The Fredericksburg, Va. club is seeking $110,000 from the American Recovery Act for lost revenue to repair the parking lot, which is original to the property when it first opened in 1995 and is 10 years past its life expectancy. The Stafford County (Va.) Board of Supervisors must approve the request. New Direction Golf Management has invested about $300,000 in improvements to the golf course since assuming the lease in 2018. The club is also seeking to host a Symetra Tour event.
The Gauntlet Golf Club in Fredericksburg, Va. is asking for federal funds for repairs to its parking lot, the Potomac Local News reported. The club opened in 1995, and since then it has undergone six different leases and operators. The paving is currently 10 years past its life expectancy and has potholes, cracks, and crumbling asphalt areas.
In March 2018, New Direction Golf Management assumed the lease, the Potomac Local News reported. Since then, it has invested about $300,000 in improvements to the golf course, including adjusting the drainage and lifting trees for better airflow to make the course more playable. Other improvements include the clubhouse, greens, tees, fairways, bunkers, signage, practice facility and driving range, cart-paths and irrigation systems.
At the Stafford Infrastructure Committee meeting on May 4, Mike Byrd, principal owner of NDGM, spoke to the committee about the agreement between the Gauntlet Golf Club and NDGM, the Potomac Local News reported. Byrd is a Stafford resident and former manager of Golf Course Specialists, one of the previous lessees of the club in 2005. According to Byrd, Golf Course Specialists had three other leases at the time, and the Gauntlet Golf Club was not its highest priority.
Michael Morris, Director of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities, gave a presentation outlining the club’s plans at the meeting, the Potomac Local News reported. This also came with a request to use $110,000 from the American Recovery Act funding received toward lost revenue. This is the estimated amount of money that the Gauntlet Golf Club operator received to make improvements to the golf course.
Morris also spoke of having the club be the potential host of the Symetra Tour, the qualifying tour for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), the Potomac Local News reported. He stated that it would bring potential high exposure to Stafford in sports tourism and the golf market when the tour comes to the club in June 2022.
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors has yet to vote on whether or not to give the funds, the Potomac Local News reported.
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