Friends of Golf Reports on Palm Harbor Golf Course Renovation
Kemper Sports meets with the City Manager, Project Manager and Friends of Golf Steering Committee. Hoped for Labor Day opening depends on Mother Nature.
Palm Coast, Florida – May 9, 2009 – A meeting was held on Thursday, May 7, between Kemper Sports representatives, the City Manager, the City Project Manager for Palm Harbor, and members of the Friends of Golf Steering Committee. At this meeting, the Project Manager stated that things are progressing according to schedule. Cart paths are 75% complete and the irrigation system is 95% accomplished. Grassing is scheduled to start on May 24 The projected Labor Day opening will depend completely on the cooperation of Mother Nature. City Manager Jim Landon stressed that the call will not be made by the City, but rather by the people who have the expertise and knowledge to determine the long-term impact of a “too early” opening.
Kemper is in the process of crafting their business plan for the course and is currently finishing up the search for a Golf Superintendent. They have developed a short list of candidates for the position with the goal of making a selection prior to the start of the grassing of the course on May 24. The next key selection will be a Site Manager, approximately 45-60 days before the opening of the course.
Other items that were discussed at this meeting were: Walking (will definitely be permitted at predetermined times during off-peak hours), Memberships (will exist, structure to be decided at a later date), Men’s and Ladies’ Associations (no question that all are in agreement that Associations are an important part of the equation), Clubhouse (will start with a double-wide and hopefully build a permanent clubhouse at some point in the future).
In the next few months, an Advisory Board will be formed with representatives of Kemper, the City, and Friends of Golf to ensure input from all sides.
Those of us from Friends of Golf who attended the meeting are unanimously of the opinion that this course is well on the way to being what we have all visualized for Palm Harbor. We will keep our members updated as we progress toward Opening Day.
Such Joyous News
Such Joyous News for our Cherished and Historic Golf Course.
Can you actually believe that this is the third time we have seen our beloved Course and Clubhouse get rehabbed!
We hope to request that the 164 homes in the ‘Showcase first Neighborhood’ of Palm Coast be once again allowed to use our own Golf Carts. Being the 26th family to take a chance on Palm Coast in 1971 and and make multiple Purchases here, it would be nice to have that back once again. It is such a small thing to ask; perhaps in time the other three of the ‘Four Sisters’ G.Courses will be joining in this too with each Golf Course central core having this feature too! . If so, it would give HOPE to those in Matanzas, knowing they are special too! For the new arrivals the ‘Four Sisters’ are the Palm Coast Golf Course , now known as ‘Palm Harbor’, the Pine Lakes Golf Course, Cypress Knoll Golf Course and our ‘hangin’ in there Matanzas Golf Course known as the ‘Beautiful Monster’. We think it would be a *little something* to offer the Prospective Buyers who are avid Golfers, after all, we are in competition with Golf Free for Life at the Villages.
For the new arrivals, the ‘Showcase Neighborhood’ along with the other pledged Improvements helped sell 36,000 homesite in just over two years. We were once that bright and shiney; we are trying very hard to be that again fortunately with the Citys’ Support. The new arrivals can see a ‘Golf Cart ‘ Garage, on Cerrudo, just a few houses from the ‘Parsonage’.
We were the first to play the first 9; so we are the Stewards of the first Mens and Womans set of Clubs used there, hopefully, once the Clubhouse/Pro Shoppe, Bar/Restaurant is restored we are condsideromg donating these and all the other Golf Related items we have so the new arrivals can *see* a Room of History or ‘Wall of History’. Maybe on every January 23rd, Palm Coast Day, the original 1972 fee Schedule can be used on that Day every year as a Rememberance for all the other Palm Coast Pioneers who have left us. Maybe in time the ITT *jitney trolley’ that is at the Ag. Museum can be *electrified* and use to Tour various places in the City/County, with the proceeds from this re-enacted ‘Guided Tour’ to help our Library or Ag. Museum or some such..and the re-enacted Guided Tour can help Prospective Buyers see first hand that Palm Coast Cares enough to show off its First Neighborhood to reassure the Prospective Buyers that it is a Wise move to Buy Here! Lordy Lordy we’re over 40 and nearing Nifty 50!
We’ve had a lot of practice *smiling* and *waving* to the 1972-1975 Trolleys of Prospective Buyers once; we were specimens on display , we hope to do it yet again. Who knows, maybe if the ‘Tour’ is successful enough, we can get another double Decker Red London Bus to add to the a City/County Tour. thing is, someone, who we will not mention, in the Property Appraisers office, can NOT drive this Double Decker Bus and rip the Sun Roof off like this unknown person did to the first one, ok? This unmentioned person can only ride in this one. (-:
We can hope.
Happy Mothers’ Day Everyone!
Again, wonderful Joyous News.
George Edward Chuddy
https://palmcoasthistoricresources,tripod.com chuddy@bestnetpc.com
P.S. Did ya’ know that in the beginning that Publix use to serve Champagne, Hors’ Doeuvres, canapes, Coffee – no wonder we were smiling and waving !
Nancys’ Navy & Aronolds’ Army
Perhaps someone should contact Arnold Palmer and Nancy Lopez and see if they or anyone from ‘Arnolds’ Army’ and/or Nancys’ Navy would like to attend the Grand Opening of our Cherished and Historic Golf Course.
Wouldn’t it be great if ‘Garfield’ could also be in attendance. ( for the new arrivals, ‘Garfield was Palm Coasts Mascot – he always lead our Parades, etc., a lot of us still have ‘Garfield Telephones’ and Arnold P. always broke a club against our Clubhouses here – we have jpegs of him doing that at our Matanzas Course).
Thank you.
Geo.