5 / 40
This story also has a Toledo connection.
Melling understood the need for a
competent golf professional for the resort
and hired a little-known, 23-year-old
teaching professional from Perrysburg,
Ohio,
Rick Smith.Smith is now an annual fixture on Golf
Digest’s Top-50 Golf Teachers List and has
been the “swing guru” for Phil Mickelson,
Lee Janzen, Rocco Mediate, David Duval,
as well as, both Jack and Gary Nicklaus.
Back then no one knew the brash young
professional, but he helped Melling
develop Treetops into one of the premier
golf destinations in the Midwest.
A second course, designed by Tom Fazio,
called the Premier, opened for play in
1992, along with the popular par-3 course,
Threetops. Smith brought the idea of adding
a par-3 course to Melling, after returning
from a trip to the Masters in 1990. Melling
gave the project his blessing and today
Threetops is one of the must-play courses
at the resort.
Smith added two more courses to Treetops,
the Signature opened for play in 1993.
The Tradition, which opened to the public
in 1996, was built for the golfer who
appreciated the value of walking a golf
course. It was built on the principle of
returning golf to a more relaxing attitude
and stresses the use of a caddy as golf was
played in the beginning.
With four championship golf courses, the
par-3 Threetops and the Treetops Teaching
Academy, Treetops developed into a year-
round resort offering skiing and snow
activities for the winter and a complete golf
experience during the summer.
NWO Golf Links