UPDATE: New Murfreesboro golf course to be built on 14-acres near Medical Center Parkway

Feb 14, 2013 at 08:50 pm by bryan


Plans for a new 6-hole golf course are progressing right now and the city needs your help in making this new course possible. 
 
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You may recall in January, the Murfreesboro City Council paved the way for a bumper crop of new young golfers to learn the game using a City-owned, six-hole training course on 14 acres just off Medical Center Parkway near Hale Court.  
 
Murfreesboro Director of Golf Tracy Wilkins envisions a facility far different from the norm, a course that will be available to all Murfreesboro’s kids, especially targeting at-risk youth and others who, for a variety of reasons, might not be able to afford to play at Old Fort or other area golf courses. 
 
Wilkins told WGNS through an email on Friday, "We are currently on course to open in the fall of
2013 or spring 2014 at the latest."
 
What land is being used for the golf course?
 
The City’s vision is to develop the course on an old construction and demolition materials landfill closed since 1994. Capped landfills, even construction and demolition ones, are restricted to very limited uses.  It is highly unlikely the site could be sold.    
 
Wilkins has big plans and he is looking for lots of help. Tax deductible contributions are being accepted now and Wilkins says he’s willing to bend anyone’s ear about the course who will listen.
 
Some help in developing the site has been forthcoming. Several city departments are helping out with in-kind services, he said, including his department, Parks and Recreation, Legal, Planning and Engineering, Building and Codes, Water and Sewer, Communications, Administration, Finance, Murfreesboro Electric  Department, Human Resources, Street and, at some point, Murfreesboro City Schools. Hard cash has also been pledged.
 
Murfreesboro City Council approved $107,500 from the city’s Capital Improvement  Plan (CIP) during its meeting Jan. 10.  A grant from the Wadsworth Foundation of $150,000 (over five years) has been awarded. The Murfreesboro Water and Sewer Department kicked in $32,990 for irrigation from its new on-site water re-use storage tank and another $23,750 in kind for dirt needed to build the course. Right now the challenge is the dirt and a lot of it – there is not enough and, Wilkins is looking for help from the community. 
 
“This course will be dedicated especially to at-risk youth,” Wilkins told City Council Jan. 10. “We want to promote the growth of golf. 
 
“To do that,” he added, “we’re working with multiple organizations like First Shot, Kappa Alpha Psi, the Tennessee School for the Blind and First Tee.” On the site itself, there will be a practice tee in the middle, so youth can use the greens as targets, he explained. The course will be open to the public but would be limited to organized groups. 
 
“The Golf Commission has discussed this since June of 2011,” Wilkins said. “We’re still looking for donations; we need dirt to fill certain places and as we do that, the cost will be reduced even more.” 
 
If all goes according to plan, he said, the course could be used by this fall. If not, spring of the following year. 
 
“We’ve tried to do this at a minimal cost,” he told council. “We want to provide this at an extremely affordable rate for everyone.” 
 
Wilkins told us that he is available to speak to local organizations on a daily basis. 
 
As far as donations go, all donations are tax deductable and can be made at Old Fort Golf Club. 
 
 
For more information or to make donations, please contact Tracy Wilkins:
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