The renovation of the 18-hole golf course in Tulsa, Okla., is scheduled to be complete in October, and will be closed while work is done. The project will touch every part of the par-3 course, from the tee boxes to the greens and lights.
For the first time in more than 50 years, the 18-hole, par-3 LaFortune Park Golf Course in Tulsa, Okla., is getting a new look, Tulsa World reported.
United Golf Inc. began work on April 23 on the $2.4 million renovation. The project is scheduled to be completed in October, Tulsa World reported.
“The course has basically stayed the same in terms of the greens and tees and the layout. The lights are the original lights,” said Tulsa County Parks Director Richard Bales. “And so play has been down because, I wouldn’t call it course conditions, (but) because of course playability, and the fun factor.
“It needed a major facelift to bring back some of that enthusiasm and excitement,” Bales said. “And, of course, the lights were absolutely terrible.”
The number of rounds played on the par-3 course has steadily declined in the past five years. In 2013, 20,359 rounds were played. By 2017, the number had dipped by 22 percent, to 15,956, according to county records.
The renovation, which is being funded through the Vision Tulsa sales tax package, also includes an overhaul of the driving range, Tulsa World reported.
The first 9-hole, par-3 course was built at LaFortune Park in 1962, Bales said, followed a couple of years later by the construction of nine more par-3 holes. The 18-hole Championship course opened in 1960 and was renovated in 2006, Tulsa World reported.
The par-3 course renovation was designed by Randy Heckenkemper, a local golf course architect who designed South Lakes golf course and did the LaFortune Championship course redesign in 2006, Tulsa World reported.
The renovation will touch every aspect of the par-3 course, from the tee boxes to the greens to the lights. Several holes will be realigned to help cut down on the likelihood of errant shots ending up on city streets, Tulsa World reported.
“It is not going to prevent it 100 percent, we understand that, but it’s going to reduce it substantially,” Bales said.
LaFortune Park golf courses have benefited from having the option of offering night golf, but the lights don’t shine as brightly as they once did, Bales said. In fact, whether they will turn on at all has sometimes been a concern, Tulsa World reported.
“It was very difficult for me to keep them going. We were constantly working on them,” Bales said. “Plus, the light level was very poor by today’s standard.”
Although it might seem counterintuitive to tear up a golf course during the summer, the peak season for play, Bales said it’s actually the best time to renovate a golf course—that is, if you want the grass to grow in healthy, Tulsa World reported.
“You have to do it for the growing season, now through September,” Bales said. “That is the growing season for grass.”
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