By Joe Earle
Golfers packed the Buckhead clubhouse of the Bobby Jones Golf Course on June 1 to hear proposals on how best to fix up the venerable city-owned golf course named for an Atlanta golf icon.
The Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy is proposing that the city reduce the course from 18 to 9 holes as part of a $15 million to $18 million renovation of the portion of the park containing the course.
The conservancy, a nonprofit group that supports the park, proposes to rebuild the golf course as a 9-hole facility, to add a driving range, a parking deck, child-friendly golfing areas and a multi-use trail, and to expand tennis facilities in the park. The park, conservancy executive director Catherine Spillman told the crowd, covers about 200 acres and is the third largest park in the city of Atlanta.
“Our intent the entire time is to create a place that is applicable to as wide a group of people as possible,” Kirk Billings, president of the conservancy told the packed house.
But many in the crowd of about 200 people voiced displeasure with some conservancy proposals, notably the proposed reduction in the length of the course. Several audience members shouted criticism during the conservancy’s presentation.
Anthony Smith of Friends of the Bobby Jones Golf Course said 1,200 people had signed an online petition opposing the conservancy’s plan.
“We think Bobby Jones is not broken,” Smith told the crowd.
Smith presented a counter-proposal calling for improvements to the course, but keeping it 18 holes. He estimated the plan could cost as little as $1.5 million to implement, a tenth of the estimated cost of the conservancy plan.
Smith said the golfers liked some parts of the conservancy plan, such as construction of a multi-use trail around the golf course – “with the emphasis on around,” he said.
Jane Yates, a member of the board of the Friends of Bobby Jones, said she would support some modifications to the course – “It does need upgrades,” she said. — but she thought it should remain an 18-hole course. “I just prefer Bobby Jones as it is now,” she said.
What is it with parks groups that support parking decks. Piedmont, Chastain and now Memorial Park. I get the whole access thing but do these conservancy (?) groups get what a conservancy is supposed to do consistently? How about advocate for and protect green space. Parking decks are completely inconsistent with their missions. This is sad. Keep the golf course at 18 holes with minor updates. Someone has to protect the green space from this conservancy (?) group.
What is it with parks groups that support parking decks. Piedmont, Chastain and now Memorial Park. I get the whole access thing but do these conservancy (?) groups get what a conservancy is supposed to do consistently? How about advocate for and protect green space. Parking decks are completely inconsistent with their missions. This is sad. Keep the golf course at 18 holes with minor updates. Someone has to protect the green space from this conservancy (?) group.
The golf course has only a small open parking lot at the end of Havenridge Drive which is too small so the golfers that come by car currently park all along the street (Woodward Way) in front of the old clubhouse which is quite dangerous and certainly unpleasant for the residents. Maybe the parking solution needs to be separated from the question of any modifications to the golf course itself.
The golf course has only a small open parking lot at the end of Havenridge Drive which is too small so the golfers that come by car currently park all along the street (Woodward Way) in front of the old clubhouse which is quite dangerous and certainly unpleasant for the residents. Maybe the parking solution needs to be separated from the question of any modifications to the golf course itself.