When Novickas arrived in 1982, five cars in the parking lot meant a busy Saturday. At age 23, Novickas invested in the course with a partner, who later sold his share to her, to earn money while she tried to make the Tour. When the course went bankrupt, she gave up her dream to salvage it. A native of Detroit, Mich., Novickas had never been to Ithaca. She and her father, Frank, now the course superintendent, were horrified when they arrived.
Broken bottles litteres the club house, which had no water or electricity.
They found broken pipes, crumbling walls and rotten food in the walk-in freezer. The course was a sea of dandelions. There were no golf carts or lawnmowers. And she couldn't get credit from the bank to fix it. I thought I could have made the Tour.