Upgrades Par for the Course at Chimney Rock
Wells course gets new pro and clubhouse updates
By Dianna Troyer
Photos by CarolLee Egbert
Golf Pro Cameron Huff says clients at the Chimney Rock Golf Course in Wells often do a double take when he introduces himself.
“A lot of people know my name, but don’t recognize me since I’ve grown up,” says Cameron, 23, a Wells High School graduate.
He was hired last November to manage the city’s nine-hole golf course and clubhouse.
“People have told me it’s exciting to have a hometown person coming back to manage it,” he says. “I want to make it a family-friendly place.”
Cameron started playing golf at Chimney Rock as a child when his parents, Kenny and Donna, bought him clubs.
“I’ve been golfing since I was 3 and still love it,” Cameron says. “My parents both love to golf here and got me started. I practically grew up at this course. When I came back to town, the course was just like I remembered it.”
After high school, Cameron enrolled in a 16-month program at the Golf Academy of America in Chandler, Arizona. He studied the financial and athletic aspects of golfing.
“We learned so much, from business management to teaching,” he says, referring to courses in accounting, law, human anatomy, physiology, and how to build and repair golf clubs.
Through a career placement program, Cameron worked as an assistant pro at the Freedom Golf and Sports Course in Mesa.
When he learned the person running Chimney Rock was planning to retire, he applied for the job.
“Wells always has been and always will be home to me,” he says.
Cameron says golfing appeals to people of all ages for its camaraderie and exercise.
“We have golfers from kids to seniors in their 80s coming here,” he says.
Last fall, the city paid for extensive renovations at the clubhouse. Public works employees did the work.
Steps leading to restrooms were eliminated, bringing the building into compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. A bar was moved from the middle of the lobby to near a wall to the west to open up the area near the front door.
The kitchen was expanded, new flooring put down and walls painted.
“It basically got an extensive and much-needed facelift,” says Cameron.
A pillar providing structural support in the middle of the lobby was left in place and incorporated into a new heating and air-conditioning system. Decorative wood was placed around it.
“I hang shirts and other clothing for sale from there,” Cameron says.
In May, the clubhouse was rented for high school graduation parties. “It’s available for weddings or reunions, too,” says Cameron. Golf lessons and tournaments will be offered throughout the summer, including a children’s summer camp in late June. “I’d like to get more kids involved in our junior golf program,” he says. “They’re our future.”
In July, Wells Rural Electric Co. and Wells Propane Inc. sponsor a tournament. In August, the Wells Amateur Tournament and the Chimney Rock Club Championship are planned.
“Our city crews do a great job maintaining the greens and landscaping,” Cameron says.
The city’s disc golf baskets will eventually be set up at the golf course.
“We have more room here than at the park where the disc golf course is now,” Cameron says. “I’m figuring out the best place to set it up here.”
At the end of the bar, Cameron looks out expansive windows to see Chimney Rock and the mountains to the southwest.
“It’s a perfect view,” he says. “It’s a beautiful place to golf and a great place to relax and visit.”
