Clover Meadows set to celebrate 25 years with low rates, scramble

CLOVERDALE -- In celebration of being open for 25 years, Clover Meadows is running a special in August and September of $18 for 18 holes and a cart on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Also, it will be hosting the Clover Meadows Shootout on Aug. 17.

The Clover Meadows Shootout 4-man scramble is a bring-your-best-team format with a limit of one golf pro per team. The tourney will pay cash to the winning teams.

"We hope to attract golfers from around the state to battle each other in this format. The last time we had a tourney like this it was a lot of fun and we had over 30 teams. If we get 36 teams I will give the winning team $5,000," owner Bob Gerlach says.

Gerlach opened Clover Meadows Golf Course 25 years ago as a nine-hole course. Since then the venue has become the home course for professional golfer Chad Collins and Cloverdale High School.

Collins has finished 3rd on the Web.com Tour two times in 2013. He ranks 36th in Money Leaders on the Web.com Tour.

Still in charge of the course, founder Gerlach did most of the work himself in the early days and spent many hours talking with golf course design experts.

"It all started with an aerial view of the land," Gerlach said. "I contacted many people about the design and began to put the holes in place. It took many hours and many long days to get it started."

Nine holes ended up not being enough for the Clover Meadows owner, so after four years he started expanding and began work on nine additional holes.

Clover Meadows has gained a reputation as a course that is challenging and always open for play. Due to the drainage and design, the course is able to stay open when many others have to close due to rain.

Gerlach's years as an excavator came in handy in designing and developing the layout. The course is hilly and heavily wooded, ravines crisscross the fairways and ponds are throughout the course.

Gerlach and Clover Meadows have been an advocate for bringing golf to the young people. The course has hosted many high school golf teams, prompting coaches and athletes to remark that the owner allows kids to learn the game and play on a top notch course while giving access that many other courses would not.

To register or for more information on Clover Meadows call the clubhouse at 795-6001.

The course is open daily at 6:30 a.m. and encourage players to make tee times.