Elizabeth Clarkson talks about the evolution of The Chimneys Golf Course and what it takes to operate a successful municipal golf facility. From her career path in the golf industry and the early challenges facing the course to major improvements, youth programming, and long-term vision, Clarkson shares how The Chimneys has grown into a financially strong and welcoming community asset while remaining accessible to golfers of all experience levels.

Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself, how you got into golf, and what led you to your role at The Chimneys?

A: I’ve been in the golf industry for over 20 years now. I spent 18 of those years at Chateau Elan, which is really where I grew up in golf. My degree from the University of Georgia is actually in advertising, so golf was not the original plan. I had to decide whether I wanted to work in a big city office building or be outside, and I realized pretty quickly that I liked green space.

I started working in golf as a beverage cart attendant and just fell in love with the environment. I eventually moved into the golf shop, and the director of golf at the time encouraged me to consider the PGA program. The more I looked into it, the more it made sense. I pursued that path, became a PGA member, and stayed at Chateau Elan for many years.

Eventually, the property went through an ownership change, and I decided it was time to push myself out of the nest. A close friend of mine is the executive director of the Georgia PGA, and he suggested there was an opportunity at The Chimneys. Initially, it was framed as coming in to monitor things and help stabilize operations, but it quickly turned into something much bigger. I’ve now been here just over four and a half years.

Q: For people who may not know, can you share a little about the history of The Chimneys and how it became a city-run course?

A: The course opened in 2002, and the land has always been owned by the City of Winder, which is something a lot of people don’t realize. The course was originally operated by a private company called Eagle Greens, which owned several golf courses in the region.

When Eagle Greens folded, the City of Winder assumed operations of The Chimneys around 2014. From there, it continued operating as a municipal golf course. It ran that way for several years, but unfortunately, it wasn’t as successful financially as the city had hoped.

When I arrived in 2021, the course was losing, on average, about $250,000 per year. That meant the general fund was having to keep it afloat, which really shouldn’t happen with a municipal golf course. At minimum, it should pay for itself.

Q: What were you asked to do when you first came in?

A: The initial goal was simple: make it pay for itself. But I felt like we should aim higher than that. Paying for itself is the floor, not the ceiling. If you don’t know where your base is, you can’t grow beyond it.

In my first partial fiscal year, even with only about two months under my belt, we finished just shy of $600,000 in revenue. This year, following greens renovations and several operational changes, my goal was $2.75 million in revenue. We’re currently over $300,000 in profit and only seven months into the fiscal year.

Q: What were some of the first major changes you made?

A: One of the biggest changes was implementing dynamic pricing. Instead of fixed rates, pricing changes based on demand, time of day, and availability. It’s similar to how airlines or hotels price rooms.

Your tee time is an expiring product. Once that day is gone, you can’t get it back. Dynamic pricing allows us to maximize value without simply raising rates across the board. It’s not about charging more—it’s about charging appropriately based on demand.

That said, we still offer discounts and annual pass programs. Our pass holders essentially buy into fixed pricing. And we still offer value options for residents and frequent players.

We regularly see golfers coming from Alpharetta, Marietta, Johns Creek—sometimes driving 45 minutes to an hour, especially on weekends. Public golf availability is shrinking, and that demand has helped us significantly.

We don’t have a volume problem—we have an availability problem. Every now and then, I’ll get calls from third-party vendors offering to help fill tee sheets, and I politely tell them that’s not our issue.

We actually try to cap rounds at around 40,000 per year. That helps preserve course conditions, improves pace of play, and makes customers happier. Our goal isn’t to pack the course or overuse it. It’s to strike the right balance.

Q: You told me Masters Week is huge. Explain how that impacts The Chimneys.

A: Masters Week is the hottest week in golf. It’s when everybody starts thinking about golf for the season. We field calls months in advance—can we book times, are you already open? We even get international guests. A lot of it is because they stay in Athens. Our location is an asset—about 25 minutes from Athens, about 25 minutes from Lawrenceville, and a mile off 316.

And many public courses are turning private. That’s something we’ll never do.

Q: Golf has a reputation for being exclusive. How do we shift that mentality?

A: One thing that I'm always going to keep in mind is the fact that we are a municipal golf course. We're here for the community. It’s important for me to see growth of the game, and to develop the next generation of golfers. The Chimneys should function as a place where people can come and learn and grow the game.

The one aspect of the business that I have not edited at all is the price of range balls. A small bucket is $6, and a large bucket is $8. It's good value. It's free to chip and putt. Anybody can come and chip and putt and work on your short game—which, as it may, most people need to do—that’s the most important part of the game.

We host a lot of clinics. We do instruction now at The Chimneys. We have a number of instructors on staff. And my favorite is PGA Junior League.

Q: Tell everybody about your passion project.

A: As a proud PGA member, in my opinion there is no greater way to introduce juniors to golf than PGA Junior League. The way it functions is as a team environment. Juniors ages 4 to 13 is the age group we currently offer at The Chimneys. We'd love to expand once we have more ability to do so.

Our largest program was last spring. We had 19 kids. We're about to open up registration for this spring. They learn as a team. We do an initial week on the driving range where we assess the players, and after that we are straight onto the golf course. We play typically six holes at a time, and they do three-on-three scrambles.

We also participate in Youth on Course, which allows juniors to play rounds for $5, with greens fees subsidized. It’s one of the best ways to grow the game affordably.

Q: How do schools and student programs interact with the course?

A: We’re the home course for several schools, including Winder-Barrow High School and Bethlehem Christian Academy. We also support middle school leagues and welcome teams whenever we have open availability.

We’re doing everything we can to encourage the next generation of golfers whenever we can.

Q: What does a typical day look like for you as general manager?

A: People think golf courses are calm and quiet, but there’s a lot happening behind the scenes. I remind my team that we’re here for fun—golf is recreation.

The golf course is sometimes the place where people come to find friendships and camaraderie with staff and other players. And I remind my team constantly: we're here for fun. It's recreation. And I tell customers too—guys, you're here to play golf. You could be sitting in your office.

Q: What’s the hardest decision you’ve had to make?

A: Honestly, one of the biggest stressors early on was the greens. Our bentgrass greens were over 20 years old. When you get to that age, especially in our transition zone geographically, it's hard to keep those greens alive.

We tackled that project a year and a half ago when we transitioned the bentgrass greens to Sunday Bermuda. It's more sustainable.

We made the decision to transition to Bermuda greens and redo all 18 greens at once. That meant closing for about 10 weeks during the summer. It was a big risk, but the results have been outstanding.

We took about ten weeks and reopened for Labor Day weekend. It was incredible to watch how fast those greens took place. We’re very happy with the product.

Q: You’ve seen a lot over the years. What’s the funniest or most memorable moment from your career in golf?

A: My favorite golf moment was playing with my husband and my parents on my dad’s 69th birthday. He had never had a hole-in-one before, and that day he got his first one.

It wasn’t just a hole-in-one. It was a driver on a par four—an albatross—on his birthday, with the perfect foursome.

One of the more shocking moments I’ve had was getting a call saying there was a car in the lake on number nine. Not a golf cart—a car. Police had to pull it out with a pulley system.

It turned out someone was evading the police, and ditched their car in the first body of water they could find.

Q: Have you ever had any memorable celebrity encounters in golf?

A: At Chateau Elan, we did have some interesting clientele come through. I gave Roddy White a handful of golf lessons, which was pretty fun. He’s extremely tall and very athletic. He’d hit a bad shot and then immediately stripe one right down the middle. He definitely had natural ability.

We also had part of the Netflix series Ozark filmed on property. I got to give golf lessons to a couple of the actors. They filmed scenes around the golf course, and it was interesting to see how that whole process works behind the scenes. It’s always funny to see people you recognize from TV suddenly trying to learn how to hit a golf ball.

Q: How has Winder benefited from the golf course?

A: I treat it as a place not just for physical health, but mental clarity and mental health.

I’d like it to become more of a community center. There’s a property in West Palm [Beach] called The Park that inspires me—big putting green, parents watching sports, kids putting and chipping, kind of like mini golf but with an adult side too. Golf entertainment is huge—simulators and things like that—but one thing at a time, and do it the right way.

Q: Ten years down the road, what does The Chimneys look like?

A: I don’t want to overpromise, but I’d love to expand facilities. We did Band-Aid fixes to the clubhouse and pavilion—paint, touch-ups, light fixtures. But we don’t have a restaurant, we don’t have a locker room. I don’t want it to look like a private club, but we can do better than what we have, find new revenue sources, and add options that introduce people to golf, like simulators and golf entertainment.

Q: How has technology changed what you do?

A: My favorite is our dynamic pricing tool. I input parameters by day part—it’s by the hour. If we’re 60% full, the rate might pop up. If we’re wide open, the rate may stay the same. I tell people: book early, because the earlier you book, the lower the rate. We offer a 30-day booking window, which is rare.

We use a range machine for balls, our website, and Tom uses technology on the maintenance side. I’m going to the PGA show to look for things that make us more efficient.

Q: Why don’t you have more tournaments? What qualifies you for hosting a tournament, and how are you working toward attracting them?

A: When I first came, we had little to no tournament play. Now we host in-house tournaments, and more charitable tournaments. My favorite are competitive events. We host a lot of junior tournaments and state functions. We hosted the Public Links Championship, and a qualifier for the U.S. Adaptive Open, and we’re doing that again this year.

Q: You told me some tournaments require a longer course. How do you add length to a golf course, and are we able to do that?

A: I’d love to host bigger tournaments like the Amateur or Georgia Open, but we’re simply too short. We’ve added some length since I arrived, but there are only a few places we can add more. And we don’t want to make it difficult—The Chimneys is playable, friendly, and it should be.

We added a new tee box on seven last year, and we just opened a new tee box on 18. Tom’s crew built a gorgeous one with natural rock. I joke we have so much rock we could become a rock quarry. We’ve brainstormed other spots, but one thing at a time.

Q: How have council members changed their mind about the golf course? 

 A: Initially, some weren't supportive. They weren’t wrong to be concerned. The course wasn’t making money, and the general fund was keeping it afloat. Now it isn’t. But I don’t take it for granted. It’s important we show profit so we can keep it as a community centerpiece.

Q: What legacy do you want to leave?

A: This has been one of the most rewarding projects of my career. We have an incredible team here, and I truly believe they would carry this forward even without me. I hope I’ve helped establish a blueprint for success that continues long after I’m gone.

Q: Is there anything you’d like people to know as we wrap up?

A: If you haven’t seen The Chimneys Golf Course, I encourage you to come check it out. It’s gorgeous. It’s one of the most unique golf properties in North Georgia. It's a fun course. It's a playable course. You're not going to lose a lot of golf balls, but it has plenty of challenge.