The golf course at the Arlington, Texas property completed a $1 million makeover eight months ago and has since seen golf memberships increase.
The golf course at Rolling Hills Country Club in Arlington, Texas has had a much-needed makeover, adding about 300 yards to the original course, changing the direction and placement of the holes and flattening out the former turtle-back-shaped greens, the Fort Worth (Texas) Arlington Citizen-Journal reported.
General Manager Dan Bidzius said the $1 million project, which had been planned for several years, was finished about eight months ago, the Citizen-Journal reported.
“The changes have been very impactful,” Bidzius said. “We wanted to keep the history and integrity of Rolling Hills but also make it more relevant to today’s golf market, which is very competitive.”
New native grasses and some areas that have naturally long grasses off the fairways allow the course to conserve water with its state-of-the-art irrigation system. The new course design has double the number of bunkers but takes less time to play, the Citizen-Journal reported.
Club President Brett Frazier said people can play the full 18 holes in about four hours. “As times change, people are finding it harder to commit so much time to playing,” he said. “The new course is quicker and more fun. People are getting their kids involved. Youth is the future of this industry.”
Golf pro Vince Pellman said the new course “fits into the land” a lot better than it used to, the Citizen-Journal reported.
“The holes are straighter,” he said, “and look like they’ve been here a long time even though they’re new.”
The new course has brought increased golf memberships, Bidzius said, and has been a hit with longtime members as well, the Citizen-Journal reported.
Phil Dyson, one of the club’s best golfers, said the course is harder than it used to be. “It’s more challenging, and that’s fun to me,” he said. “The bunkering is awesome, and I like the greens better. It’s a drastic change, but now I get to utilize my whole bag [of clubs]. I get to use my irons.”
The new course has attracted statewide attention, too. The club will host the Texas Women’s State Open this summer and is planning a partnership with the University of Texas at Arlington’s golf team, the Citizen-Journal reported.
Bidzius said the course renovation wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the club members, the Citizen-Journal reported.
“The membership was forward-enough-thinking that the new course needed to become a relevant golf product in the market,” he said. “The course has characteristics the PGA of America is striving to promote: more fun, shorter and quicker golf.”
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