Teaching the game of golf at the grassroots level

For 100 years, cries of “Fore!” have echoed through the still air over the verdant fairways of Querbes Golf Course.

The local golf course, which has served as the training ground for thousands of golfers, amateurs and pros alike, will celebrate its centennial this summer with a string of special events. Called 100 Days of Querbes, the celebration is already underway, with films, putt-putt and golf planned for the public.

“Fairways and Films” is a series of golf-related motion pictures that will be shown outdoors on the course. The final movie in the series will be “Happy Gilmore.” Concessions will be available for purchase from Querbes Grille. Some movies contain material unsuitable for all ages, so parental discretion is advised.

Querbes also hosts a night-time Glow Ball for just $40 per person. Sign up early, as space is limited. Also, for just $20 for a family of four, folks can enjoy Querbes’ 9-hole LED putt-putt course.

One highlight of 100 Days of Querbes is the inaugural Squirrel Scramble 5K and Fun Run, set for June 14, in which participants will scurry like squirrels about the grassy paths of Querbes. The Fun Run begins at 7:30 a.m., followed by the 5K run at 7:45 a.m.

It all culminates with Querbes’ centennial weekend, July 11-13, beginning with the Million Dollar Shootout and Par-tee, the ultimate hole-in-one challenge, in which 10 lucky golfers can win $1 million. It all wraps up with a grand Anniversary Golf Tournament, welcoming past and present players to compete and reminisce about Querbes’ dazzling history as Shreveport’s community golf course.

Initially known as Broadmoor Country Club, Querbes Golf Course was established in 1924, with the first tournament played in July 1925, according to golf pro Nathan Barrow. “It didn’t get renamed Querbes until right around World War II,” he said. The Broadmoor Country Club fell on financial hard times, and “the Querbes family stepped in and helped it stay open.”

Despite its birth name, Querbes is an 18- hole course open to the public. “It is owned by the city of Shreveport and is a municipal public golf course, open to all the citizens.”

Local golf pros like Hal Sutton, David Toms and Meredith Duncan learned the game by playing in high school matches on Querbes’ fairways. Such high school tournaments have been played at Querbes since the 1950s. “And we’ve had some other big-name hall-of-famers like Sam Snead and Jackie Burke; they’ve also played matches out here,” said Barrow. “Everybody’s played Querbes Park. This is where everybody learned to play golf.”

Querbes is called a “friendly golf course,” he said. “It’s easy to learn the game of golf out here. It isn’t overly long. There’s not a lot of hazard and penalty areas. There’s just open parkland, so it makes it an easy place for beginners to learn to play the game and fall in love with it. And so this is really golf at its grassroots level, growing and building the game, and funneling people up into country clubs, into college golf, into tournament golf … but it’s also plenty challenging enough for pros to come play. … Pros still love to play because of the variety of shots you have to play here.

“Because it’s a hundred years old, (Querbes) is very different from the modern golf courses. It’s on a smaller tract of land so the holes are closer together. Because it’s such an older, mature golf course, our trees are bigger out here.” That provides an added challenge. Modern courses, Barrow said, have smaller trees, which are easier to shoot over.

Barrow said that most cities the size of Shreveport have at least one municipal golf course to teach the public how to play golf. “Parks and recreation are a big part of any city. Citizens like to go outside. They like to stay healthy. They like to be active. Whether it’s walking trails or tennis, golf is a big part of staying healthy.”

Over the last century, Querbes has evolved with upgrades and renovations such as a more thorough sprinkler system, new grass and new equipment to help maintain the facility.

Querbes is not just a golf course. It has become a landmark to the city of Shreveport, a place where folks can come and leisurely learn to play golf, a community of players with a special history and a place looking ahead to the next century.