# Inside Proving Ground Golf Club: The Patron Member Model with World-Class, Walking-First, Sustainable Design

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bag-drop-untold-stories-in-golf-1147207/inside-proving-ground-golf-club-the-patron-member-model-with-world-class-walking-first-sustainable-design
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bag-drop-untold-stories-in-golf-1147207/inside-proving-ground-golf-club-the-patron-member-model-with-world-class-walking-first-sustainable-design.md
Podcast: [The Bag Drop: Untold Stories in Golf](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bag-drop-untold-stories-in-golf-1147207)
Published: 2025-11-24T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/c7c59adf
Audio file: https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/media.transistor.fm/c7c59adf/59456ccd.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-bag-drop-untold-stories-in-golf-1147207/episodes/inside-proving-ground-golf-club-the-patron-member-model-with-world-class-walking-first-sustainable-design
Duration seconds: 5376

## Resource

Can a walking-first golf club in metro Detroit blend a patron-style membership model with public access and sustainable design—and still feel like a world-class place to play golf? In this episode of The Bag Drop: Untold Stories in Golf, host Matt Considine (Founder of NewClub) and co-host Dr. Kevin Moore (AKA The Professor) sit down with Proving Ground Golf Club’s Ben Cowan to explore how a walking-first, public-access course outside Detroit is rethinking memberships and club culture. From the patron member model and daily public tee times to sustainable maintenance practices and a complete Mike DeVries reimagining of Dunham Hills, they dig into what it takes to build a modern club that puts golf—and community—first. The conversation dives into: Why walking golf changes the cadence of a round, the quality of conversation, and the health of the game How golf societies and “clubs without real estate” shaped Ben’s view of membership and community Proving Ground’s patron member model: affordable dues, no initiation, and daily public-access tee times Sustainability and maintenance meld: rough that’s actually rough, bunkers as bunkers, and walkable routing Working with architect Mike DeVries to turn Dunham Hills into a walking-first modern classic Juniors, high school teams, pace-of-play pledges, and why access sits at the center of the project Connect with our guests ⛳️ Proving Ground Golf Club / Ben Cowan — http://www.devriesgolfdetroit.com/ | 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/DevriesGolfDet | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devriesgolfdetroit/ | ✉️ Email: devriesgolfdetroit@gmail.com Join the NewClub community 🌍 Website: https://www.newclub.golf 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newclubgolf/ 🐦 X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/newclubgolf ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtub…

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