Toccoa Continues Examining Golf Course Options

Toccoa city staff continues to gather information about how to move forward on the city-owned golf course.

City Manager Billy Morse said a representative from the United States Golf Association came to look at the nine-hole course off of Black Mountain Road last week.

The course has been closed since last month, when the former operating group informed the city that it could no longer run it.

Morse said that the city was given a number of recommendations regarding getting the course back into a playable condition.

“If we follow those recommendations, then we are looking at doing some light maintenance on the greens until next season, then have a grow-in season for the greens to re-capture them, and if all that happened, the course would not be available for public play until August 2015,” said Morse.

Morse said the city would also do work on the course’s fairways over that same time period in order to improve their condition.

In addition to that work, Morse said the city will have to take a close look at the course’s irrigation system, which will need work at the very least, and possibly more.

“Can we repair it? Yes, we can,” said Morse of the irrigation system. “But will a repaired irrigation system be adequate to meet the needs of the course we will have. Not sure about that.”

He said a new irrigation system may be required.

While looking at options for repairing the course, Morse said the city continues to reach out to those interested in possibly operating the course once it is back open.

Morse said that the city has put out a Request for Proposals asking for those who are interested to submit their plans to the city.

“We are looking at the possibility of a partnership for operation and maintenance of the course,” said Morse, who said the deadline was October 7.

“After that date, I am sure the city commission will want to have a work session to talk about what the options are for the partnership for maintenance of the course and for getting the course re-open,” he added.

Morse said that the city is moving forward with the mindset of getting the course back open to the public.

“I think we are real excited about the day we can re-open it,” said Morse. “It is a beautiful property and a beautiful golf course. There is no reason we cannot get it back in the condition that it was several years back.”

Meanwhile, Morse said the city has worked with the company from which the course’s golf carts were being leased and those carts have been returned and the lease ended without any penalties.