Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Page 5
Adventurous golf pro takes over at IVGC
By Steve Fairchild
Staff Writer
The sport of golf has
taken Michael Day on ad-
ventures from coast to
coast, but as the new head
golf pro at Illinois Valley
Golf Club, Day said he has
finally found a place to
settle down.
Two years ago, Day,
64, was living on a 44-foot
sailboat in the harbors of
Long Beach and San
Pedro, Calif.
He owned a Pearson
Countess, No. 18 of 56
boats in the world, and
worked on the driving
range at Harbor Golf Prac-
tice Center in Southern
California.
When he met his wife,
Barbara, at Calvary Chapel
in Costa Mesa, Calif., his
days of living on the high
seas came to a close and
the newly married couple
moved to Selma.
Before taking over at
IVGC, Day worked for 14
months at Grants Pass Golf
Club as an assistant under
former pro, Ed Fisher, and
current pro, Kent DeRo-
cher.
Day grabbed the reins
at IVGC when longtime
pro, Rex Denham, moved
on to Beau Pre Golf
Course in McKinleyville,
Calif.
“People here are really
very nice,” Day said of his
new job. “I like the club
and would like to see it
flourish.”
Day’s goal is to restore
IVGC to its former glory.
At one time the club had
more than 150 members.
Now it has a little more
than 60.
Day has a goal of at-
tracting six new members
per month. At $69 a month
to join the club, he said
there is plenty of potential.
“I want to bring a pro-
am or two back like when
Rex Denham was here,”
Day said. “That would
really help the town too. If
you can bring in 100 or so
golfers, it’s going to bring
in revenue to the town.”
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Michael Day, head pro at Illinois Valley Golf Club, pauses on hole No. 1. (Photo by Steve Fairchild)
According to Day, the
golf course experienced a
decline in the past few
years due to some prob-
lems with getting enough
water for irrigation.
The club has since ac-
quired an easement from a
private neighbor to get irri-
gation water from the Illi-
nois River. The club spent
between $50,000 and
$60,000 on construction to
irrigate the course.
Day’s golf duties at
IVGC include giving
group and private lessons,
assisting with golf tourna-
ments and day-to-day op-
erations. His favorite part
of the job is taking clients
on the course for strategy
sessions where he can
coach them through each
shot.
Day has two sons, a
daughter and five grand-
children. His wife’s
brother, Bobby Burgess,
was one of the original
mouseketeers on the
Mickey Mouse Club show.
Day has been playing
golf for 45 years and has
been a pro for 30 years.
Among his career accom-
plishments was a period of
two years in the New Eng-
land section of the PGA
when he won six pro-ams.
He has also sunk five
hole-in-ones. His lowest
score through nine holes
was a 6-under par 30.
He is also the author of
(Continued on page 7)
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