The course underwent a substantial renovation in 1992 under the watchful eye of Arthur Hills.
CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — Visitors to Brookledge Golf Club in this Cleveland suburb could see an upgraded and expanded clubhouse within the next year.
Cuyahoga Falls officials recently took their first steps toward roughly $1 million in improvements to the 32-year-old clubhouse at the golf course, which was designed by Don Walker and originally opened in 1941. It underwent a substantial renovation in 1992 under the watchful eye of Arthur Hills, who also designed Inverness Club in Toledo and LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida.
With the city of Cuyahoga Falls greenlighting the sale of $550,000 notes to help pay for the upgrades, the next step will be to solicit bids for the project, said Kelli Crawford-Smith, the director of neighborhood excellence, communications and community outreach department.
The project cost is being spread out over two years, said Crawford-Smith, with $550,000 coming from the parks and recreation levy this year, and the balance of the cost paid for with the notes next year. The final cost has yet to be determined.
Planned improvements, which could start in late fall with a tentative finish time of 10 months, include an 1,800-square-foot expansion. Other upgrades include installing new electrical and HVAC systems, plus a new roof, doors and windows. The sidewalk cart path that goes around the facility will be replaced.
“Currently there is a small pro shop, snack bar and seating area,” Crawford-Smith said. “The renovated clubhouse will offer larger versions of these things, along with an expanded menu and bar offerings.”
Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com
The O’Connell Center is getting another upgrade. Here’s what we know about the renovation plans for Florida’s iconic O’Dome.
One of the University of Florida’s most iconic venues, the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, is set to undergo renovations beginning in 2023.
According to a report from Swamp247, UF is looking to repair or replace the roofing system at the O’Dome. If it’s possible, the new roof could be “solar ready,” and there’s already around $7 million put aside for the project. The current schedule has renovations beginning toward the end of August 2023 and lasting about 65 weeks. A final inspection is scheduled for January 8, 2025, but the university is still looking for firms.
The arena’s most recent update came in 2016 when the entire interior was rebuilt. Although it was a $65 million project, the roof wasn’t included. The last time UF updated the roof system was in 1998, and now an inspection says the 24-year-old roof is in need of replacement.
The university is currently taking bids on the project and will conduct final interviews on November 7 before establishing a firmer timeline for things.
Although it’s not as flashy as adding a new interior with $2 million video boards, ensuring the structural stability of one of UF’s most frequented buildings is important. Both basketball teams call the O’Connell Center home, as do the gymnastics, volleyball and swimming and diving programs.
Based on feedback from members of Vol Nation, one key improvement to Neyland Stadium is the addition of a north-side videoboard. This will positively improve the gameday and fan experience for all of Neyland Stadium, delivering a particularly meaningful upgrade for fans seated in the south end zone. The north videoboard also offers a more immersive and expanded experience to Vol faithful who secure seats in the upper-north deck area.
The lower west sideline sections will feature a chair-back seating enhancement and a field-level club accessible within those sections to feature restrooms, a bar area and food action stations.
Below are renovation photos provided by the University of Tennessee. Other photos are also displayed below of Neyland Stadium prior to renovations.
“We were basically looking to make it a little bit more playable for the residents.”
The staff at Mountain Vista Golf Club at Sun City Palm Desert knows its clientele, and making that clientele happy was a big reason behind a significant renovation of the San Gorgonio Course this summer.
“We were basically looking to make it a little bit more playable for the residents,” said Joe Johnson, the director of golf at Mountain Vista. “Cutting maintenance costs, we eliminated some bunkers, reconfigured some bunkers so that the maintenance of the bunkers themselves was easier.”
The changes to the San Gorgonio course, one of two 18-hole layouts at Mountain Vista, debuted to residents this week after the course reopened from overseeding. The Santa Rosa Course is now closed for overseeding.
While Sun City Palm Desert is a 55-and-over community off Washington Street just north of Interstate 10 in Palm Desert, the course staff want the course playable but not ridiculously easy for older golfers.
“We didn’t want to make the course easier, but we wanted to make it less penal for higher handicaps but not for the better player,” said Clint Atherton, general manager of the facility.
The biggest change to the San Gorgonio course was the conversion of all 18 greens and practice greens, about 3.5 acres in total, to miniverde, a hybrid Bermuda grass that is gaining popularity at desert courses as a putting surface.
“Looking long term with the water situation, the overseeding, the price of seed and everything that is done with greens, (other courses) have had a lot of success,” said Tyler Truman, director of agronomy at Mountain Vista. “Eldorado put in miniverde last year, Ironwood, Andalusia, Annenberg Estate have it, and they have been able to keep them fairly green and putting very true during the winter months without having to overseed.”
The new grass was just the start of reconfiguring some of the putting surfaces, Johnson said. Some greens were expanded back to their original size, with Truman saying some greens had lost 15 feet of surface due to shrinking through the years. In addition, many of the greens were softened, with workers taking out large swales or hills in some of the greens that made the surfaces effectively smaller than the actual square footage.
Makings some greens easier for players, staff
“We had problems with a couple of greens where we had three pin placements, and you need 18 to 20 pin placements on a green or you get places wore out,” Truman said. “So that is where it started, and it was like, okay, let’s get to a master plan. We did a lot of different things on those, and we built on it from there.”
In softening the greens, Truman and his staff also changed some of the green positioning, either moving the putting surfaces or raising them to make the approach shots into the greens easier. The renovation was done under the guidance of architect Casey O’Callahan, whose most notable desert work is the South Course at Indian Canyons Golf Resort in Palm Springs.
Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun
On the seventh hole, for example, a cluster of five smaller bunkers to the left of the fairway were turned into a single bunker. Other bunkers were made smaller and still other bunkers were eliminated completely, with those areas reshaped to help bring a ball back into play from the rough or near the greens.
Other work during the summer included draining and re-lining three lakes to help save water, and some work on the course’s irrigation system. A few palm trees throughout the course were also removed to improve sightlines on a few holes.
Mountain Vista is also taking the opportunity to do experiments with hybrid Bermuda grasses in a continuing effort to find grasses that can reduce or eliminate the need for overseeding. In a heavy traffic area in the fairway of the par-4 sixth hole, two different hybrids, tiftuff and tiflatitude, are planted in side-by-side patches across the width of the fairway.
“We are looking not only if it goes brown, but also looking at how well it holds its color during the winter months, how do they hold up with cart traffic and divot recovery,” Truman said. “That’s this is 150 yards out from the green. We are going to put sand in here without the seed in it (for divot repair) and see how well it recovers and grows. We will probably do this for a year or two.”
Similar work could be coming in the next year or two to the Santa Rosa Course, Johnson said. Atherton added that because Sun City Palm Desert had the money to do the work, there were no assessments to club members for this summer’s work.
The work was done for the residents of Sun City Palm Desert, but also for the 15 percent of tee times filled by outside play, Johnson said.
“Most of them play on the weekend, which is odd, because you have a better chance of getting on this golf course on the weekend than you do during the week,” Johnson said. “Because all of our (Sun City) clubs play, all of our residents play Monday through Friday. So we get really busy Friday, Saturday and Sunday with people coming in from Orange County, L.A. County and what have you.”
Larry Bohannan is The Desert Sun golf writer, he can be reached at larry.bohannan@desertsun.com or (760) 778-4633. Follow him on Facebook or on Twitter at @larry_Bohannan. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Desert Sun.
The renovations include chairbacks in the lower bowl, ADA upgrades and scoreboard and sound upgrades.
Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is one of the iconic college football cathedrals in the land. Affectionately known as “the Swamp,” it’s considered one of the toughest places to play as a visitor in the country, especially when the Gators are competitive.
And now, it appears that the University of Florida is attempting to improve the fan experience on Saturdays. According to a report from the Gainesville Sun’s Graham Hall, the stadium will undergo a number of changes by the beginning of the 2024 season, including chairbacks in the lower bowl, scoreboard and sound improvements, as well as upgrades to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
According to Hall’s report, the plan also calls for reducing the capacity of the stadium, specifically on the alumni side. Though the reduction is likely to be between 1,500 and 7,000 seats, it could be as many as 9,000. Hall said that student seating will not be significantly affected.
The pre-design phase is set to begin on Nov. 1 and be completed by Jan. 3, 2022. Construction is expected to begin after the start of the 2022 season, and it’s expected to conclude on Aug. 2, 2024, just in time for the team’s home-opener against the Miami Hurricanes.
This is one of many facilities upgrades currently being undertaken by the football program. A stand-alone football facility at the site of the old McKethan Stadium, which cost $85 million, is expected to open in the spring.
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Construction on renovations to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome will resume once the 2020 season has concluded, and now we have a new look at what’s in store for 2021 and beyond. The upgrades include 164 new private suites for viewing New Orleans Saints home games, a dozen of which will be on the field level. Computer-generated renderings of the new additions were shared by WDSU’s Fletcher Mackel.
These field-level suites have been in vogue around the NFL in recent years, with the Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams and Chargers among teams introducing them at their home venues.
Saints Vice President of Brand Strategy Jen Martindale told Forbes.com about the new seating options: “The field level suites will take the Saints game experience to a whole new level. In addition to being the closest seats to the field, these suites are the most luxurious, comfortable spaces in the Superdome.”
Alabama basketball’s home court receives a bit of a makeover heading into the 2020-2021 college basketball season.
The Crimson Standard renovations have yet to hit the home of Alabama Basketball, Coleman Coliseum, but the Crimson Tide’s court did receive a bit of a makeover.
Less than a month ago, Wayne James, who works at Coleman, posted these three pictures of the court been stripped of it’s stain and paint, as well as the seats being covered in tarp.
The ‘Script A’ at half-court is now surrounded with a silhouette of the state of Alabama. The baselines that cover the court also appear to be a deeper crimson.
There’s no word yet on when the Crimson Standard renovations will begin on Coleman, but the finished product is expected to look like the renditions in the tweet below.
Alabama AD Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) announces "The Crimson Standard", a 10 year, $600 million fundraising initiative to transform and improve Bryant-Denny Stadium, Coleman Coliseum, and the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility. pic.twitter.com/3gTVoY888z
32 construction workers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome renovations project tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
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Renovations on the Mercedes-Benz Superdome began immediately after the LSU Tigers won their Jan. 13 national title game, taking the first steps to ensure the New Orleans Saints will continue to play in a cutting-edge venue rivaling any stadium around the NFL.
Back in May, WDSU-New Orleans reported that construction on the Superdome (most of which is happening behind the scenes, where fans won’t see it, in this first phase) had not been impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. However, a recent statement from Superdome officials to WDSU confirmed that nearly three dozen workers received positive tests.
The statement to WDSU reads: “We can confirm that in the last few weeks, 32 of the 275-plus daily workers on the project have tested positive for COVID-19. This post-Memorial Day increase is consistent with what 21 other states, not including Louisiana, are experiencing at this stage of the pandemic as more restrictions have been lifted for travel, shopping, and work.”
Those staffers are employees of Broadmoor, LLC, a contractor that is spearheading the Superdome project. According to the statement, affected workers were sent home to self-isolate and must clear testing before they can return. In the meantime, their coworkers received personal protective equipment to wear on the job in an attempt at limiting further infections.
Broadmoor and Superdome management are also working together to enhance health and safety procedures, detailed as, “access to handwashing stations, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and that all workspaces are cleaned and sanitized daily. In addition, medical technicians administer temperature screenings for all workers who enter the Superdome each day, and Broadmoor has instituted social distancing measures, including staggered starts and breaks.”
It remains to be seen whether this will affect the project’s construction goals, which are staggered to account for the expected start of the NFL season. These extensive renovations to the Superdome were drawn up in a yearslong plan to work around Saints games and other big events, but organizers may have to adjust on the fly if the pandemic continues to trip them up.
The New Orleans Saints are renovating the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and recruiting new naming-rights sponsor despite the Covid-19 coronavirus.
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The New Orleans Saints have played games inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for nearly a decade, but their home stadium will wear a different name after the 2021 season.
As first reported by Nola.com’s Jeff Nowak last year, Mercedes-Benz’s 10-year naming-rights sponsorship with the Superdome will soon expire. And the Saints are busy recruiting new partners for one of the most iconic venues in American sports.
Forbes reports that an internal memo stresses a desire for regional benefits tied to a new sponsor’s cooperation, such as a “Hurricane Preparedness Pep Rally” planned to help residents stockpile supplies before the summer storm season. The Saints are always active in their community outreach, and they clearly plan to increase those efforts once they’ve acquired more resources.
Meanwhile, the Superdome itself is having some work done under the hood. A $450 million renovation and expansion project is in the works, designed at easing congestion for fans exiting the stadium and improving behind-the-scenes logistics like new service elevators and food preparation facilities. The most noticeable change for fans watching from home might be the addition of field-level box seating near the end zones, which can be seen in other stadiums around the NFL.
The $450 million Superdome renovation renderings were unveiled today after the construction firm was approved. What do you think? @WWLTVpic.twitter.com/EEbFCqqLSO
That work began immediately after the LSU Tigers’ victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and it hasn’t been impeded by the novel coronavirus pandemic. WDSU-New Orleans reports that construction is moving ahead on schedule, with different phases of activity planned around the upcoming Saints seasons, the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, and landmark music festivals like Essence Fest.
While it’s unfortunate that many of these events have been postponed or canceled while the country’s healthcare system combats the coronavirus, this might be an opportunity for the Superdome renovations to move a little quicker with fewer stops and starts. Maybe it’ll all wrap up ahead of the stated goal: 2024’s Super Bowl LVIII, the next NFL title game hosted by New Orleans.
Alabama’s Athletic Director Greg Byrne took to Twitter to post numerous pictures updating fans on the first phase of stadium renovations.
The Alabama Crimson Tide’s home has been getting a makeover, and the coronavirus pandemic has not stopped the progress.
Alabama’s Athletic Director Greg Byrne took to Twitter to post numerous pictures updating fans on the first phase of renovations that are set to be completed by Alabama’s home opener against Georgia State on Sept. 12.
According to the Crimson Tide Foundation, the renovations will include: three new club areas and the addition of 3,826 new premium seats, new skyboxes, as well as the renovation of all existing skyboxes, a relocated press box, new locker room and tunnel, updated recruiting areas, an expanded concourse and renovated concession areas.
Byrne posted these updates on Twitter earlier today:
Toured Bryant-Denny yesterday and today. Here are some updated pictures. 1. Safety first 2 & 3. West side expanded concourses More coming pic.twitter.com/vQKVQtEyWH
Already installed are the new elevators and the four new video boards which are 60% larger according to Byrne. Bigger is better seems to be the theme throughout this renovation.
1. W Concourse expanded by approx. 16’ 2. Champions Club Interior View (limited availability) 3. Walking into tunnel & interior of tunnel.
Byrne’s final tweet shows progress being made on the previously mentioned concourses and club areas. We also get a good look at the new tunnel that players will enter from the all of champions and make their way to the locker room.
There should be plenty more updates to come as they look to get everything done in time for the Sept. 12 deadline. Roll Tide Wire will keep you up to date on more information as it becomes available!
