Sapulpa’s new golf course manager has only been on the job a month, but he’s already making waves and breaking records.
Anonymous sources have told Sapulpa Times that historically, the course has had a severe issue with longtime customers playing for free or at self-imposed discounted rates, costing the city tens of thousands of dollars yearly.
Those same sources said that as soon as 21-year-old Kain Leisure showed up on the scene, changes began to happen, and many of those customers got notice that their days of playing at a free or reduced rate would be coming to an end.
The change in leadership comes after the city had already begun correcting the ship’s course by changing some of its fees and structures to better accommodate the families and the city.
Leisure is from Kansas and said he wasn’t looking for the job initially, but he knew he “wanted a job in golf.” He said someone he knew saw the open position and encouraged him to apply.
He said that although some customers who had become accustomed to playing at a certain rate were initially upset, most of them have come back and paid their full fees or become members.
“Most of these folks want to play golf here,” Leisure said. “They don’t want to go to Tulsa or Sand Springs. They like the fact that they have a golf course in their own town.”
As a result, the course could be in better shape financially than it has been in years.
“In the first three weeks I was here, we made $6,000 more than our best month last year,” Leisure said.
When asked whether his age had been an issue with the customer or the staff, he said, “Not really,” adding how nice everyone had been since he arrived.
In addition to these changes at the Historic Rock Creek Golf Course, improvements to the greens are being made as the season winds down.
As of July, the course also has a new food and beverage director, who we hope to feature in an upcoming story.
