Writer: Seth Johnson
Photography provided by Josh Brown & Maple Creek
A great deal of history lies within the greens of Maple Creek Golf & Country Club. Located on Indianapolis’ historic east side, Maple Creek is the first 18-hole course designed by world-renowned course architect Pete Dye, making it a notable golf destination for some. To Joe Lorenzano, however, Maple Creek is much more than that.
“I actually grew up here,” says Lorenzano, who now works as the membership director at Maple Creek Golf & Country Club. “My family and I joined when I was a teenager, so I essentially learned how to play what I would call strategic golf here because it is a Dye design. He always makes you think out there on the golf course.”
Founded in 1961 as Heather Hills Golf and Country Club, Maple Creek Golf & Country Club has become an important part of its community over the decades, playing host to golfers and their loved ones alike. Having recently transitioned from semi-private to private, the club is still striving to be as welcoming and family-friendly as it ever was, offering its members with a fun, relaxing time on and off the course.
Since coming on as the course’s PGA pro and general manager a decade ago, Jim Grossi has aimed to maintain the club’s family feel.
“We’ve always wanted to present a family atmosphere — a welcoming attribute to the club,” Grossi says. “I really think that’s been a huge part of our success. Our members feel that it’s a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere in everything we do with our amenities program and the staff that we have on board. I think that’s vital for our current and future success.”
In overseeing such a historic course, both Grossi and Lorenzano also want to make sure Maple Creek is the best that it can be. They are always looking out for ways they can improve the club.
“Jim and I will visit a facility, and it could be anywhere in the country,” Lorenzano says. “We’ll pick one thing from that facility and try to bring it back to Maple Creek. Everybody has something that they do very well, and there’s always something that we can learn from a head pro at another club that we admire.”
Ultimately, the bonds that Grossi and Lorenzano have with other PGA professionals across the country allow them to offer Maple Creek members with the best experience possible.
“There’s just a mix of clubs that we visit and talk to,” Lorenzano says. “It’s a lifelong connection at the end of the day for PGA professionals across the country, and they’re wanting to help each other out because no facility is perfect. So there’s always room to improve.”
In recent years, Maple Creek Golf & Country Club has been improving on their facilities, both on and off the course. Inside the clubhouse, the lower-level Pete Dye’s Pub has received a major makeover.
“We’ve done a lot of renovations to try to update, modernize, and make it a place where the members hang out before and after a round, or late into the evening,” Lorenzano says.
Out on the links, efforts to improve player experience are consistently being made as well, whether that’s making tee box adjustments or trimming up trees. At the end of the day, Grossi and Lorenzano simply want to offer up a club that makes their members and the surrounding community proud.
“If you look at the east side of Indy, there’s a lot of historical pride,” Grossi says. “Those who live here and have lived here understand that, and they want nothing other than the best for this community. There’s growth in this area, and we want to make sure that continues.”
Maple Creek Golf & Country Club is located at 10501 E 21st St. You can visit them online at MapleCreekGC.com or give them a call at 317-894-3343.
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