PENSACOLA, Fla. — With an eye toward transforming the area’s only municipal golf course into a more profitable operation, the City of Pensacola, Florida, and the Parks and Recreation Department invested $750,000 on what many would call a long overdue, “extreme makeover” to Osceola Municipal Golf Course.
Its new marketing slogan is: “Come Play Osceola Again For The First Time.”
The First Tee facility now includes a full-service, 40-person practice facility — complete with a massive, new putting and pitching green, and separate sand bunker — while golfers on the course will enjoy reconstructed green complexes with the finest putting surface available, concrete cart paths, more bunkers around the golf course and more trees.
Renowned architect Harrison Minchew, ASGCA, a long-time Arnold Palmer protégé, oversaw the six-month project with Lepanto Golf Construction of Pomona Park, Florida.
Minchew and Lepanto constructed four new holes at Osceola, including a trio of new par-3s. The course remains approximately the same length — slightly more than 6,400 yards from the back tee boxes — but the former par-72 will reopen as a par-70. In addition, the new tee areas are squared and significantly larger, with separate tees for seniors and ladies, along with junior tee markers.
A grand re-opening event is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 7 with the annual Mayor’s Cup Tournament. A month ago on Sept. 7, former U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate, a native of Pensacola, conducted a golf clinic at the new practice facility. Other local touring professionals with ties to Osceola include Joe Durant, Heath Slocum, and Boo Weekley.
“I grew up playing Osceola,” said Durant. “I’ve probably played it a 1,000 times. It is very exciting to see the improvements. The new driving range and practice facility are great. The added length with the new tees, new bunkers, several new holes, and character designed into the greens will make the golf course enjoyable to all types of players.”
The long-anticipated opening day of public play at Osceola will be Oct. 8. The course originally scheduled to reopen around early September but was postponed by a tropical storm — which actually proved to be a blessing as the majority of the new turf, especially the MiniVerde Bermuda grass greens, is in very good condition.
The state-of-the-art practice area for the First Tee facility is located adjacent to the No. 1 tee, formerly No. 17, in front of the clubhouse. The former 17th hole at Osceola will be the new No. 1 hole.
In addition, the Osceola clubhouse has also been refreshed with new carpeting, flat-screen TVs and a new restaurant.
It was the biggest reshaping effort since Osceola opened in 1926. Local reports say $500,000 was provided by local option sales tax revenue, while the remainder will be paid back from course revenue over a five-year period.
“This place is near and dear to a lot of people’s hearts,” said Minchew. “The entire golf course will have a new look. The greens were nondescript and now they are strategically re-contoured and much more playable. The turf quality is going to be completely different as well. Now even the best golfers will have an enjoyable challenge from the new back tees. Everyone is very excited about it.”
Minchew said that along with expanding the First Tee program and other youth-teaching programs, the practice area will enable golfers to visit Osceola simply to hit a bucket of balls, practice putting, have a sandwich and go home. This is the second First Tee facility Minchew has designed, the first one back in his hometown of Augusta, Ga.
“It’s really neat to see all the kids out there practicing, even when the golf course was closed,” said Minchew.
The other signature element of the Osceola project is its green complexes. The grass on the greens is now MiniVerde Bermuda, the same putting surface found at revered courses like the Bay Hill Golf Club in Orlando and the Tournament Players Club Stadium Course at Sawgrass.
“The greens now will have as good of turfgrass as you will find anywhere and they will be able to maintain the greens at a much higher level now,” said Minchew.
In addition, the asphalt cart paths that were originally constructed in 1978 have been replaced with white, concrete cart paths that have curbs and are routed with turnaround positions on certain holes. “It adds a cleaner look,” said Minchew.
Adrian Stills grew up playing at the course, and then later returned after a pro career to become the facility’s general manager. Eddie Daigle is Osceola’s talented course superintendent.
William Earl “Wild Bill” Mehlhorn — a native Texan who won more than 47 tournaments in his 10-year playing career and competed on the first Ryder Cup team in 1927, as well as the inaugural Masters tournament — originally designed Osceola in 1926. Widely recognized at the time for the cowboy hat he wore on the golf course, Mehlhorn was a gallery favorite due to his uncanny accuracy combined with the fact that he was the longest hitter of his day — a fantastic shot maker and a great teacher.