Cohasse Country Club in Southbridge., Mass., is a Donald Ross-designed nine-hole course that originally opened for play in 1918. Photos courtesy of Frank Kulig
Who better than a veteran of the U.S. Marines to fuel a golf course’s renewed spirit?
Frank Kulig transitioned to the golf course industry after serving his country, and has exceled at it in his home state. A Massachusetts native, Kulig is leading a resurgence at the famed Donald Ross-designed nine-hole Cohasse Country Club in Southbridge, Mass.
A 12-year GCSAA Class A member, Kulig has been instrumental in reviving Cohasse, which needed some tender loving care to restore a course that launched play in 1918. The new-look Cohasse debuted April 11, with more improvements on the horizon.
“We had half an inch of snow,” says Kulig, “but we had players. It was exciting. It was good to see golfers out there.”
Kulig’s presence at Cohasse happened in roundabout fashion.
On finishing high school, Kulig faced an uncertain future. He signed up for the Marines, spending four years in service, with more than two of those years served in Okinawa, Japan. He was a fuel specialist, running fuel lines for bases in camps. Eventually, he decided to part ways. “I got tired of getting up at 3 a.m., and here I am now still waking up that early,” Kulig says.
After the military, Kulig considered following his passion for golf and becoming a golf professional. Kulig packed up and headed to California, with eyes on attending the well-known San Diego Golf Academy. Life had other plans. Kulig ended up in Death Valley, Calif., at The Furnace Creek Golf Course, starting there as what he calls “a grounds guy” before handling irrigation. He grew to like the golf maintenance life. “I took things apart and out them back together,” says Kulig, who eventually advanced to an assistant role at Furnace Creek.
Kulig and his golden retriever, Brady.
Missing his home region, Kulig returned to Massachusetts and worked at varying courses. In 2009, he moved to the Ledges Golf Club in South Hadley, Mass., where he ascended to assistant superintendent and was mentored by Mike Fontaine, Regional Manager for IGM at The Ledges in South Hadley, Mass., and 31-year GCSAA member.
“He’s a hardworking, dedicated young man and wherever he goes his work is for the people to enjoy the game of golf,” Fontaine says. “I’ve seen him at places where the conditioning is poor and with a small budget, he pulled off miracles.”
In 2016, Kulig took a job at Ludlow (Mass.) Country Club, where he spent the better part of a decade until a new challenge arose, one he couldn’t turn down.
Much of that challenge had to do with Ken Uracius, who entered the golf industry before connecting with Kulig. Earlier in the decade, Uracius purchased Dunroamin Country Club in Gilbertville, Mass., (now known as Hardwick Crossing Country Club). Uracius, owner of Stone & Lime Historic Restoration Services, previously did work for the National Park Service and Harvard University among others. He needed golf-savvy people to come work for him, and hired Kulig to help the grow-in at Dunroamin.
Dunroamin had been shuttered for three years before Kulig joined in. On his evenings away from Ludlow, Kulig participated in a complete renovation from late September 2021 until Dunroamin fully opened in June 2022. “We converted greens and tee complexes to a new variety of bentgrass and did multiple overseedings,” says Kulig. “I’m proud of what we did. It was a major accomplishment.”
Following his acquisition of Dunroamin, Uracius bought Cohasse, with the deal finalized in March. Uracius hired Kulig in February to be his superintendent.
“He trusts me,” Kulig says.
The semi-private facility doesn’t look the same now as it did decades ago, which is a good thing. “The property had been neglected. Mismanaged. We took down 40 trees in a short period of time and have a ton more to go,” says Kulig, whose Golden Retriever, Brady, is a course staple. “We are working with an architect and have a master plan to restore the course back to the Donald Ross vision, with tentatively planning on starting this fall with the first four holes.
“The property is magnificent. The goal is to give the best possible conditions I can on a daily basis, the best conditions they ever had out there.”
According to someone who knows Kulig rather well, he’ll make it a reality.
“My mom, Laurie, said it best,” Kulig says. “She’s like, ‘you’re at your best going a million miles an hour.’ She hit it right on the button. Tackle project after project and keep going forward.”
Howard Richman (hrichman@gcsaa.org) is GCM’s associate editor.