Heather Downs ownership strives to return golf course to its roots
Kyle Rowland
The Blade
The first sign of progress at Heather Downs Country Club came last summer when a customer walked from the parking lot back to the patio to shake hands with general manager Brian Garzony and thank him for the improvements.
When Tony Garzony purchased the club in February, 2023, from Al Mocek, the Bowling Green native had business on his mind — increasing revenue and decreasing expenses. But the No. 1 priority was returning Heather Downs — a Toledo institution — to its roots as a favored area golf destination.
“One of the questions I get asked a lot is, ‘What are the biggest surprises?’” Tony Garzony said. “And I would say it’s how passionate people are about this place. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met, and they say, I grew up at Heather Downs, or my dad was a member there, or I caddied there. I hear that every day. People just love this place.”
Entering its second century, Heather Downs is trying to find its footing after an uneven 15 years since going public during a 2009 sale. Garzony is the third owner since ‘09, with the course’s condition worsening significantly over the past half-decade.
Garzony, 64, and his son, Brian, 34, who has a hospitality management degree from Ohio State and previously worked at Marriott International, want to innovate while focusing on golf’s core audience. They’ve introduced a Heather Downs app with tee time booking, GPS, and daily deals.
There’s an effort to tap into golf’s youth movement and the game’s overall explosion in popularity since coronavirus lockdowns, evidenced by the club’s newly created TikTok account. According to the National Golf Foundation, junior golf has seen a 40 percent increase since 2018. In 2024, the 18-34 demographic became the largest group of on-course players with more than six million participants.
“That [demographic] is our No. 1 goal,” said Brian Garzony, a 2009 St. John’s Jesuit graduate. “Every day, I see it here at the front desk. We have groups of young women who ask for a bucket of balls. A decade ago, I would have never guessed that. And it’s not just younger women. Golf has become cool, and it’s continued beyond the Tiger Woods cool factor, which we all remember in the ‘90s.
“We’re hoping it’s sustainable. You keep growing the game and finding new ways for people to have fun. Golf is supposed to be fun. Bring your girlfriend, bring whoever, play some music. We want to lean into that and get away from the stuffiness.”
Heather Downs was established in 1924 and opened as a golf and equestrian club in 1925. It used to include a second 18 holes across the street, which is now South Toledo Golf Club. Heather Downs is one of three Toledo courses to host a USGA championship, along with Inverness and Ottawa Park. JoAnne Gunderson (Carner) won the 1956 US Girls’ Junior, marking the beginning of a Hall of Fame career.
William J. Rockefeller — the first Inverness superintendent — designed the course with assistance from famed architect Donald Ross. The bones were still sturdy, but recent years of neglect made the course less desirable. Greens and fairways went several years without being aerated. Bunkers were ignored.
One customer told Tony Garzony that bunkers in their league were ground under repair.
“I was like, are you serious?!” Garzony said. “The first meeting I had with Bryan [Monroe], the superintendent, I said, ‘Hey, what do you need? I’m here to help you. We’re gonna turn this place around. I have to give you the tools to make this a great golf course.’”
The overhaul has been all-encompassing. Garzony has purchased new mowers, sand, fertilizer, and electric golf carts, and cut down and trimmed trees. The conditioning of bunkers and tee boxes has drastically improved.
“Imagine having your signature hole, a downhill par 3, where you can actually see the green for a change,” Garzony said, referencing the previously overgrown three branches on No. 5. “Every penny we make here is going right back into the course. I want this place to be great.”
Toledo native Al Lipinski has been a member since 1984. The 75-year-old is still there nearly every day. It’s not a private golf club anymore, but that’s fine with Lipinski. Heather Downs remains an integral part of his life.
“They’ve put a lot of effort and a lot of financing into it,” Lipinski said. “After [the members] sold it to the first buyer, it was OK. And then it was going into a little bit of disrepair. But since Mr. Garzony took over, he’s putting money back into it. He’s got the bunkers being restored and maintained. Bryan Monroe’s crew is bigger. Overall, I think they’re making a fine effort. It’s a great golf course.
“I’ve been there in the private years, in the semi-private years, through a number of ups and downs. I’m going to continue to play there as long as I possibly can. I’ve got some good friends there.”
Karen Stone, the matriarch of the Stone golfing family (Mike and Steve), echoed Lipinski’s comments on the progress at Heather Downs. Karen and her husband, Doug, were members until 2007 and still have fond feelings for the club.
“We have many great memories of Heather Downs,” Stone said. “Tony has done a nice job of improving the clubhouse. It takes a lot of work and time to improve a golf course, and I wish him all the best.”
The clubhouse was repainted, and new flooring was installed. A new event planner, Amanda Myers, was hired, as the club is bolstering its wedding business and hosting holiday brunches and other events.
“I walked through here on a league night, and I’m getting high-fives,” Brian Garzony said. “The neighborhoods are noticing. Someone said, ‘I just wanted to say thank you to you and your family for what you guys are doing to this place.’ You can’t start taking those leaps until you’ve kind of mastered the basics, which were missing for so long.”
The surest way to get business back is to have a well-maintained course, especially the greens. But the Garzonys also emphasize customer service. Positive hospitality engenders appreciation. (So does a driving range with no mats.)
“Here we are on a Monday, and look,” Brian Garzony said. “You see carts everywhere. It hasn’t been like this in years past. Our thing is, if you provide a quality golf course, word will get around, and people will start to take notice.”
Tony Garzony estimates that he’s given away $1,500 in gift cards. Some golf course owners would shudder at that amount of charity, but Garzony views it as a goodwill gesture. And those customers are likely to return with other people and purchase food and drinks.
“If you hate us, we gotta get you back to try us again,” Garzony said. “A lot of people have said, ‘I’m never coming back here.’ Well, here’s a gift card. No one turns that down. I always tell them it’s a trick. And they go, ‘What do you mean?’ And I go, ‘It’s a trick to get you out here with three of your friends.’ They come out and golf, drink some beer, and have a good time. And then they’ll come back.”
As nine-hole rounds rise in popularity, Garzony found it important to make the course available to working professionals who want to play nine holes in the evening. Toward the end of the previous Heather Downs regime, the course became overrun with leagues in the evening, making tee times nearly impossible to book.
Not anymore. Leagues will be finished by 6 p.m. And slow play, an industry-wide Scrooge, has been addressed by making tee times every 10 minutes instead of every seven minutes. A small but potentially mighty change.
Shorter rough is another adjustment to help speed up play. Wayward tee shots in long grass lead to searching for the ball and back-ups on the tee. And the shorter the grass is, the lower the scores.
When Heather Downs opened to the public in 2009, it was arguably the best daily fee course in northwest Ohio. The Garzonys “absolutely” want to recapture that past.
“I have such fond memories of this place,” Brian Garzony said. “I kind of felt a calling and a little bit of a duty to at least help bring it back. I’m excited about what we can do.”
Source: ToledoBlade.com