Farmers Turn Fields Into Fairways

Farmers Turn Fields Into Fairways FARM HOME recreation With crop prices near all-time lows you might be tempted some days to do what Raleigh and Pam Dunston did They plowed their crops under and turned their fields into fairways     Raleigh World golf course opened to the public in June with the last of its 18 greens still being completed They re planning a grand opening celebration later in July     Raleigh World is not your typical perfectly maintained heavily groomed country club-type course In fact the fairways and greens still resemble the pasture and hay fields the Dunstons carved it from over the past six years     Built on an Iowa Century Farm near Lucas Iowa Raleigh World was originally designed just for family and friends But they had so much fun on the first few holes they built the Dunstons decided to go public     Dunston says the course wasn t built to give golfers the same experience they d get on a country club course The barn his great grandfather built more than a hundred years ago now serves as a clubhouse The course makes use of the fields woods and ravines pretty much as they were A little earthwork was done but only where it was absolutely necessary Greens are mostly warm season grasses like bluegrass orchard grass bromegrass and fescue Fairways were simply carved out of the grass and other vegetation that was aready growing there Roughs are the same thing but unmowed Pam s favorite tree stands in the middle of one fairway and it s out of bounds There s a three-stroke penalty for hitting it Raleigh jokes     Cart rental is available And the clubhouse serves beer soft drinks and snacks     In Norwich Ontario brothers Wayne and Aubrey Bertrand also built a golf course on what was once unusable land around their farmhouse     The Bertrand brothers like to keep their 7-hole course looking as good as a country club so they spend more time mowing than they do playing But they say even that is a welcome break from their dairy farm     Don Lobb a retired farmer near Caledron Ontario took a look at seven acres of his own property and envisioned his own golf course It has nine tees scattered around the perimeter of a dog-leg shaped field with three strategically located greens a small pond water hazard and several sand and grass bunkers Using the different tees to shoot at the various greens he can play at least 18 different holes     Lobb has less time than he d like to play on his own golf course but he has neighbors who enjoy it and even help with the mowing and maintenance in return for playing time     All three of these courses can be described as pasture golf courses a back to the basics or no-frills form of golf that seems to be catching on all over North America There s even an unofficial Pasture Golf Association www pasturegolf com where you ll find the Dunston course listed     Dunston Lobb and the Bertrand brothers have found even a small golf course takes large amounts of capital to establish and maintain The Bertrands say they ve sunk thousands into turf trees and shrubs     Dunston says his pasture golf course cost about as much to build as the land was worth He says besides his family heritage scenic beauty was about all the farm had going for it He s counting on that and the unusual experience of playing Raleigh World to recoup his investment and make the farm profitable again     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Raleigh Dunston 11859 550th St Lucas Iowa 50151 ph 641 766-6158 ; Don Lobb 1009 Boston Mills Rd Terra Cotta Ontario Canada L0P 1N0 ph 905 838-2221: email: lamorris@attcanada ca ; or Aubrey Bertrand RR 3 Norwich Ontario Canada N0J 1P0 ph 519 424-9496

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