In cooperation with Old Fort Golf Course, the city of Murfreesboro, Tenn., opened the new six-hole golf course on October 12 in an effort to introduce more kids to the game, including those from low-income areas. For the rest of the current golf season, all children ages 17 and under can play the course for free when accompanied by an adult.
The city of Murfreesboro, Tenn., in cooperation with Old Fort Golf Course, has a solution to introduce more kids to the game of golf, including those from low-income areas, through the Bloomfield Links Golf Course, the Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Post reported.
The new golf course, which opened October 12, is designed for those who are just beginning the sport, but the main focus is giving young boys and girls the opportunity learn and play the game at a low cost. For the rest of the current golf season, all children age 17 and under can play the new course for free when accompanied by an adult, the Post reported.
The course features six holes ranging from 60-130 yards and sits on about 20 acres of land, the Post reported.
“We want to make it to where every kid that wants to play golf can play golf,” said Old Fort professional Tracy Wilkins. “We’ve been doing clinics for a while for kids from Spring Valley and Franklin Heights, but really, they can’t afford to play golf.
“We want this to kind of be the T-ball version of golf. It will be a different approach. We want to teach the game, but we want to teach life skills. I’m really excited about it opening and the opportunity it is going to give us to reach a lot of kids.”
The property became an ideal spot for the golf course because it can’t be sold, Wilkins said, noting that it’s located on top of an old landfill that has been closed for 20 years, the Post reported.
Dennis Griffith of Atlanta, Ga., who was in charge of the renovations that took place at Old Fort in 2004, designed the new layout. However, Wilkins said it took a true community effort, the Post reported.
“We had so many volunteers step up and donate their time, dirt, grass and services,” Wilkins said. “We then got big help from the Wadsworth Foundation with a grant that came as part of Links Across America.”
Various activities will be planned next year when the total construction is completed, the Post reported.
Clinics, leagues and numerous events will be offered at a very affordable price. Several service organizations like First Tee, First Shot and the Tennessee School for the Blind will also be part of making Bloomfield Links Golf Course a success, the Post reported.
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.