On this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, Rob Thomas, Editor-in-Chief of Club + Resort Business, chats with Brock Orlowski, MBA, CDORS, USPTA Elite, PPR, Director of Racquet Sports at Fort Wayne (Ind.) Country Club. The two talk about everything from growing the racquets industry through The Directors’ Club of America and the inaugural Directors’ Club Retreat, to cultivating the rapidly growing interest in racquet sports—pickleball, tennis, padel, and more.

Rob and Senior Editor Phil Keren also discussed some innovative projects and events happening at golf courses around the country.

Canal Shores golf course in Evanston, Ill. will now be known as The Evans at Canal Shores, offering a connection to the namesake of the Evans Scholars Foundation, Chick Evans. The new golf course will re-open in 2025 with an upgraded par-60, 18-hole golf course, youth development training center and Western Golf Association Caddie Academy. Evans attended high school in Evanston and became a great amateur golfer. Instead of turning professional, Evans worked with the Western Golf Association to use the earnings from his golf career to establish the Evans Scholars Foundation in 1930.

Wanakah Country Club in Hamburg, N.Y. recently hosted its ninth annual golf marathon. This year’s event teed off at 5:20 a.m. and included 28 players who played and walked 100 holes of golf in the one-day tournament. The event, known as “The Walk Fore Luca & Carly,” benefits Roswell Park’s Courage of Carly Fund for programs supporting pediatric cancer patients and their families, and Live Like Luca, the Luca S. Calanni Foundation.

A proposed short course at the Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn. and The Loop Golf Course in Chaska, Minn., showcase innovations that cater to diverse golfing needs and abilities. Stanwich Club’s short course, named “The Cauldron,” offers a quicker game with about half the number of holes of a standard 18-hole course. This format is designed for those looking to improve their skills or enjoy a faster round of golf.

The Loop Golf Course in Chaska, Minn. has emerged as a groundbreaking facility designed with wheelchair users in mind. This 9-hole, par-28 course, created through a partnership between the city of Chaska and Barrier Free Golf, eliminates traditional barriers such as sand traps and rough terrain to ensure accessibility for all players.