FAIRFIELD – Fairfield Golf & Country Club has undergone major improvements since the formation of a foundation to pay for capital projects two years ago.

When the course celebrated its 130 th anniversary in 2022, it also launched the Kahgahgee Historical Golf Foundation to support capital improvements and provide youth programming. The name Kahgahgee was chosen because that is the Native American name for Crow Creek, which runs through the course.

The country club’s director Jim Weaton said money from the foundation has been put to good use clearing Crow Creek of debris and downed trees, rocking both sides of the creek, and adding concrete cart paths. Earlier this summer, the course hosted 60 kids in week-long golf camps that were also sponsored by the foundation.

“Half of the kids had never touched a golf club before,” Weaton said.

Weaton said the creation of the foundation has taken a great financial burden off the club, and has allowed it to host programs to expand the game of golf.

“The game has been in decline over the years, especially in areas like ours,” Weaton lamented. “It’s been more exclusive. When we established the foundation, one of its premises was to make golf more inclusive in the broader Fairfield community. We offer golf camps to the community, and you don’t have to be a member to participate.”

For youth who can’t afford clubs for the camp, Fairfield Golf & Country Club has 30-40 sets of youth clubs for them to use.

“They’ll be able to participate and learn how to play the game, because it’s a lifetime sport. It’s like bowling,” Weaton said. “We asked our members if they had any spare golf clubs lying around. I probably had three or four sets in my garage that weren’t being used, so I and a lot of our members donated them to the camps.”

Long-time Fairfield golf coach Mick Flattery leads the youth camps, and Weaton said he does a “magnificent job.”

“We were so large this year that we had to split up the camp into a girls’ week and a boys’ week,” Weaton said. “Then we ran a three-week golf league after that, where kids could come out on a Monday when the course is typically closed and play nine holes of golf. We had a championship with a barbecue on the patio, and the kids could swim. A lot of the kids are getting the influence of the country club without having to be members, and they’re learning a sport.”

The course recently added separate senior tee boxes, so there are now four tees for each hole. Weaton said the club has increased participation from “active, older adults” in response. Another new feature are flowers near the tee boxes and clubhouse, courtesy of Chuck and Jan Espy. Chuck is also chair of the foundation board.

“They’ve made a tremendous impact on the aesthetics of the golf course,” Weaton said about the Espys. “It’s just beautiful.”

Weaton said the foundation has put nearly $300,000 into course improvements. The club updated its swimming pool, tearing down the old locker rooms while redoing the deck and pumphouse and putting in a new concession stand. The pool received a new deck and new sound system, so now the club can play separate music at the pool and inside the clubhouse.

The golf course and the pool are restricted to club members and their guests. The club’s dining room is open to the public for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and Weaton raves about the food.

Weaton said it costs the club about $200,000 annually to maintain the course, so the creation of the foundation has allowed it to make improvements to the course that would not otherwise be possible.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com