The 27-hole property in the suburb of Sylvania was built in 1929 and has been operated privately as one of the oldest golf courses in the Toledo area. It is now slated to become part of the third largest Metropark in Lucas County, Ohio, through a deal using grant funding that will allow the parks system to purchase the property from the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.
Spuyten-Duyval Golf Club, a 27-hole, 226-acre property in Sylvania, Ohio that was builtin 1929 and has been operated privately as one of the oldest golf courses in the Toledo, Ohio area, has been acquired by the Metroparks Toledo public agency and is now slated to become the third largest Metropark in Lucas County, Ohio, The Blade of Toledo reported.
Spuyten-Duyval, which means “In Spite of the Devil” in Dutch, has billed itself as “Toledo’s Golf Outing Headquarters,” with a banquet facility built in 2000 that can accommodate over 200 people.
“We service over 100 special-interest groups, company and family golf outings each year,” the course’s website says. The course has been owned and operated by Leisure Sports Inc., along with the adjacent 9-hole Cottonwood Creek executive course.
Metroparks spokesman Scott Carpenter said Western Reserve Land Conservancy, which is partnering with the Metroparks in the deal, has a purchase agreement in place with Spuyten-Duyval GC, The Blade reported, through which Metroparks Toledo will buy the property from the conservancy group using grant funding that will become available next year.
The acquisition will expand the existing Secor Metropark to 836 acres, according to the land conservancy, The Blade reported.
Both the purchase of the property and the subsequent restoration plan will be paid for by a $510,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as a $2.9 million Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program grant from the Ohio EPA, according to the land conservancy. The grants were awarded because the property falls within the U.S. EPA Maumee Area of Concern—one of 43 areas in the Great Lakes basin that has been identified as experiencing significant environmental degradation.
The project will allow the Metroparks to restore more than 200 acres of Oak Openings prairie, plant 50,000 trees, and restore 1,200 linear feet of stream along Prairie Ditch, which drains into Tenmile Creek, a currently impaired stream as designated by the Ohio EPA, according to the land conservancy. Three additional miles of trails will provide access to the property for hiking, running and wildlife watching, The Blade reported.
“This collaborative conservation project will have a vast impact on natural habitat, water quality and public recreation opportunities,” said Joe Leslie, Vice President of Real Estate at the land conservancy. “We are grateful for our visionary partners at Spuyten Duyval and at Metroparks Toledo who helped bring this project to fruition.”
Added Dave Zenk, Executive Director of Metroparks Toledo: “This is a rare opportunity to add significant acreage to an existing Metropark in one of the most ecologically important areas in the entire state, the Oak Openings Region. Thanks to the partnership with Western Reserve Land Conservancy and a creative funding model, we are bringing millions of dollars to our region for conservation.”
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