G olden F ork A wArds 2018 Delightful Dining Whether indoor or outdoor, casual or formal, this year’s best new and updated golf club restaurants offer innovative dining experiences for their guests. By Katie Thisdell Golfers and club members prefer casual, comfortable, community-oriented bars and restaurants that offer ever-changing, seasonal menus. Indoor-outdoor spaces are a plus, as are fire pits and areas that offer views of the golf course and the club’s surroundings. That’s what we found when we sized up this year’s Golden Fork Award winners. Golf Inc.’s third annual Golden Fork Awards recognize 12 golf venues that have introduced new dining facilities or have improved existing culinary options during the past year. They’re leading the way in dining at golf courses and clubs. Take a look, for instance, at the innovative community table that replaced an awkward, unusable spot at Montgomery Country Club. Or consider McDowell Mountain Golf Club’s Mesquite Grill, which offers views of the surrounding mountains and desert and, of course, the recently renovated course. The investment is paying off. The restaurant has helped to nearly double the club’s total revenue. Some restaurants go above and beyond, literally. Stone Eagle Golf Club’s exclusive dining space, The Aerie, offers creative, upscale cuisine served in a mountain-high setting overlooking the California desert. Golf Inc.’s editors assessed the entries based on revenue, traffic, guest satisfaction, aesthetics, service, menus and capital improvements. The nominees were divided into four categories: Most Improved Public Facilities; Most Improved Private Facilities; New Public Facilities; and New Private Facilities. A dining facility is considered to be public if it is open to the public, even if the adjoining golf course is private. 10 Golf Inc. January/February 2018