The master plan for $27.6 million in improvements to a Triad public golf facility is about to start taking shape.
Bob Brooks, the director of golf at Gillespie Golf Course, told TriadGolf.com that the City of Greensboro is expected to begin taking bids for the construction of the first phase, a $4.8-million renovation of the course, including new greens and irrigation.
Brooks said the city already has funds and commitments for the majority of the work.
Construction is expected to follow a plan crafted by prolific golf architect Rees Jones, who designed the city’s two courses at Bryan Park. Jones, the son of renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones, was a favorite of the late Jim Melvin, longtime president of the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation. The plans, divided into multiple phases, are posted in the clubhouse at Gillespie.
The Bryan Foundation donated the land for Bryan Park’s courses and funded and supported the Browns Summit facility.
Rebuilt greens will have Bermuda TifEagle surfaces. The routing plan from Jones includes changing the current par-4 sixth hole into a par-3 with the green atop a hill that now serves as the target for tee shots. The routing map shows a retention pond filling much of the remainder of the current hole.
Brooks said no timetable for completion is set. He said several golf contractors are already busy, so the project may have to wait once a bid is accepted.
When will the construction and the reopening take place?
“That’s the $100-million question,” Brooks said, explaining that the length of the bidding process and preparation is hard to predict.
Brooks said the typical date for sprigging is July in this area with new grass typically ready for play late in the year. But Brooks said construction, including shaping for greens, could be done earlier in the year.
Gillespie has nine holes, but an additional nine tees provides an 18-hole option.
Brooks said one possibility would be creating nine longer tee box areas for all the holes. Color coded tee markers could be used to identify which tee is for the front nine and which is for the back nine. The current back nine tees, include several awkward angles and cause confusion among first-time players.
Phase 2, with a projected $9.26 million cost, would include a Greensboro Six short course, gathering plaza, memorial clubhouse, parking and driveway entrance. The biggest of other future phases would be $8.5 million for First Tee renovations, playground and a target golf game.
Later phases would improve the driving range, upgrade current bathroom facilities and the adjacent basketball courts, and building a new maintenance building and parking.
