WELLMAN

When Nathan Klostermann was a high school student at Mid-Prairie in the 1990’s, the first assignment given in his speech class was to speak on something that makes his town unique. He gave his speech on the Wellman Golf Club.

Thirty years later, Klostermann is on a mission to inject that same golf club with fresh spirit and a new lease on life. Having left his hometown and returned, he’s now invested in what makes Wellman cool, and the golf club he’s known and loved since childhood is high on the list.

“I grew up working on this golf course,” he says, standing behind the new wood bar he recently built inside the clubhouse. “When I was 13, my grandfather was the guy in charge of mowing, so I was the guy weed eating and mowing the tee boxes and pulling weeds from 13 until I graduated. Every summer I spent out here with him, memories that I’ll cherish forever.”

That early experience proved to be an investment in the course that he would pick up again later.

“When I moved back here, the golf course was of primary importance to me, to get to have a hand in keeping it going and hopefully make some improvements,” he continues.

Upon his return to Wellman after years living in Coralville, Klostermann quickly joined the board of the Wellman Golf Club, putting himself in position to do just that. At his first meeting, he proposed adding a bar to the clubhouse.

Why a bar?

“It just makes it feel more like a golf course,” he says.

The board was “pretty receptive,” but concerned about how they would fund it.

That issue was quickly remedied. Larry Drayfahl offered to donate the materials, and Klostermann, who had experience building his own bar at home, volunteered to build the bar himself.

“It was a lot of hard work and a lot of sweat and some splinters and stuff like that, but I loved the experience,” he says.

By March 2024, occupying what had been empty space inside the clubhouse was now a long wood bar that comfortably seats eight.

While “the goal is basically to have a place for people to sit and share their golf stories,” Klostermann built the bar with foresight; the backside is outfitted with electrical outlets and has plenty of space for food and drink storage, should future developments require it.

And future developments are very much on Klostermann’s mind, although a permanent liquor license for the clubhouse isn’t one of them. (Golfers can bring their own beer on the course, and a 1-day license for events is also a possibility.)

The board has essentially three goals at present: to add value for club members, to attract non-club members to the course, and to better serve the community.

Founded in 1925, “Our memberships have kept us alive for almost 100 years,” Klostermann says. But, given the seasonal nature of the golf season, “There’s a couple months’ gap where your membership isn’t doing much for you.”

Larger clubhouses might have a restaurant or host galas from November to March. Those aren’t options at Wellman’s clubhouse, but by building the bar and making other improvements to the space, there are other possibilities. The club might hold Superbowl parties or host movie nights for kids, for example.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to come up with some creative ways to increase the benefits of membership out here and add things that you and your family can do together,” Klostermann says. “All of this was just a steppingstone towards that and creating a space where we can entertain people more.”

One need not be a member to enjoy a game of golf; anyone can put $15 in the self-serve box and play all day on the 9-hole course. However, “We don’t make a ton of money on outsiders coming in,” Klostermann says.

If you aren’t from the Wellman area, you may not know the Wellman Golf Club exists. Travelers and tourists most likely zip through the state on I-80 unless they have a specific destination in mind; “People stumbling upon us are admittedly rare because we’re a little bit off the beaten path,” Klostermann says.

In addition, the Wellman course isn’t typical, but rather a “novelty” with its sand greens (see sidebar).

“You’re not playing it because it’s the type of golf you’re used to,” Klostermann says, “You’re going to come play it because its different and something new to experience.”

An avid golfer, he gets around the state and spends time with other golfers. In those circles, “When I talk to people about being from Wellman, they’re aware that Wellman has a sand greens course,” Klostermann says. “The next thing is, they’ve never played it because they can’t even comprehend how it works.”

The golf course being both remote and weird adds up to a challenge that the board wants to overcome. Their ideas for how to do that? Keep up their social media outreach, mainly via the Wellman Golf Course Facebook page, and create a short, informative video that could be accessed via QR codes posted at entries to the course that would show how golfing at a sand greens course works.

A new perk that benefits both club members and visitors to the course this summer is availability of peak-season golf cart rental. For the first time, from June to August, golf carts provided by Yotty’s can be rented at the course with 24-hour notice. While not expected to be profitable, it is a much-needed service.

The upgraded clubhouse also provides a convenient gathering place for folks in the area regardless of their interest in golf. Graduation parties, birthday parties, and class reunions have all been held there, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what’s possible.

“Part of this [improvement project] was wanting to expand people’s perception of what the space could be used for,” Klostermann says. “We’re trying to let people know organically that it’s here and available and let them use their imaginations for things they can do.”

As Klostermann shows off the new and improved clubhouse, what he is most proud of is not his own work, but that of his fellow board members and those whose volunteer hours make the course a unique and cool piece of Wellman.

“The thing I’m most proud of about the golf course is the people who are volunteering regularly,” he says. “The board has got a lot of time and energy and effort in here, and everybody on this board shows up every time they’re asked to do something. Even if it’s a tournament that they’re not playing, people are still out here helping with stuff.”

Current board members include Brooke Bringman, Chris Bringman, Amy Drayfahl, Brandy Gholson, Tracy Owens, Trever Owens, Abbi Patterson, and Joey Patterson. Shannon McCain recently stepped down from the board but continues to run the Tuesday night men’s league and has contributed greatly to the improvements and maintenance of the course for many years. In addition, Dave Kelly puts many hours into groundskeeping and mowing.

Course upkeep takes a village, Klostermann notes. Over the years, many people have pitched in with hedge trimming and raking limbs after storms, and recently a crew of volunteers did the labor-intensive work of repairing the sand greens.

“I just couldn’t say enough good things about the people that are putting their time in out here,” he concludes. “It’s been a wonderful experience.”

To learn more about the Wellman Golf Club, follow “Wellman Golf Course” on Facebook, visit the self-serve course at 905 1st Ave., Wellman, or call 319-461-5598 regarding clubhouse rentals. The course is open 7 days, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.