HONORS
> C L I C K H E R E F O R A C O M P L E T E L I S T O F PA R T I C I PAT I N G A M E R I C A N G O L F P L AY E R S C L U B C O U R S E S
I
n a state with more than 800 golf
courses, to be considered one of
the best is high praise. But when
you're tabbed Course of the Year by
your peers it's an honor. Such was
the case with Long Beach's
Skylinks Golf Course when the
California Golf Course Owners
Association bestowed the
honor upon The Players Club
track last December.
"I think when you consider the
nomination criteria – quality, stew-
ardship, management excellence,
community involvement, and a sense
of contribution to the game, Skylinks
really checks all the boxes," said
Chris May, Vice President of Revenue
Management for American Golf,
which operates the course.
May gave special credit to General
Manager Gary Johnson and his staff
who "deliver an excellent product
and ensure the property plays a huge
role as the flagship course of the Long
Beach City golf system."
Opened in 1959, Skylinks has al-
ways been an integral part of the
Long Beach golf landscape. Along
with logging more than 90,000
rounds a year, it also hosts the Long
Beach Golf Festival, which culminates
with the Long Beach Open, one of the
premier city championships in the
country. The course also is home to
the Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame.
The Course of the Year award en-
compasses the role courses play in
their community and how they are
managed, but also their overall qual-
ity and environmental stewardship.
In 2004, a redesign by Cal Olson al-
lowed Skylinks to install modern irri-
gation control systems, as well as
drought-tolerant species of grass,
which reduced its water usage, along
with using recycled water. That has
enabled the course to save millions of
gallons of potable water, and it also
participates in a Long Beach water
program that allows the city to shut
off the water supply to the course
when it's necessary to help manage
overall demand.
Skylinks is also one of the dozens
of courses throughout the region that
is home to The Players Club, which
allows more than 3,800 players daily
access to the driving range, weekly
group lessons and reduced green fees.
And on a personal note, May said
that Skylinks is enjoyable both from a
layout standpoint as well as how cus-
tomers are welcomed and treated.
"It's one of my favorite courses," he
said. "I always seem to have a little
more fun and score better when I
play there. I think some of that speaks
to a fun track but more importantly,
Gary and his team really nail the ex-
perience from a customer-service
perspective."
ABOVE AND BEYOND!
Skylinks lives up to expectations as 2018 Course of the Year
Skylinks Golf Course has been
a Long Beach gem for 60 years.
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