Bocce has struck gold at Greenhorn Creek Resort. Already home to a Robert Trent Jones II championship layout that has served as the centerpiece nugget since 1996 at California’s premier Gold Country resort two hours from the San Francisco Bay Area, a pair of bocce ball courts are the new shiny assets now making headlines.
With a nationwide movement among golf clubs devising supplementary amenities to retain and build on membership, Greenhorn Creek Resort is proving to be at the forefront of this evolution and it has caught the attention of PGA Magazine (July 2017), the official publication for the PGA of America.
“A small investment not involving golf has made a big impact at Greenhorn Creek Resort,” according to the monthly publication. “Last spring, the facility transformed a spot outside the clubhouse, near the first tee and 18th green, into a pair of bocce ball courts. The addition has changed the vibe at the entire facility.”
In response to the new activity, the resort’s PGA Head Professional, Jim Dillashaw says, “It has kept a lot of our members engaged, especially those who aren’t quite so golf-active. For spouses who have given up the game of golf, it has kept the family as members.”
The bocce ball courts have swiftly paid dividends with 40 four-person teams signing up for member-guest league play on Thursday nights during the spring and fall. And to help keep bocce players nourished, Greenhorn Creek has installed an outdoor pizza oven and bar, barbeque area adjacent the award-winning CAMPS Restaurant and The Cellar Room featuring vintner member wines from Calaveras County.