MEEKER | What does it take to manage a golf course that serves hundreds of players each week? Jason Back is ready to show the community as he steps into his new role as the golf course manager at Meeker Golf Course.
Back has had a long-standing connection to the course, as his wife, Amanda Back, grew up around it—her parents previously ran the restaurant at the facility. That personal history played a key role in his decision to take on the position.
“We’ve been around it for a long time, and I helped Jim Cook when he was running the golf course back in 1998 and learned a lot about it,” Back said. “We moved to Craig in 2003 and lived there for 15 years. I was the head golf pro and manager up there for four years, so we’ve been in the golf business for a long time.”
When the golf course found itself without a manager this year, Back and his wife felt the need to step up.
“This year, they didn’t have anybody to manage it, so Amanda and I decided that we needed to take it on,” he said.
Back has set a clear goal for the season: get more people out on the course.
“We’re going to bring tournaments back this year,” he said. “We are hoping to be able to get more people from out of town and locals participating. We’re also introducing a couples night, which will be new this year.”
Couples night will take place one Friday a month to start, with the hope of expanding to two Fridays per month.
As for the restaurant, the plan is to start small, offering snacks at first. However, for tournaments and men’s club events, full meals will be provided for participants.
Back’s ties to the local golf community run deep—his wife, Amanda, is the coach of the Meeker High School girls golf team.
“I think that’s pretty good,” he joked.
Amanda Back is particularly excited about creating new opportunities for female golfers.
“There’s a lot of different things we’re going to do, like the couples nights,” she said. “I’m going to try to do a couple of fun events for ladies—maybe putting with jewelry prizes, a ‘chip and charcuterie’ night—just something fun to get the ladies out there. We know the guys like it, but we need a stronger presence for the ladies, and we’re going to try to get that going as well.”
For Jason Back, the most rewarding part of managing a golf course is ensuring its future for the next generation.
“Just keeping the golf course going—we’re fortunate, for a little town, to have a course,” he said. “If we can do our part to help sustain it for the future, so kids growing up in Meeker have a place to play golf, who knows? Maybe a few of them will decide to pursue it as a career.”
As for his personal favorite hole on the course, Back didn’t hesitate.
“Number five has always been my favorite,” he said. “It’s the hole where you can either gain strokes or lose them in a hurry. All the years of playing it, that’s probably my favorite.”
Amanda Back, on the other hand, is drawn to the course’s postage stamp greens.
“There aren’t a lot of those left in the United States—only smaller courses have them,” she said. “They’re quite fun because they’re generally kept nice and slick. They’re fun to play, for sure.”
With Jason and Amanda Back at the helm, golfers can expect exciting improvements and a welcoming atmosphere at Meeker Golf Course this season. As the season unfolds, the community looks forward to seeing how their leadership will shape the future of the course.
