The 18-hole county-owned Park Ridge Golf Course will soon be getting a makeover.
The Parks & Recreation Department expects to spend $1.7 million during the summer to modernize and restore the greens. After 16 years of use, the course needs some upgrades that will be paid from golf course revenues.
Special Facilities Director Paul Connell said 6 inches of soil and grass around bunkers will be removed and replaced. Six feet of sod will also be removed around the greens. And sod from several tees will be releveled because of settling. Any drainage issues will be addressed as well.
The goal of the project is to restore the golf course as closely as possible to the original playing characteristics envisioned by the original designer.
“It was time to upgrade the course,” Connell said, noting that similar work was performed over the last two years at Okeeheelee Golf Course. Southwinds Golf Course is expected to be upgraded within the next two years.
The renovations come at a time when golf in Palm Beach County has seen a resurgence.
Golf operations at the county-owned courses generated a record $12 million in revenues in the 2021 fiscal year with more than 300,000 rounds played. Frequent player sales exceeded 7,500, and the department had its highest level of participation for junior golf programming.
The Park Ridge work is expected to begin in the middle of May and take about four months to complete. Although the golf course will be closed, the driving range and pro shop will remain open.
Park Ridge Golf Course was built on a closed landfill
The golf course was a joint project of county government and the Solid Waste Authority. It was built on a closed landfill. Park Ridge tops 85 feet at its highest point, offering elevation changes golfers cannot find anywhere else in South Florida. It offers six par 3s, six par 4s, and six par 5s.
It is located off Lantana Road west of Florida’s Turnpike in an unincorporated area of Palm Beach County.
The facility consists of approximately 25 acres of fairways, 34 acres of lakes, 65 acres of irrigated Bermuda grass roughs which includes the driving range, 3 acres of greens, 4 acres of tees, 10 acres of support facilities, parking lots and landscaped areas, and 23 acres of native maintained area.
It includes a significant amount of acreage in its native state. The facility was recognized by Audubon International as a Certified Sanctuary in 2009.
Like other county-owned courses, Park Ridge play has returned to pre-COVID levels. It had 61,000 rounds of play in FY 2021, a 7 percent increase over FY 2019. And it generated $2.2 million in revenue, a 22 percent increase over FY 2019.
Mike Diamond covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. If you have a tip, he can be reached at mdiamond@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @michael06339386.
