One giant Arizona celebration

Grass Clippings, a Phoenix-based golf brand celebrating greenskeepers founded in 2018, assumed operations of Tempe’s Rolling Hills Golf Course and immediately revealed plans to create an energetic vibe on the site as part of a $15 million renovation and revitalization project. Rebranded as the flagship location for Grass Clippings’ vision, the course has become “Grass Clippings at Rolling Hills.”

In March 2023, Grass Clippings agreed to a 30-year partnership with the City of Tempe to operate the city-owned golf course two miles from Arizona State University’s Tempe campus. The property lease began on July 1. Grass Clippings and Troon will collaborate to transform the property, adding full-course lighting for night play, a lighted practice range, an activity lawn and video display, a hilltop bar, a patio bar and clubhouse, and an entertainment venue. Projects will be executed in phases with full completion targeted for fall 2024.

Scottsdale-based Casa Verde Golf is working alongside golf course architects Jackson Kahn Design and Grass Clippings’ director of agronomy Scott Hebert on the golf course renovations, which commenced last month. Initial enhancements will include an expanded putting green, installation of modern LED lighting on the 18-hole executive-length golf course and on the practice range, as well as a new irrigation system to improve turf quality. New tee boxes will also be added to allow the course to be played from various lengths and angles, including a par-3-only option.

Originally designed by Milton Coggins, Rolling Hills features elevation change, desert landscape, and cheetahs on the third hole as the course neighbors the Phoenix Zoo. Once lighting is installed, the course will be open until midnight, allowing golfers to escape Phoenix’s intense sun and heat.

Tartan Talks 85

Some golf course architects avoid municipal projects. Mark Mungeam aggressively pursues them.

“It’s more work to get involved with a public municipal project than it would be with a public course or private course developer, so from that standpoint, it’s bit of a challenge,” he says. “There are golf architects that are really good at that and then there are golf architects who don’t care to be involved in that process. I happen to enjoy working at municipal golf courses.”

The New England-based Mungeam joined the Tartan Talks podcast to discuss municipal work from an experienced architect’s perspective. Mungeam’s quest to make golf better for the masses includes two decades of thoughtful work on the City of Boston’s George Wright Golf Course and William J. Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park, a pair of once-neglected DonaldRoss designs transformed into widely lauded and heavily played courses. The projects have resulted in Mungeam developing close relationships with George Wright superintendent Len Curtin and William J. Devine superintendent RussellHeller.

“They both really love both courses and have put a lot of time and effort into it to make sure they are the gems of the city,” Mungeam says.

The podcast can be downloaded on the Superintendent Radio Network page of all popular distribution platforms.

Course news

Otter Creek Golf Course, a 27-hole public facility in Columbus, Indiana, selected former PGA Tour player Tom Kite and former Augusta National superintendent Billy Fuller to guide a major redesign and course enhancement project. Areas the project will address include an outdated irrigation system; use of new grasses developed since the course opened; bunker drainage, maintenance and playability; addition of forward tees to accommodate players of skill levels; how the course can continue to test elite players; and improved strategy through the placement of new tees. Kite and Fuller will work closely with Otter Creek director of agronomy Brent Downs, superintendent Mitchell Eickhoff, director of golf Austin Wright and head pro Jimmy St. John throughout the planning and execution phases of the project. … The former Beacon Hill Golf Course, which included 27 holes designed on a 1,700-acre Virginia site, is being revived by architect Tom Clark. The course opened in 2003 and closed in 2006, sitting dormant and minimally preserved throughout the last 17 years. Purchased by Resort Development Partners and renamed The Preserve at Beacon Hill, a revamped 18-hole layout could open as early as 2024. … Soleta Golf Club announced its entry into the Florida market with a recently approved private residential club community that will include a Nick Price-designed golf course and David Leadbetter practice and performance facility. Construction on the Florida site begins this fall with the course scheduled to open for play in late 2024. … Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs, Florida, received board approval to begin multiple upgrades to the club’s golf offerings, including the Sabal Course. The Tom Fazio-designed course will undergo a $16.5 million renovation, touching all features on the course, from drainage to greens. Led by Fazio Design senior design associate Tom Marzolf, the Sabal renovation will take approximately 16 months to complete. … The USGA selected The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, to host the 2031 U.S. Open. The club hosted the 1948 U.S. Open, won by Ben Hogan.

People news

Dr. Fred Yelverton won the Carolinas GCSA Distinguished Service Award. The award is the highest bestowed by the association and comes as Yelverton concludes a career spanning nearly 30 years at NC State University. Yelverton will receive the award in November at the Carolinas GCSA Conference and Trade Show in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. … The USGA awarded Pebble Beach superintendent Bubba Wright with the E.J. Marshall Platter at the conclusion of the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open Championship. This marked the first time the platter had been awarded at the U.S. Women’s Open. … Atticus LLC hired Dr. Rob Golembiewski as its new director of technical services. … Audubon International added ClubWorks president and COO Henry Wallmeyer and Century Golf Partners vice president of agronomy Bryan Stromme to its board of directors.

Industry buzz

Troon acquired Invited’s Management Services business with 18 managed and consulting services agreements moving to Troon’s managed club portfolio. Troon also acquired New Jersey-based Applied Golf Management and assumes control of Applied Golf’s 13 public and private golf facilities in New York, New Jersey and Florida. … The GCSAA announced the debut of the Women’s Leadership Academy Nov. 7-9 in Lawrence, Kansas. … The FairWays Foundation received a record 48 applications for its fourth grant cycle. The program has awarded $441,791 to conservation and stewardship projects since its inception in 2019. Grant recipients will be announced in October. … Quali-Pro relaunched Nimitz Pro G granular nematicide for use on multiple sites, including golf course greens, fairways and tees.