Rendering of Drive Shack’s Orlando facility, which opened in April 2018. The emerging competitor to Topgolf is selling all 26 of its American Golf-owned properties to generate nearly $175 million in capital to put toward development of new “eatertainment” facilities. Eight of the properties that were sold are in California; buyers were not disclosed.
Doing What Comes Naturally
While native areas on golf courses can help properties save costs and decrease their environmental footprints, that is no call for superintendents to get complacent. The areas require patience and TLC to take root—and once established, they are still not maintenance-free.
Sherwood CC Hosts Community Champions Day
Held on the eve of this weekend’s PGA Tour’s Champions Tour PowerShares QQQ Championship, the day-long event offered everyone free admission to the Thousand Oaks, Calif., club and the chance to take part in a variety of activities, including a golf clinic, tennis clinic and a chance to watch a Pro-Am that featured Wayne Gretzky, Craig T. Nelson and Caitlyn Jenner.
South Carolina, Florida and California Golf Courses Renovate Layouts
Atlantic Dunes at The Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head Island, S.C., opened on October 3 following a reconstruction; The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club in Naples, Fla., will complete a $9 million renovation of its championship golf course in November; and Los Robles Greens Golf Course in Thousand Oaks, Calif., was formally unveiled last week as an environmentally and economically sustainable facility, after a renovation was completed in April.
Los Robles Greens GC Works on “Aggressive” Turf-Reduction Project
The Thousand Oaks, Calif., property is putting the finishing touches on the project, which is designed to reduce annual water usage by 25%, taking out 30 acres of turf and replacing it with drought-resistant native plants and mulch, and installing a new irrigation system.
Nicklaus Unveils Sherwood CC Course Redesign
At the reopening of the Thousand Oaks, Calif. club’s golf course after a $10.5 million renovation, the golfing great said 1,200 trees have been added and irrigation has been improved so water use will be decreased by 20 to 25 percent. During the event, he shook hands with Caitlyn Jenner, a 15-year club member who tweeted gratitude for a new engraved locker in the women’s room that was seen as a sign of acceptance of her gender transition.
Sherwood CC Golf Course to Reopen in March
Following a restoration project led by Nicklaus Design, the golf course at the Thousand Oaks, Calif., property will reopen in March with a three-day event to celebrate. Nicklaus oversaw the original construction of the course in 1989, and the layout has been modernized to improve playability, agronomic conditions, and water use.
California, Florida, Colorado Clubs Announce Tournament Hosting Duties
Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., will host the The Champions Tour’s PowerShares QQQ Championship this year from October 28-30, as well as in 2017 and 2018. Quail Creek Country Club in Naples, Fla., has been slated to host the 2017 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, and Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo., will host the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship tournament.
Sherwood CC Issues Denial of Jenner Reports
After various news outlets reported that the Olympic decathlete’s transition to a new female identity would create problems with how she could use the facilities at the private club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., where Jenner has been a member for over 15 years, a club representative issued a statement that “reporting of discord between Ms. Jenner and this club is entirely false,” and that Jenner “has and continues to be a valued and long-term member.”
North Ranch CC to Remove 35 Acres to Conserve Water
Through the Metropolitan Water District’s incentive program, the Thousand Oaks, Calif., property stands to save $500,000 annually within five years. The project is slated for completion by summer 2015.
SoCal Golf Courses’ Water Management Measures Highlighted
Using “smart” watering technology designed to prevent unneeded irrigation, replacing grass with drought-tolerant plants and relying on recycled water when economically feasible are among the tactics that properties are using to comply with restrictions imposed by a 2009 law that mandates 20 percent statewide usage reduction by 2020. A drought emergency declared this year has intensified the need for conservation.
When Opportunity Knocks
Rafael Barajas, CGCS, a member of the GCSAA Board of Directors, has never shied from hard work—and his efforts have paid off in helping him reach the pinnacle of his profession.
Los Robles Greens GC Opens Outdoor Event Facility
The city-owned golf course in Thousand Oaks, Calif., held a low-key ribbon-cutting for the Tuscan-style space named The Gardens on November 7. The Gardens includes an amphitheater with a stage, seating area for more than 250, large lawn area for tents or open-air dining, a bar and patio for tables or dancing.