New pro in the house

D.W. Davis has worked at the Cape Girardeau Country Club before, back in 1989 when he started working in the golf business.

The place has changed, but Davis feels like he's coming home again.

"I hadn't been back since 1993 or 1995, before they made changes because of the flood," said Davis, 53, who began May 5 as the club's head professional. "I'm really impressed with the changes. The turf is in great shape. It's much different from when I was here before. The aesthetics are much better."

Davis returns to Cape Country Club from Rend Lake Golf Course, where he spent 14 years, serving first as the head professional and the last four years as director of golf. That 27-hole course, part of a recreation complex about 90 miles east of St. Louis, hosted the state's amateur golf tournament in 1998 and received a 4 1/2-star rating from Golf Digest from 2002 through 2005.

"I thought those were important things we did there," Davis said. "The state amateur tournament usually is played in the Chicago area.

"I had input on turf conditions and the whole atmosphere of hospitality is something we worked on."

But the teaching aspect of golf was different at Rend Lake, which gets more than 35,000 rounds per year and about 90 percent from out-of-town golfers, according to its Web site.

"There were groups at Rend Lake we would see only once a year for two days," Davis said.

Davis said the position at Cape Country Club, where he replaces Billy Birk, was attractive because of the opportunity to work more closely with the same people.

"There's something about a small, private country club that is less stressful," Davis said. "You know everyone and their pattern and what their preferences are. I really enjoy working with people who are committed to playing the game and helping them hit it better. Then they enjoy the game more. I get a good feeling out of that.

"I've always wanted to get back not only into the private country club atmosphere, but I like the Ozark foothills, and I have a lot of family and friends in the area. This is like coming back home."

Davis grew up nearby in the Anna-Jonesboro area in Illinois.

"Growing up in Anna-Jonesboro, Cape was the mecca," he recalled. "I can remember coming across the old bridge and paying the 15-cent toll to come across and go shopping."

At 6-foot-3, Davis was a shooting guard and played a year of college basketball at Tennessee-Martin before finishing his undergraduate work at Southern Illinois University. He also received a masters in education from SIU. He taught and coached basketball at Anna-Jonesboro, taught at Shawnee and also worked for the Illinois Board of Education before changing career paths to include teaching golf.

"I understand teaching and the learning process," Davis said. "I came into the sport a little later than some. I had many people asking me to give them golf lessons, and that's when I saw the demand."

His first job in golf was the assistant pro position at the country club. He also worked at Jackson Country Club in Carbondale and Benton Country Club before moving to Rend Lake.

Davis said his duties at the country club include organizing tournaments and member-guest events, which are numerous at the course.

"The women's golf association is very active," he added.

As for direction from the board, Davis said, "They want a quality product and a quality experience for the members. They want the members to know they'll be treated well."