![]() ![]() At Grand Geneva there’s much more than golf. The others include hotels, resorts and theaters. Grand Geneva is the only golf facility among the 18 Marcus properties. “We’re doing everything we can to keep golf going and to support it.’’ “Playboy and Americana never did things like that,’’ said Hallenbeck. Grand Geneva finds room for junior programs (it even has a team in the PGA Junior League), couples events and PGA, college and high school tournaments. Golf is flat, even decreasing, but we understand what golfers want.’’ “Our groups start with 12-16 players and go up to a massive one that has 325 players. “There have been days when we’ve done up to eight events,’’ said Hallenbeck. We take a little of what everyone else does in golf and blend it in.’’įireworks displays over water are a regular treat for the guests at Grand Geneva.Ĭorporate and charity outings are a fixture at Grand Geneva, but there’s almost always openings for individual play. “I don’t know any resort or club that does the volume that we do,’’ said Hallenbeck. Both are always busy, as Grand Geneva is an extremely popular outing destination. It’s a beautiful place with two fine courses – the well-known Brute and the more user-friendly Highlands. While the absence of the sculpture is notable to the resort’s golf aficionados, it hardly detracts from what Grand Geneva has become under the Marcus ownership. Hallenbeck has proposed that it be restored and re-pointed with a new roof and a plaque to mark its historical significant on the property. That silo has been battered by many errant golf shots and shows signs of wear and tear, too. “It was from the original farmhouse on the property.’’ “We still have the old silo on the 11th hole,’’ said Hallenbeck. 11 of The Brute, but it’s still standing. Lots of golfers hit tee shots into this old silo on No. One icon still remains, and it pre-dates the weird statue. The sculpture did occasionally serve as a rain shelter but was more of a conversation piece than anything else. The whole thing was just falling apart.’’ “I was surprised because it was kind of a landmark,’’ he said, “but it was getting holes in it and it would have cost a lot of money to repair it. Hallenbeck said that taking the iconic sculpture down was a corporate decision. He started as a lifeguard at the resort and worked on the golf side for the last 42 years. “It was supposedly a reproduction of Picasso drawing and was called `The Frustrated Golfer,’’’ said Dave Hallenbeck, the current director of golf who marked his 46th year working on the property on the Fourth of July. This controversial sculpture is gone but still memorable to Grand Geneva golfers.Ī local sculptor, Charles Moelter, created it for Playboy 50 years ago and advised those wondering what it was to “Use your imagination.’’ It was a topic of discussion for most every golfing visitor because nobody knew quite what it was. 16 tee of The Brute course was taken down. In fact one of the most prominent disappeared earlier this year. Americana rebranded as more of a family destination and thrived for a while, too, before encountering its own financial problems. That led to financial trouble and the sale to Americana. The Playboy Club-Hotel thrived for a while but eventually was no longer considered a trendsetter in sex, sophistication or entertainment. Hefner, amidst much fanfare, expanded into the resort world when the Lake Geneva location opened in 1968. Hugh Hefner had created the Playboy Club concept, opening his first facilty in Chicago in 1960. Marcus bought what was then called the Americana Resort in 1981, and that came after Chicago-based Americana Hotels Corporation had taken over what was originally the Playboy Club-Hotel. The current milestone being celebrated is the 25th anniversary of the resort’s ownership by Milwaukee-based Marcus Corporation. LAKE GENEVA, Wis.-This is a milestone year for Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, which is already a place with an interesting history. The 18th green of The Brute course provides a stunning view for Grand Geneva’s hotel guests. ![]()
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