By Steve Huffman
Forsyth County voters last fall approved a $430 million bond package, $15 million of which was earmarked for parks and recreation facilities.
Tanglewood’s share of the latter is $6.9 million. Some of the money will go for trail and road improvements, but the lion’s share will be used for improving Tanglewood’s golf facilities.
The clubhouse and par 3 greens will be renovated and upgraded, and the Reynolds and Championship courses will get new irrigation systems. Existing cart paths will be improved and new ones added.
“We’re excited about it all,” said Mike Wilcox, the head golf professional at Tanglewood. “This is something everyone is going to be proud of.”
Wilcox said it would be a couple of months, at least, before a timetable for renovations is set. But he said once the work is done, golfers will see vast improvements, especially to Tanglewood’s Championship course, which turns 59 years old this year.
Wilcox said a reworking of the course’s 99 bunkers will be the most noticeable improvement. He said the 200,000 square feet of bunkers remain basically as they were when the course opened. They don’t drain properly, and after a heavy rain it takes days for course maintenance workers to return them to playing shape.
“We want to make them more playable, more fun for everybody,” Wilcox said.
He said it’s not expected that the Championship course will be closed while the bunkers are reworked. Wilcox said there may be instances where temporary greens must be used, but the course should remain open.
