Photos by Jamie Plain
A year after a broken fire sprinkler pipe flooded the Pearl Club’s clubhouse, owner Terry Delk can finally look around and see progress rather than damage.
The flooding forced extensive repairs and eventually led to a complete clubhouse renovation. Flooring, paint, lighting, fixtures, sinks, faucets, and other features were replaced as Delk and his team worked to bring the facility back to life.
The result is a brighter, more welcoming space that Delk believes better reflects what the Pearl Club offers.
“Everybody who walks in the door who hasn’t been here says, ‘Wow,’” Delk said. “The reception has been excellent.”
The Pearl Club’s restaurant reopened May 22 with a renovated dining room, a new chef, and an expanded menu.
Chef Danyon Calloway joined the Pearl Club after previously working at a fine Italian restaurant in Texas. Callaway has added a page of Italian dishes to the menu while keeping many of the restaurant’s longtime favorites.
The kitchen also offers a rotating weekly special based largely on availability. Recent specials have featured seafood.
“People seem very pleased with the product we’re putting out,” Delk said. “They love the new atmosphere in the dining room.”
Although the Pearl Club offers the atmosphere and amenities often associated with a private country club, Delk emphasized that the restaurant and golf course are open to the public.
He said that message has sometimes been difficult to communicate, even after more than a decade of operation.
“We’ve been here 12 years, and we still struggle with people thinking we’re private,” Delk said.
The restaurant offers full-service dinner from 4-8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. A limited menu geared primarily toward golfers is available from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
The course has also enjoyed a strong season, with Delk reporting that play is up significantly.
He said one of the largest areas of growth has come from golfers traveling from Southern Indiana. Some tell him they can drive to Owensboro, play a well-maintained course, and return home in about the same amount of time it takes to complete a round at some courses closer to them.
Late-afternoon play has also increased. Rates change at noon and again at 3 p.m., providing additional options for golfers who may not want to pay peak morning or weekend prices.
“When we took over, we wanted a nice golf course that the average golfer could afford to play occasionally,” Delk said. “My goal was for the guy who plays once a year to play a couple of times a year, and for the guy who plays once in the spring and once in the fall to maybe come once a month.”
Delk said that approach has helped increase traffic while allowing the Pearl Club to maintain a country club-style experience.
“A lot of my public play will come in and say it’s really nice to have somewhere they can go and still get a country club feel,” he said.
The course’s zoysia fairways have been a particular point of pride this year.
The Pearl Club is the only course in Daviess County with zoysia fairways and one of only a small number in the region. Delk said the grass provides a thick, plush playing surface during the golf season.
The zoysia was installed after the course suffered widespread winter kill shortly after Delk purchased the property in 2014. Much of the course’s Bermuda grass died during the severe winter, forcing Delk to rebuild the fairways.
Rather than simply replacing what was lost, he chose to make an improvement.
“We lost all our fairways,” Delk said. “It was dead anyway, so why not improve it when we replaced it?”
The memory of that difficult first year returned as Delk dealt with the clubhouse flood and other facility problems over the past year.
“It has been a very trying year,” he said. “It brings back memories of the year we opened and lost all of our fairways and greens to winter kill.”
Still, the club continued moving forward.
Along with the course and restaurant, the Pearl Club offers pickleball courts, a driving range, a short-game area, and a large putting green. The clubhouse includes locker rooms and a golf shop stocked with balls, tees, apparel, and selected clubs.
Head golf professional Dylan Hardesty also provides club fitting services and can order equipment based on a golfer’s needs.
Membership options are available for individuals, families, juniors, corporations, and social members, though a membership is not required to play the course or visit the restaurant.
Delk said the goal remains to offer a high-quality course and club experience without shutting out the occasional golfer.
“We are doing the best we can to walk that line where the average person can come occasionally,” he said.
After a year dominated by repairs, construction and unexpected setbacks, Delk said the remodeled clubhouse and increased golf traffic have provided encouraging signs.
The Pearl Club may offer the feel of a private country club, but Delk wants the public to know the doors — and the first tee — are open. OL
