Golf Director Matt Burry is proposing a plan to redo the back nine holes and add a driving range/practice facility to the property, in hopes of bringing the next generation of golfers to the course and accommodating out-of-towners. The plan, which will be discussed and reviewed in an open public forum, is expected to cost as much as $500,000.
Tyndall Air Force Base officials confirmed the closure of the Florida golf course, which has lost about $270,000 each year since 2006 and hasn’t made a profit since 1999. The number of golfers dropped 56% over the past six years, even though other recreational venues at the base are considered “healthy.” The gates will remain open for the driving range, but the last day to play a round of 18 holes is May 31.
Henry Stambaugh Golf Course in Youngstown, Ohio, is reducing the fee for nine holes and a golf cart after 2 p.m. on weekends in hopes of extending the city-owned course’s busiest hours. Brown County Golf Course in Oneida, Wis., is also reducing fees because golfers are forced play on temporary greens after weather-related problems rendered four of the 18 greens unplayable.
David Malone, who worked for the CC of Lincoln for at least two decades and is now employed at Knolls Golf Course in Omaha, Neb., was arrested for the theft of $4,000 worth of clubs from his former employer. Investigators believe Malone returned to the Lincoln club using his keys and stole two sets of golf clubs belonging to members. Police found one of the two stolen sets for sale at Knolls.
Billy Casper Golf has partnered with Callaway Golf for the annual event, which gives golfers at 50 BCG-managed courses the opportunity to demo new putters. Golfers who make a 10-foot putt can earn an Odyssey Drain patch, and players who sink a 30-foot putt with an Odyssey putter will win a free round of golf. Putterpalooza runs through July 6.
For the first time since it was rebuilt in 1983, the Connellsville, Pa., property’s clubhouse has undergone an extensive remodel, including painting walls and ceilings, updating décor in the ballroom, remodeling bathrooms and a sitting area, and other general improvements. In addition, the club has implemented an aggressive tree removal schedule to improve the soil and root health of the golf course, and has hired a catering company to handle food and beverage operations.
Golf Enterprises Inc., on the behalf of golf course owner McNaughton Homes, has requested the meeting to propose amending the zoning of the Etters, Pa., golf course from open space to residential. In July 2012, a group of local homeowners formed the Valley Green Residents Organization to create awareness and stall the plan by attending public meetings and hosting rallies.
A chain link fence currently separates the Watertown, Mass., club from neighbors, but residents are concerned about a plan to install a wooden fence around the club, out of fears that it will lower home property values and obstruct the natural view. Some residents argued that the club’s tax break for providing open space should be revoked if an opaque fence is erected.
Copyright © 2013 Club & Resort Business. All rights reserved.
