{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Bag Drop: Untold Stories in Golf","title":"Inside Proving Ground Golf Club: The Patron Member Model with World-Class, Walking-First, Sustainable Design","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/c7c59adf\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":5376,"description":"Can a walking-first golf club in metro Detroit blend a patron-style membership model with public access and sustainable design—and still feel like a world-class place to play golf?In this episode of The Bag Drop: Untold Stories in Golf, host Matt Considine (Founder of NewClub) and co-host Dr. Kevin Moore (AKA The Professor) sit down with Proving Ground Golf Club’s Ben Cowan to explore how a walking-first, public-access course outside Detroit is rethinking memberships and club culture. From the patron member model and daily public tee times to sustainable maintenance practices and a complete Mike DeVries reimagining of Dunham Hills, they dig into what it takes to build a modern club that puts golf—and community—first.The conversation dives into:Why walking golf changes the cadence of a round, the quality of conversation, and the health of the gameHow golf societies and “clubs without real estate” shaped Ben’s view of membership and communityProving Ground’s patron member model: affordable dues, no initiation, and daily public-access tee timesSustainability and maintenance meld: rough that’s actually rough, bunkers as bunkers, and walkable routingWorking with architect Mike DeVries to turn Dunham Hills into a walking-first modern classicJuniors, high school teams, pace-of-play pledges, and why access sits at the center of the projectConnect with our guests ⛳️ Proving Ground Golf Club / Ben Cowan — http://www.devriesgolfdetroit.com/ | 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/DevriesGolfDet | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devriesgolfdetroit/ | ✉️ Email: devriesgolfdetroit@gmail.comJoin the NewClub community🌍 Website: https://www.newclub.golf 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newclubgolf/ 🐦 X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/newclubgolf ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@newclubgolf 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/newclubLinks & partners ⛳️ NewClub Golf Society: https://www.newclub.golf 🎯 Titleist: https://www.titleist.com 📊 Golf Blueprint:...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/UTWF4LINKJxQLEH-r1aPYxPmlXn5V5SbcsdRGBvWeuk/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9iNTEx/NjJmODg0OWI2ZGU5/NmZlMDBhMDljZDFh/YmNkYi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}