I started playing golf in City Park in 1972. I had my first job in "the park" parking golf carts for Henry Thomas on the South Course when I was 13. I picked up range balls at the "new" Driving Range at 18, and became an assistant to Mr. Thomas at age 20. I ran the City Park Junior program from 1983, when we had a couple of dozen kids, to 1987, when we had a couple hundred. I have been an "Authorized Instructor" at the Driving Range since 1984, and I have traveled around the country extensively the last ten years teaching golf.
I have been an avid researcher into the history of City Park Golf, and have been around first hand for a lot of it.
The heyday of City Park Golf was probably in the 1950s if you look at pictures from this era, and talk to those who were there. The best years I remember were the mid 1970s when all 81-holes were open for play, greens fee were 75-cents on the Junior Course, the "new" range was new, Mr. Thomas's shop was better than any in the country with respect to selection, price and trade-in values, and the fact that you could hit your own practice balls next to Wisner Avenue. Dozens of clubs made their home at the park, and all four and half courses were always busy.
Prior to Katrina, Gordon Digby, the head golf professional at City Park at that time, was overseeing the original City Park Plan to upgrade golf along with Park management.
This plan included a completely renovated East Course, designed by Bobby Weed, who was also the architect of the fine renovation of New Orleans Country Club. This plan included a major facelift to the driving range as well.
Then Katrina hit.
Everyone knows it took way too long to open the North Course. But it is open and very busy with revenues way over budget. Billy Casper Golf and their personable Head Professional Don Tillar do a very good job, and anyone who says the conditions are no better than pre-Katrina on the North Course, didn't play it much then. The greens and fairways are light years better then they were.
Almost every golfer I have talked to about the future of Golf in City Park wants the same things.
They want a slight upgrade to the either the East or the West Course and a better upgrade on the other. They would like to see an upgraded driving range, and a new clubhouse. They would also like to see a fee structure of maybe $40 for the best course, $30 for the second best, and continue the $20 fee on the North.
This should be possible with the $15 plus million dollars that City Park now has in hand from the State and FEMA.
The North Course upgrade cost $1.3 million.
The $45 million dollar plan that was presented at the February 2009 City Park Board meeting was world-class in every way for a public facility. It would make City Park one of the best public complexes in golf.
City Park Golf Committee chairman Will Tregre, did a great job working with the Torre Design Consortium, and Rees Jones, to fit this plan into the footprint they had to work with.
But, in my opinion, there are several problems with this plan.
Number one is the price structure. The proposed green fees did not make it into Brian Allee-Walsh's article on Wednesday, February 18, but they are reported to be approximately $75 dollars for the No. 1 course and $50 for the No. 2 course - that's GREEN FEES folks! Add a half of a golf cart fee (you will take a cart on the non-walking friendly courses) for an additional $15 more and your totals are up to $90 and $65.
I have been at City Park for 37 years, and I am sure that the day of the 2 or 3 rounds a week, middle-class or lower golfer is OVER!
It would simply be less expensive to join a second-tier country club.
The No. 1 course crosses Harrison Avenue four times--that's not a typo. The No. 2 course crosses Filmore twice.
There will be no covered stalls at the new Driving Range, another world-class facility. This ignores a simple fact of life in New Orleans - the weather.
The unbelievably hot summer days in New Orleans, as well as the dozens of slightly rainy days are made practice-worthy with the cover of the second deck at the current range that will close the day phase one is complete.
Another factor is the difficulty of the new layouts. Rees Jones is one of the five best golf course architects in the game, but the two courses I am familiar with that are recent renovations under his supervision--Baton Rouge Country Club and Big Spring Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky, a city where I teach in the late spring and summer--are extremely hard to play and score on. They are not very popular with many of the members for this reason. They look gorgeous though.
There is water in play on the proposed #1 course on 15 holes. On the #2 course, water is a factor on 9 holes.
Make no mistake about it, the #1 course will be PGA Tour event caliber, and could one day host the Zurich Classic.
As far as Bayou District's involvement goes, there has been little concrete information available as to their role in this project, and next to zero public debate on it.
The meeting on the March 10th is the New Orleans public golfers' only chance to question, comment, or be informed on this undertaking which will affect golf in the park beyond any of our lifetimes.
The Golf Master Plan should be available to view on the City Park website soon, but until then, you can view it on my site at http://www.brianmanzella.com/citypark/newcp.jpg
I have always loved City Park and this city and want the very best for both. As a golfer and a resident of Lakeview, I certainly hope the golfers of New Orleans are well served.
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