By Steve Korby
Golf Guide: Grand View Golf Links
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Chris Klatte is the owner of Grand View Golf Links on Midway Road by the Dry Dock Restaurant, and he holds the lease to operate the public Proctor Golf Course on Highway 2 in downtown Proctor.
The golf course business is in his blood. "My grandpa built the golf course in Plymouth, Minnesota," Klatte said. "My dad was the pro and my uncle was the greenskeeper. I grew up working on a golf course."
While in Plymouth in 1997, Chris, then 21, had a friend who wanted to partner with him and purchase a nine-hole golf course they could fix up and make profitable. They actually looked in the yellow pages under "Golf Course Real Estate." They found the Pine Hill Golf Course in Carlton. They'd never been to Carlton, but visited the course and bought it.
"They had an old hay barn for a clubhouse" chuckled Chris. They put in a lot of work, built a beautiful, functional clubhouse, did irrigation and pond work, and improved the greens.
A few years later, the Grand view course went for sale. In a transaction that took only a couple of weeks, Chris became the Grand View owner. He sold Pine Hill to James Barry, who has since become a best friend. He began an ambitious marketing plan with newspaper, radio, and television ads that included $5 Grand View greens fees and other specials. Players started to make their way back. Management and employees constructed a beautiful clubhouse and bar. The course got in better shape, leagues were resurrected, and golf activity increased dramatically.
If you haven't been to the Grand View in a while, check it out. You'll enjoy the golfing experience.
