Ager has taught and evolved junior golfers in Lincoln for 50 years now. One of those former junior golfers, Jay Tussing, worked his way up from Ager maintenance staff in the 1970s to Superintendent at the course. He is now Superintendent at Mahoney, but he still remembers the history of the course that was so pivotal in his life. Read on to find out how Ager has grown since 1965. (If you’re doing the math, 1965 to 2015 is 50 years – happy 50th birthday, Ager!)

By Jay Tussing, Superintendent at Mahoney

The Ager course was built in 1964 and opened in 1965. It was designed by Floyd Farley, who also designed Holmes and Mahoney golf courses for us. The clubhouse was built as a donation by the Lincoln Homebuilders Association; it was there when the course opened in 1965 and is still there today with several renovations and remodels done over the years. When the Ager course opened, it was designated a Junior Golf facility, where junior golfers always had preference over adult golfers. When adults were waiting to play and kids showed up, the kids always got to go first. When we opened, if we were not the first, we were one of the first facilities in the U.S. that was operated as a Junior Golf course where kids had priority. We have always had many junior leagues and tournaments since the facility opened, and also offered learning opportunities for kids to learn and develop their games.

When I was young, I was lucky to live close to the golf course, and played there almost every day in the summer starting in about 1969 when I was 8 years old. In 1977, before I turned 16 years old, the Superintendent at the time, Ron Goering, asked if I would like to work on the maintenance staff there. That is how I got my start in golf course maintenance. I continued to work there until 1994, working my way up to be the superintendent there for several years, until I moved to Holmes to be the superintendent there. In about 2006, after staff cuts, I was made Superintendent of Holmes and the Ager course. I was Superintendent of both courses until this winter when I moved to Mahoney Golf Course. Now Casey Crittenden is the Superintendent of Holmes and Ager.

Some of the changes over the years:
> In the early to mid 70s a small practice green was built by the clubhouse, there was never a practice green before that.
> Somewhere around the year 2000, with the help of Landscapes Unlimited, and the Nebraska Superintendents Association, a much larger and better practice green and first tee area was constructed, with all design work, supplies and labor being donated.
> Somewhere near the same time a small netted driving range/teaching area was also built by the clubhouse.
> In the mid 2000s two new bridges were installed for the creek crossing areas, replacing aging, inadequate bridges.
> This fall, a new irrigation system will be installed on the golf course, replacing the original system which has been in place for 50 years (thankfully).

The people of Lincoln should be grateful to have such a wonderful facility for the youth of this town to have the opportunity to learn a great game, in a safe place where they are the priority and are not intimidated by adults. The Ager course has had a huge impact on my life, as well as the lives of countless other people in our community.