The Bella Vista Property Owners Association (BVPOA) in Bella Vista, Ark. has engaged course architect Lester George to create the plan, which will focus on minimizing flooding from Little Sugar Creek. Bella Vista is one of the nation’s largest property owners associations, with 3,100 residents.
The Bella Vista Property Owners Association in Bella Vista, Ark. has engaged golf course architect Lester George, ASGCA, to create a Master Plan of Renovations for its Bella Vista Country Club (BVCC) course.
Bella Vista, voted by Forbes and Money magazine as one of top 25 places to retire in United States in 2017, is one of the nation’s largest property owners associations, with 3,100 residents.
Development of amenities-rich Bella Vista began in 1965, and the BVPOA now has five 18-hole golf courses, two 9-hole courses, tennis facilities, seven private lakes, miles of nature trails, swimming pools, a beach, recreation centers, parks, pavilions, and an RV park and campground.
Originally designed by Joe Finger in 1966, the BVCC course is the premiere course in the Bella Vista collection and has been the cornerstone of the golf development since its opening. The course has experienced a lot of flooding along Little Sugar Creek, which cuts through the golf course and acts as a water hazard on several holes.
“The population upstream is exploding with growth, which has made the flooding of Little Sugar Creek,” said Tom Judson, Chief Operating Officer of the Bella Vista Property Owners association. “Upstream development will certainly continue so we want to do what we can to prevent—or at the very least decrease—future flooding on the golf course.
“We want to be proactive, rather than reactive,” Judson added. “We are motivated to fortify the golf course ahead of future flooding, to hopefully avoid damage to the course.”
“We sent an initial request for qualifications to six individuals and groups, asking specifically about their experience mitigating flood damage,” Judson described of the process to award the contract. “We narrowed the field down to three, and Lester [George]’s experience with similar flooding problems at other facilities impressed us, so we selected him to design the plan.”
“The Bella Vista Property Owners Association has 30,000 members playing on six golf courses, three of which are in continuous jeopardy of flood damage,” said Lester George. “Although the primary focus of the master plan includes flood plain modeling, flood prevention, and flood damage prevention, George Golf Design will be incorporating a complete renovation plan for the property, to bring the course back to its original splendor.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.