The $613,710 renovation of the Pines Course at Fort Walton Beach Golf Club has entered a new phase as crews begin laying down grass sprigs that will form the new putting surfaces.
- Workers from King Villages Landscaping & Golf Construction Inc. have completed the removal of old sod and soil preparation, and are now installing TifEagle Bermudagrass sprigs across all 18 greens.
“It will start looking pretty close to an actual green in two weeks,” said Golf Club Director Jacob Hill. “We’ll let it grow in, and we’ll probably do an aerification.”
The sprigs consist of chopped-up grass, roots, and stolons (above-ground roots), which are placed on the green surface and then loosely buried in the soil, where they quickly establish themselves.
While the course initially remained open with temporary greens for members, officials have decided to close the Pines Course entirely until September 1 to protect the vulnerable new grass.
- “The big thing is that it has to get really mature roots before people start walking on it,” Hill explained.
The closure will also allow maintenance staff to make additional improvements throughout the course, including leveling tee boxes, re-sodding worn areas around cart paths, and creating more defined fairway lines.
“That line has never been established very well,” Hill said. “We want to give it a little character, so it’s not just a straight line. It will look really cool once the rough has grown in. You’ll be able to very clearly see the difference between the fairway and the rough.”
The city reminded residents that the golf club is a limited-access facility open only to golf players, driving range users, and Clubhouse Grill restaurant patrons. Other recreational uses are not permitted.
The Pines Course, built in 1961 as the club’s original 18-hole layout, had developed inconsistent putting surfaces over decades as multiple grass varieties infiltrated the greens. The renovation, funded primarily through tourist development taxes, will provide uniform playing surfaces when completed.
