The Fort Walton Beach City Council approved a $613,710 project Tuesday to renovate all 18 greens at the Pines Course of the Fort Walton Beach Golf Club.
- The project, funded primarily through Tourist Development Council (TDC) money, will replace greens that currently contain five to six different types of grass, making consistent chemical treatment difficult, according to City Manager Jeff Peters.
“They’ll dig out about six to eight inches, fumigate everything to start fresh, bring in new field dirt, and then sprig it to let it grow into place. When that’s done, they’ll be immaculate,” Peters explained during the council meeting.
King Villages Landscaping & Golf Construction Inc. of Gainesville submitted the lowest bid among five companies vying for the project. Construction is scheduled to begin in early March with completion of sprigs expected by early May.
- During the six-month renovation period, the course will remain open with temporary greens to maintain revenue flow. The project includes renovating the large practice green near the clubhouse.
Councilman Travis Smith, who voted against the measure, argued that while he supports improving the course, he believes it should be self-sustaining.
“I think that we need to do a full rate study out there and bring this thing up to market,” Smith said. “If the golf course was self sustaining, we could spend this TDC money somewhere else. We just saw that Eglin closed nine holes of its golf course. Now that’s going to do is push more traffic towards our golf course.”
The project will be funded with $584,000 from the FY 2024-25 TDC Fund, with the remaining $29,710 coming from the Half Cent Fund Balance.
Current non-member rates at the course are $52 per round, while members pay $28, according to Peters. Annual membership fees are $200 for city residents and $300 for those living outside city limits.
