Thief River Falls Golf Club
Beautiful Location
Along the winding banks of the Thief River and located off of Highway 32, you’ll find the picturesque Thief River Falls Golf Club. This public facility is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a full 18-hole course in 2023. However, the original 9-hole course dates back over 100 years. This par 72 course has 6336 yards of golf and opened for the season on May 3, 2023. Eric Charlson is the Thief River Falls Golf Club Manager. He explained, “We have a full service facility, so come out and enjoy it!”
Eric manages the kitchen, bar, pro shop and oversees the booking of events. The other full time employee, Jeff, is the Superintendent, who takes care of the grounds. Otherwise, they have a seasonal staff of about thirty who handle all the rest of the jobs on the course. Eric is in his fourth year now, but he’s been in the golf course industry for almost 20 years. Prior to that, he owned a liquor store, so he’s been a business owner and manager for over thirty years.
Fun For All
Providing a venue and facilities for hosting events of up to 275 people is a big part of what the Thief River Falls Golf Club does. They have a full service kitchen and bar. Eric described, “It's basically an event center. We welcome the public. Some people like to have a family outing. They do a round of golf, and then they come up and have lunch or dinner afterwards.”
New for this year is Sunday brunch from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm. Eric elaborated, “It is a breakfast buffet right now, including egg bake, pancakes, French toast, sausage and bacon.” When the full course is open, they offer lunch and dinner with a variety of burgers and sandwiches.
The clubhouse deck is a great hangout place. It’s located upstairs off of the bar and kitchen. Eric explained, "It holds about 25-30 people. It was designed to have people out there and overlook the 18th and 9th greens, and the river. It's a nice place to view the sunset or sunrise. Just sit, relax, have dinner, and look at the scenery around you. We want to make sure everybody comes out there and enjoys it.”
“I think the whole atmosphere of the golf course is fun,” Eric stated. “You're outside. It's a very beautiful Golf Club. We're lucky to have this in Northwest Minnesota. It’s an 18-hole, championship golf course. We have members, but there are always tee times available for the public to come out and play as well.”
Making Gains Every Year
Upon starting work at the Thief River Falls Golf Club, Eric noted that the POS system was older. He said, “It might have been from the '80s, so I started looking around at newer options.” He learned that Robin Hood Business Services was local, and they had a POS system Eric was interested in. A proposal was prepared and put before the board, and they accepted it. “The Thief River Falls Golf Club wants to put their money toward the local community and businesses,” Eric said. “Businesses in the area survive by sticking with each other.”
Every year during the off season, Eric meets with Scott and runs through their numbers to see what improvements can be made. Each year they’ve tweaked the POS system to include additional features that make running reports easier. Eric pointed out, “We make gains every year. We can program in happy hour, and then we don’t have to worry about adding discounts. With this POS system on Ladies’ night, you can check in at the Pro Shop, and get a bottle of pop. Next, go up to our beverage cart and get a glass of wine. Then, go upstairs and eat dinner. You don't have to pay until the end. It’s very convenient for people to be able to do all of these different things, and not have to keep pulling out their card or cash constantly.”
Honest and Hard Working
Eric complemented the staff at Robin Hood Business Services, saying “Not only is Scott a good guy, he has a staff who all know their stuff and are always willing to help. If the tills aren’t working, even on a weekend, I'll give them a call. Even if they’re on vacation, they’re willing to help you out.”
“I owned a liquor store and it's very difficult to find a card processing company that isn't just in it for the money,” Eric emphasized. “I’d have a POS system for a month or two, and I'd look into the numbers and find out that they're charging more than what they said. They’d lie. So it’s great to have the honest and hard working people from Robin Hood Business Services. I've just enjoying working with them ever since I've had them. I’ve had no hassles whatsoever. The only thing that's been difficult is getting everything programmed.”
When was the last time you sat down with someone from Robin Hood Business Services and ran through your numbers? They want to help you succeed. Call 218-688-2204 to schedule a consultation time today!
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