The Jefferson Community Golf Course will open its inaugural season managed solely by the city with someone familiar to local golfers at the helm. The hiring of Micah Destival as manager was approved by the Jefferson city council at its Feb. 9 meeting.
Destival is a 1997 Jefferson-Scranton high school graduate. He started golfing at the course when he was in seventh or eighth grade, he said. During his college years and since, he has golfed at the course during visits to his parents, Dave and Ginny Destival of Jefferson.
“I take a lot of pride in the place already, and I want it to do well,” he said.
Destival holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from Northwest Missouri State University and a master’s, also in geography, from the University of Northern Iowa. He is a PGA professional and worked as golf pro at the 18-hole Fox Ridge golf course in Dike for two years. He also worked as a golf pro in a major sporting goods store in Waterloo.
According to Destival, most golf courses are struggling financially, with the recent economic recession prompting many golfers to find other leisure activities. He said that when he was young he rode his bicycle to the golf course and played all day. Children don’t do that anymore.
The Jefferson city council had approved a more affordable fee structure for memberships before hiring Destival. “I like the new structure. The reduced cost will encourage more families to golf. The trick will be to get people back to golfing and to focus on getting kids golfing,” he said.
He will “think out of the box” when it comes to attracting golfers, he said, and named a rate for a short 4-hole round and package deals with nearby golf courses as possibilities.
He said that in golf, good customer service is critical. He is looking forward to building relationships with the frequent golfers and offering hospitality to occasional golfers. “Golf is one business where being friendly goes a really long way,” Destival said.
The city council approved a salary of $3,700 a month for 8-1/2 months beginning Feb. 15. His duties include handling all operations of the golf course including rentals of the meeting/banquet room, organizing leagues, building membership, and financial reports. He will answer directly to city administrator Mike Palmer.
Destival’s wife Kelly is business manager for the UNI athletic department. Because of the seasonal nature of the golf course manager position, the young family does not plan to relocate, but will enjoy the benefits of having parents who live in Jefferson. Micah and Kelly have sons ages 5 and 2-1/2 years.
