Modesto golfers lose out as McHenry Avenue driving range closes abruptly
Modesto golfers have lost their only dedicated practice facility with the sudden closure of Nor Cal Performance Golf Center this month.
The north McHenry Avenue facility, which had a driving range as well as putting and chipping greens, closed abruptly at the beginning of November. The facility on the corner of McHenry Avenue and Claribel Road has been home to golfers for more than a dozen years, first for a decade as the McHenry Golf Center and then for the last three years under a new name and ownership.
Husband-and-wife owners Mark Langley and Keri Arnold-Langley have run the facility since March 2016. During their tenure, they made improvements to the center and hosted regular clinics and other events.
But a note posted to the Nor Cal Performance Golf Center Facebook page Nov. 1 said, “Today is a very sad day. We have closed our doors. Thank you to everyone that supported us.”
Calls to the Langleys for additional comment on the closure were not returned.
News of the closure filtered out through social media. This week, golfers were still showing up at the facility only to find its gates shut. There was no information available on what would happen to pre-paid balances for practice time purchased in advance by customers.
In 2006, the McHenry Golf Center at 5150 McHenry Ave. was opened by husband-and-wife team Ken and Wendy Miller. Ken Miller had worked as a golf pro at the now also defunct Claratina Golf and Country Grill, which closed in 2004. The McHenry Golf Center remained open until January 2016.
The Langleys reopened the center two months later. Arnold-Langley spent a year on the LPGA tour as a professional golfer, and she worked at the Oakdale Country Club before opening Nor Cal Performance Golf Center.
Their golf center had some 75 driving range stalls, as well as three short game greens. Private instruction and golf clinics were also offered, making it an affordable place for newcomers or youth to learn how to play golf.
The closure leaves Stanislaus County without a dedicated public practice facility. But several of the region’s existing municipal and public golf courses offer practice areas and driving ranges, including the 18-hole courses of Dryden Park and Creekside in Modesto and newly restored River Oaks Golf Course in Ceres. Modesto has two nine-hole courses: Modesto Muni and St. Stanislaus Golf Course.
The region also has a number of private, members-only golf courses, including Del Rio Country Club in Modesto, Spring Creek Country Club in Ripon, Turlock Golf & Country Club and Oakdale Golf & Country Club.
Still, for a sport that is already more expensive to play than most, the loss of the Nor Cal Performance Golf Center takes away a more reasonably priced entry into the game in the Valley, which is a real shame.
Elsewhere around the Business Beat:
Tresetti’s restaurant is celebrating 25 years in business this month.
The 11th Street Modesto eatery opened in 1994 as Tresetti’s World Caffe, its name a combination of the surnames of its founding partners — husband-and-wife team Mitch and Tammy Maisetti and Paul Tremayne.
Since then, the restaurant has become a dining and bar institution in the heart of the city. When it opened, there were few upscale options in the region. Over the years, the restaurant has managed to weather the ups and downs of downtown revival.
Then in 2014, co-founder and gregarious fixture Mitch Maisetti passed away at age 57. His wife Tammy and son Jordan have carried on the day-to-day management since.
The restaurant, at 927 11th St., is celebrating its milestone with an anniversary party with complimentary champagne, appetizers and live music from 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 20. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/tresettis.
Having spent many an evening bellied up to the bar or enjoying the night on its large patio, I can confidently say the secret to its success continues to be good food and good people.
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 3:45 PM.
