for added bounce and roll. With sand and grass bunkers and large, rippled greens Morgan Creek gives off a distinct feel of the ancient, pastoral courses popular throughout the United Kingdom."It's a thinking man's course," Thinglum said. "It makes you play shots you wouldn't normally play anywhere else. We got more aggressive with this course than what you'd see at a lot of other country clubs."The grass bunkers are a rarely seen characteristic, cut three-to-four-foot high. The berms rise from an otherwise flat fairway and add yet another challenge.Juli Hilton was a resident in the community before coming on board as Morgan Creek's director of golf."What really sold it for my husband and I was the fact that it was so family-oriented," Hilton said. "When we saw everything that was in the works, we said, 'Wow, how many country clubs do you see that have a jumpy house for kids while you hit golf balls at the range?' They've made it family friendly without forgetting the adult angle. There is constant activity and that is very appealing to the Roseville area."