You’ll have to excuse the fuzzy math, hey, after all, this is Querbes. So what if they are celebrating the golf course’s centennial in the 101st year instead of the 100th?
To be honest, when you’ve lived the life that Querbes has, you can celebrate whenever and however you damn well please.
Plus, if you are truly a stickler for centennial details, current club pro and centennial head honcho Nathan Barrow has found a way to make all of this logical.
“We’ve been able to find articles of incorporation for the Broadmoor Golf Club from October of 1924 and so that’s always been the established date,” Barrow says. “But (2024) was another difficult weather year, so we had to back off doing a lot of the celebrations. We were able to highlight that the first tournament played here was in July 1925 and then the course became open to the public.”
So there.
Querbes Golf Course is an absolute, top-of-the-list Shreveport gem. It should be recognized as such, even if you don’t know a 7-iron from a curling iron.
And that’s what they’ll do next week with a full list of activities to officially celebrate what is — or isn’t — 100 years in Broadmoor.
Things got a little sideways last year by the weather issues. What resulted was the 100 Days of Querbes to culminate the course’s centennial.
“We started at the end of March and early April with doing something every few weeks just to bring awareness to our centennial celebration” Barrow says. “Next week, we are planning a really big party and we want members of the community to attend.”
They could have filled those 100 days simply by getting people to tell their favorite stories about the course because Querbes (or “The Bees” or “The Royal & Ancient”) has never lacked for character.
Or characters.
And those stories all have a special place in the lore, but this celebration is really more about where Querbes is rather than where it’s been.
As best anyone can tell, the name switched from Broadmoor to Querbes at some point in the 1940s.
“We always give a nod to those who came before us and laid that foundation,” Barrow says. “But we have to look to the future of continuing to grow the game and adapt to what our clientele and customers want and need and that means going through an evolution. It means constantly changing. With the (Querbes Park) Foundation, we have a one-year, a three-year and a five-year plan for the vision we want.
“We aren’t just going by the seat of our pants,” Barrow continues. “We’ve got some very practical ideas of what has to happen to keep the infrastructure of the golf course, but also some need projects we can do with the support of the community.”
There are few things sadder than a closed golf course, of which there are a few in this area. There have been times in the past in which Querbes might have been headed in that direction.
No one has those thoughts anymore.
Barrow became the pro at Querbes in 2020 and knew exactly what he was getting into. With a five-year head start, he knew the centennial could be a major boost to the stature of the golf course.
With the significant financial backing of the Querbes Park Foundation, the course is back to a level that it has not seen in years. Not only that, but the scope of the improvements has also headed across the parking lot to the Querbes Tennis Center, which was also in need of a major overhaul.
Drive around the curve on Beverly Place and just see how much activity is going on there these days.
“I think this is one of the bright spots of our city,” Barrow says.
Without question, Querbes Park needs to be celebrated for what it was and for what it is. It has certainly earned that for a century of being right there in the middle of town. Come as you are, bring your buddies or just hang out because someone you know is bound to show up soon.
It truly is a Shreveport treasure.
“As far as I’m concerned, the sky’s the limit,” Barrow says. “My fire and passion are still burning because I see the potential of this place. I keep telling people that we are only scratching the surface of the potential.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com