City Plans Golf Course Upgrade In Largo Florida
The city is planning a $1.8-million overhaul of the Largo Golf Course, redesigning tees, fairways and greens to improve play and make the course safer.
New sand bunkers and berms will create fresh challenges. And buffers such as trees will help prevent wayward balls, which are all too common, striking golfers on adjacent holes.
During the winter season, an average of two to three people a month get hit by balls, said golf manager Don Brannon. One reason is that 18 holes are crammed onto 46 acres, he said.
City Commissioner Andrew Guyette said he had a close call of his own a while back, almost hitting a team of golfers on a nearby green there.
"My shot landed right in the middle of them," Guyette said.
The redesign of the course will come before the City Commission at tonight's meeting. If the commission approves the design, construction could begin in April. A new course could be ready for play by next November.
As proposed, the course would be tweaked with some of the holes realigned. The front nine holes would be exchanged with the back nine holes. And the holes would have larger tee boxes to accommodate junior, women and senior tees.
Putting greens, which would be larger and more visible from the fairway, would be designed to act as "catcher's mitts" to control the ball on approach shots.
Currently, one of the course's biggest problems is the poor condition of the greens.
"During the summer months, it's like putting on dirt," Brannon said.
Golf course architect Ward W. Northrup and Applied Sciences Consulting Inc. developed the proposed design.
Brannon said patches of dirt and weeds would be rare after the renovation because the course would be built according to United States Golf Association Standards.
The USGA has special standards for drainage and layering of materials that help keep courses in top shape.
The city also would replace the irrigation system so it serves the entire 46-acre course. Installed in 1982, the current system hits just 25 acres.
Golfers on the course Monday said they enjoy the course, but look forward to renovations.
"To know that they're going to put money in it instead of selling it for condos is a real plus," said Judy Shafer, who lives at the nearby Villas de Golf condominiums and golfs on the course twice a week.
The par-62, 3,254-yard course also would be extended by a total of about 100 yards.
The course, at 12500 Vonn Road, was built in the late 1960s and purchased by Largo in 1979 for about $1.25-million, Brannon said.
Golfers played 51,292 rounds on the course, generating $780,000 in revenues during the city's last fiscal year. But the course hasn't turned a profit for the past few years. A report presented in June 2004 concluded the city needed to invest in the course to make money.
"Let's give it one more shot to see if we can't make this thing profitable again," Guyette said.
New Features:
Largo city commissioners will consider $1.8-million in improvements to the Largo Golf Course when they meet at 6 tonight at City Hall, 201 Highland Ave. Proposed improvements include:
Berms, sand bunkers and landscaping
A new irrigation system to span the entire site
Extended paved cart paths
Two new shelters
Clubhouse improvements
Restroom renovations
New sand bunkers and berms will create fresh challenges. And buffers such as trees will help prevent wayward balls, which are all too common, striking golfers on adjacent holes.
During the winter season, an average of two to three people a month get hit by balls, said golf manager Don Brannon. One reason is that 18 holes are crammed onto 46 acres, he said.
City Commissioner Andrew Guyette said he had a close call of his own a while back, almost hitting a team of golfers on a nearby green there.
"My shot landed right in the middle of them," Guyette said.
The redesign of the course will come before the City Commission at tonight's meeting. If the commission approves the design, construction could begin in April. A new course could be ready for play by next November.
As proposed, the course would be tweaked with some of the holes realigned. The front nine holes would be exchanged with the back nine holes. And the holes would have larger tee boxes to accommodate junior, women and senior tees.
Putting greens, which would be larger and more visible from the fairway, would be designed to act as "catcher's mitts" to control the ball on approach shots.
Currently, one of the course's biggest problems is the poor condition of the greens.
"During the summer months, it's like putting on dirt," Brannon said.
Golf course architect Ward W. Northrup and Applied Sciences Consulting Inc. developed the proposed design.
Brannon said patches of dirt and weeds would be rare after the renovation because the course would be built according to United States Golf Association Standards.
The USGA has special standards for drainage and layering of materials that help keep courses in top shape.
The city also would replace the irrigation system so it serves the entire 46-acre course. Installed in 1982, the current system hits just 25 acres.
Golfers on the course Monday said they enjoy the course, but look forward to renovations.
"To know that they're going to put money in it instead of selling it for condos is a real plus," said Judy Shafer, who lives at the nearby Villas de Golf condominiums and golfs on the course twice a week.
The par-62, 3,254-yard course also would be extended by a total of about 100 yards.
The course, at 12500 Vonn Road, was built in the late 1960s and purchased by Largo in 1979 for about $1.25-million, Brannon said.
Golfers played 51,292 rounds on the course, generating $780,000 in revenues during the city's last fiscal year. But the course hasn't turned a profit for the past few years. A report presented in June 2004 concluded the city needed to invest in the course to make money.
"Let's give it one more shot to see if we can't make this thing profitable again," Guyette said.
New Features:
Largo city commissioners will consider $1.8-million in improvements to the Largo Golf Course when they meet at 6 tonight at City Hall, 201 Highland Ave. Proposed improvements include:
Berms, sand bunkers and landscaping
A new irrigation system to span the entire site
Extended paved cart paths
Two new shelters
Clubhouse improvements
Restroom renovations
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