Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, announced April 5 that the club will partner with Augusta Technical College, the First Tee of Augusta and Augusta Municipal Golf Course to introduce “a new era for public golf in [the] city.” As part of this new announcement, Augusta Tech will relocate its golf course management program to The Patch, creating a living classroom environment.
Augusta National Golf Club will partner with Augusta Technical College, the First Tee of Augusta and Augusta Municipal Golf Course, affectionately known as The Patch, to introduce “a new era for public golf in our city,” according to Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, the Augusta Chronicle reported.
“We hope it will be a model for other communities,” Ridley said.
Augusta National will be involved in the planning of renovation of both The Patch and The First Tee’s property, the Chronicle reported.
According to a news release from Augusta National, the initiative will link Augusta Tech’s golf course management and workforce programs at The Patch with The First Tee, creating the first partnership between the facilities, the Chronicle reported. Augusta National will assist in the planning and execution of this vision to complement their efforts, identify efficiencies and support the partnership’s success.
“This initiative offers a unique opportunity to contribute to two areas of utmost importance to Augusta National’s mission, our community and golf development,” Ridley said. “While in its early stages, this partnership can help produce the next generation of golf’s workforce and make the game more accessible and inviting to youth and residents throughout the community.”
ATC President Dr. Jermaine Whirl said in a press release: “Through this partnership we’re excited to establish the nation’s first corridor of golf education that will further cement the city of Augusta as a global mecca for golf.”
Opened in 1928, Augusta Municipal Golf Course has both been popular for local golfers and faced serious issues, particularly with changing ownership and on-course struggles, the Chronicle reported. In 2008, a writer for Golf Magazine made fun of the course for having, “a green that’s as round and bald as Charlie Brown’s head.”
A partnership among it, the First Tee and Augusta National will bolster its current work with Augusta Tech and the Double Eagle program, which puts military veterans in position to learn about golf course maintenance and enter that workforce, the Chronicle reported.
Augusta Tech already has joined the City of Augusta to assume operation of The Patch by 2025, the Chronicle reported. As part of this new announcement, Augusta Tech will relocate its golf course management program to The Patch, creating a living classroom environment.
The announcement was made during Chairman Ridley’s annual press conference at the 2023 Masters Tournament, where representatives of The Patch, Augusta Tech, The First Tee, the City of Augusta and the State of Georgia were in attendance to mark the announcement, the Chronicle reported. Future updates on the partnership and Augusta National’s support will be shared as more information is available.
As for when work would start, Augusta native Jim Dent knows the answer, the Chronicle reported.
“I asked when it was going to happen,” Dent said, referring to Ridley. “He said, ‘As quick as possible.’”
One of the city’s most famous golfers – 12 wins on the PGA Tour Champions and more than $9 million in earnings – was among the guests at Ridley’s news conference, the Chronicle reported.
He was invited to learn about the initiative first-hand because of his connection to the Patch, the Chronicle reported. He learned the game there, caddied at Augusta National while in high school in the early 1960s and his son, Jim Dent Jr., is the pro at the Patch. The road leading into the course is named after the elder Dent.
A decade ago, Dent said an investor wanted to go in with him to buy the course, but it fell through, the Chronicle reported. Dent visits the course regularly, and was there April 6.
The Patch is owned by the city of Augusta and managed by Cypress Golf Management, the Chronicle reported. As is the case with many public courses, there are budget constraints and its conditioning leaves something to be desired. In particular, General Manager Ira Miller said the greens need to be rebuilt and re-sodded because there are so many strains of grass on them.
“The tees boxes are in desperate need,” Miller said. “Some of the fairways need big work. It does need a renovation, to be honest.”
Miller can picture the completed renovation in his mind, the Chronicle reported.
“Oh, they could make it look like Augusta National,” Miller said. “They’ve got unlimited money, they could. Whether or not they go that far with it, I don’t think so.”
Longtime member Bob West welcomed the news, the Chronicle reported.
“As far as Augusta National, when you hear that name, you can only think of good things,” West said. “But how far are they going? Are they just going to fund the money and leave it alone and let someone take care or are they going to oversee it?”
West, who said he has been a member at the Patch for more than 30 years, said members heard speculation in the past week that Augusta National – or even the state of Georgia – was going to get behind a renovation of the course, the Chronicle reported.
“Last year Augusta National made a comment that they were going to make improvements at the First Tee and other facilities in Augusta,” West said. “We only speculated that it was going to be the Patch because it’s the municipal golf course. Augusta National and Augusta Municipal Golf Course at not so much synonymous but when you hear Augusta National and you come to Augusta Municipal Golf Course you expect excellence. Right now we need some renovation.”
As for now, there are still many more questions than answers, the Chronicle reported. Will some holes be re-designed or moved? Could some even be moved and connected to the six holes at the neighboring First Tee of Augusta?
“I love [the way the course is designed now],” said West, who is 75. “There’s something I know for certain is that change is inevitable. Sometimes change is good, sometimes it’s not quite so good. I’m hoping to be around to see some of these changes.”
And what about the green fees change after a renovation, the Chronicle asked? During a non-Masters Week, it’s $28 for 18 holes and $37 on the weekend. Cart is included.
“My biggest question is what is affordable for the everyday guy walking in,” Miller said. “Will it still stay in that range when you do an improvement. Everybody’s reaction is what’s going to really happen? Until they know something, they don’t know nothing. Just being in the dark, we’re not sure what’s going to happen.”
Ridley’s April 5 announcement marks a further investment in the Augusta community by Augusta National and its foundation, the Chronicle reported. In early 2021, it completed a $10 million gift to transform an area of the city, including a regional Boys and Girls’ Club headquarters.
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