Executives take the ceremonial “first drive” at First Tee’s upgraded facility. (Michael Schwartz)
Local golf industry news was affected most in 2018 by the force of two influential entities: Mother Nature and the PGA.
The scourge of ‘winterkill’
Few Richmond-area courses were immune to the havoc wreaked during the year by the weather, which brought unusual temperature fluctuations and far too much rain. Among the most devastating symptoms of those meteorological oddities was so-called “winterkill,” which decimated the turf of courses locally and all through the Mid-Atlantic. This BizSense story from the summer looked into the lengths local club operators went to outlast Mother Nature’s wrath.
PGA, Dominion tourney place big bet on Richmond
The Dominion-anchored Richmond event is a three-day, 54-hole tournament. (Michael Schwartz)
Ensuring that pro golf will make an annual visit to Richmond for the foreseeable future, PGA Tour Champions announced a deal to extend the 3-year-old Dominion Energy Charity Classic at Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course through 2029. The unprecedented extension, organizers said, is the result of the popularity and financial success of the tournament, which features legends of the game such as Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples.
Clubs change hands in New Kent
Bringing an end to the uncertainty of two local courses, buyers were nailed down for Brickshire Golf and Royal New Kent, both in New Kent County. Brickshire was bagged by its surrounding neighborhood association for $2 million, as residents sought to preserve the golf-centered subdivision – even if that meant paying more than what some industry observers felt it was worth.
A few months later, neighboring Royal New Kent, which had been shuttered since late 2017, was snatched up by South Carolina-based Wingfield Golf, which owns the nearby Club at Viniterra and manages Brickshire. Restorations are underway to bring the club back to life and get it closer to its original mid-1990s design by the late Mike Strantz, a course architect who designed only seven or eight courses before his death at 50.
Changes at local clubs
Several local courses and country clubs announced or began changes and renovations to their grounds in 2018. The first to do so was Hanover Country Club in Ashland, which officially opened to the public with a new semiprivate status and consequently changed its name to Hanover Golf Club.
Sprucing up the club patio at Willow Oaks is part of the renovations. (Michael Schwartz)
On the city’s Southside, Willow Oaks Country Club moved full steam ahead on $2 million worth of renovations around its grounds. Work included rebuilding the exterior of the pro shop, a new member entrance, all new interiors and new carpet in the clubhouse, gutting the tennis locker room and rebuilding its short game practice area and driving range. The upgrades are being paid for by cash on-hand and by an extra fee members agreed to pay.
On the heels of revamping its six-hole course in the city’s Northside, First Tee of Greater Richmond announced plans to renovate its 18-hole facility in Chesterfield. Changes in the near term include reshaping the interior of its clubhouse to make room for two golf simulators. Down the road it may look at installing Bermuda grass greens.
Further west on the Chesterfield-Powhatan county line, University of Richmond put the finishing touches at year’s end to its new practice facility on the grounds of its home course at Independence Golf Club. The project is designed to allow the school’s men’s and women’s teams to practice year-round.
Construction is underway at the new Topgolf facility west of Scott’s Addition. (BizSense file photo)
Topgolf breaks ground
Construction finally began on Topgolf’s long-talked-about facility on Westwood Avenue just west of Scott’s Addition, after the company dropped nearly $6 million for the land. The highly visible facility will bring a new entertainment amenity to that part of town and is expected to be a catalyst for further development in the Westwood area. It remains to be seen whether Topgolf and a similar Drive Shack facility under construction in Goochland will eat into the business of local golf courses.
Golf downtown?
In mini-golf news, the owner of a local pool hall announced plans in the summer to open an indoor mini-golf venture on the ground floor of the Residences at the John Marshall downtown.
A mile or so west on Broad Street, a local developer, restaurateur and avid golfer began construction on an indoor, simulator-powered golf training venue in an old Chinatown bus station.
Aerial view of Belmont Golf Course in Henrico County. (Kieran McQuilkin)
Henrico ponders Belmont’s future
The big question for the local golf scene going into 2019 is: What will become of Belmont Golf Course in Henrico? County officials showed they’re interested in keeping the public course going by soliciting bids for third-party operators. But developer interest in the property was made public toward year’s end and it remains unclear where the story goes next.
Executives take the ceremonial “first drive” at First Tee’s upgraded facility. (Michael Schwartz)
Local golf industry news was affected most in 2018 by the force of two influential entities: Mother Nature and the PGA.
The scourge of ‘winterkill’
Few Richmond-area courses were immune to the havoc wreaked during the year by the weather, which brought unusual temperature fluctuations and far too much rain. Among the most devastating symptoms of those meteorological oddities was so-called “winterkill,” which decimated the turf of courses locally and all through the Mid-Atlantic. This BizSense story from the summer looked into the lengths local club operators went to outlast Mother Nature’s wrath.
PGA, Dominion tourney place big bet on Richmond
The Dominion-anchored Richmond event is a three-day, 54-hole tournament. (Michael Schwartz)
Ensuring that pro golf will make an annual visit to Richmond for the foreseeable future, PGA Tour Champions announced a deal to extend the 3-year-old Dominion Energy Charity Classic at Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course through 2029. The unprecedented extension, organizers said, is the result of the popularity and financial success of the tournament, which features legends of the game such as Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples.
Clubs change hands in New Kent
Bringing an end to the uncertainty of two local courses, buyers were nailed down for Brickshire Golf and Royal New Kent, both in New Kent County. Brickshire was bagged by its surrounding neighborhood association for $2 million, as residents sought to preserve the golf-centered subdivision – even if that meant paying more than what some industry observers felt it was worth.
A few months later, neighboring Royal New Kent, which had been shuttered since late 2017, was snatched up by South Carolina-based Wingfield Golf, which owns the nearby Club at Viniterra and manages Brickshire. Restorations are underway to bring the club back to life and get it closer to its original mid-1990s design by the late Mike Strantz, a course architect who designed only seven or eight courses before his death at 50.
Changes at local clubs
Several local courses and country clubs announced or began changes and renovations to their grounds in 2018. The first to do so was Hanover Country Club in Ashland, which officially opened to the public with a new semiprivate status and consequently changed its name to Hanover Golf Club.
Sprucing up the club patio at Willow Oaks is part of the renovations. (Michael Schwartz)
On the city’s Southside, Willow Oaks Country Club moved full steam ahead on $2 million worth of renovations around its grounds. Work included rebuilding the exterior of the pro shop, a new member entrance, all new interiors and new carpet in the clubhouse, gutting the tennis locker room and rebuilding its short game practice area and driving range. The upgrades are being paid for by cash on-hand and by an extra fee members agreed to pay.
On the heels of revamping its six-hole course in the city’s Northside, First Tee of Greater Richmond announced plans to renovate its 18-hole facility in Chesterfield. Changes in the near term include reshaping the interior of its clubhouse to make room for two golf simulators. Down the road it may look at installing Bermuda grass greens.
Further west on the Chesterfield-Powhatan county line, University of Richmond put the finishing touches at year’s end to its new practice facility on the grounds of its home course at Independence Golf Club. The project is designed to allow the school’s men’s and women’s teams to practice year-round.
Construction is underway at the new Topgolf facility west of Scott’s Addition. (BizSense file photo)
Topgolf breaks ground
Construction finally began on Topgolf’s long-talked-about facility on Westwood Avenue just west of Scott’s Addition, after the company dropped nearly $6 million for the land. The highly visible facility will bring a new entertainment amenity to that part of town and is expected to be a catalyst for further development in the Westwood area. It remains to be seen whether Topgolf and a similar Drive Shack facility under construction in Goochland will eat into the business of local golf courses.
Golf downtown?
In mini-golf news, the owner of a local pool hall announced plans in the summer to open an indoor mini-golf venture on the ground floor of the Residences at the John Marshall downtown.
A mile or so west on Broad Street, a local developer, restaurateur and avid golfer began construction on an indoor, simulator-powered golf training venue in an old Chinatown bus station.
Aerial view of Belmont Golf Course in Henrico County. (Kieran McQuilkin)
Henrico ponders Belmont’s future
The big question for the local golf scene going into 2019 is: What will become of Belmont Golf Course in Henrico? County officials showed they’re interested in keeping the public course going by soliciting bids for third-party operators. But developer interest in the property was made public toward year’s end and it remains unclear where the story goes next.