During a recent round of golf at the Los Alamos County Golf Course, golfer John McCarthy uses a rake to remove the top layer of rocks away from the ball so as not to damage his club. Improvements to the course are being planned and include the greens, tee boxes and bunkers. Photo by Jenn Bartram/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

With the irrigation project completed at the Los Alamos County Golf Course, Public Works is directing its focus to the next phases of the project – renovating holes and improving the driving range.

County Council gave direction Jan. 4 on project scope and budget so County staff kicked things off with soliciting services of a golf course design professional to develop the project in a two-phased approach. Phase 1 includes improvements to holes four through 18 and installation of two new restrooms while Phase 2 includes developing design concept options for improving holes one through three, the driving range and practice areas. On May 3, Council approved a contract with iConsult, LLC to begin public engagement and design work.

A public meeting May 26 introduced the design team, explained the two phases and the project schedule and obtained initial public input on improvements to the course. A second public meeting was held June 22 where the design team, represented by Todd Schoeder and Forest Richardson, presented several options for Phase 2, which also will influence some features in the Phase 1 design. The design team will review public input received and are scheduled to present these options to the Parks and Recreation Board July 14. Public input is highly encouraged and feedback can be emailed to lacpw@lacnm.us.

Deputy Public Works Director Eric Martinez further explained the two phases of the project. An overall project budget approved by Council for the design and construction of the first phase is $2.5 million. The first phase, he said, concentrates on improving the greens, tee boxes, bunkers and adding two new restrooms on holes 4 through 18. The second phase provides for the development of several conceptual or preliminary design options to improve holes 1 through 3 as well as the driving range and other improvements identified during the design process. No funds have been approved or appropriated for final design drawings or construction of phase two at this time.

Despite the work being divided into phases, Martinez said they will be performed concurrently with each other as decisions made in one phase can influence, have an impact or be addressed in the other.

With the focus of the June 22 public meeting on phase two, the design team presented four options for reconfiguring the driving range to improve safety as well as improving holes one through three.

“Some of them will have some level of impact to the open space on the south. There’s realignment of some existing trails that lie behind the golf course on the south side … that would need to be accommodated on the various options that were presented,” Martinez said. “So really we’re working to get feedback on the options from the golfing community’s standpoint as well as the recreational users of the trail system.”

“A concern expressed is that we’re going to be taking away natural landscape of the existing open space and replacing it with a park setting – what looks like a golf course,” Project Manager Anthony Strain said. “And that we’re going to compromise the trails. It’s been a big part of our team’s effort to be sensitive to that concern and show that we’re giving a very in depth look at that … if we’re going to impact any trail it will be enhanced.”

On the other side, Strain said, is what the golfers are hoping to achieve with a course that is long enough to make it challenging and fun to play.

He also explained golfers appealed to council to have a driving range that is long enough to provide safety and be efficient in size and in features so that a “good teaching program could go into effect and (be) a way to grow the game.”

Strain noted the driving range does bring in a fair amount of revenue.

“To accomplish the extended length of the driving range, which is necessary for safety and keep the enhanced portion (for) teaching the game, there has to be some realignment of the holes one through three and how they affect the other hole’s orientation,” Strain said. “One of the options that must be explored is expansion and this expansion is into more naturalized land.”

This is what the design team wants to collect input on. Strain said five meetings will be held to collect public opinion.

Martinez said the goal is to be sensitive to all users and the surrounding environment.

Based on previous work on the course, providing higher fencing at the range is not a palpable type of improvement because it would be very tall, impacting the view shed and bird flight as noted by the design team, he said.

Some suggested using low-flight balls; however, there is a concern that low-flight balls are not good for teaching as they don’t provide the same feel and flight characteristics of a conventional golf ball, Martinez said.

The target for completing the design work is late October, Strain said. He added the goal is to present phase one and the options for phase two to council in early November. Construction for phase one is targeted to begin in early spring.

While there is no funding approved for phase two construction, Martinez said, “the goal is to provide some budget estimates to council for future consideration”.

This set of improvements to the golf course is amongst several changes that have occurred at the golf course. In 2014, the $5 million clubhouse was completed. The irrigation improvements came in just under $2 million and were completed in the fall of 2020.

Strain said the public’s response to all these changes has been mostly positive. However, the challenge for the golf course is retaining staff to maintain it.

He added through making these changes, the hope is to gain the golfing community’s trust and “know the improvements we’re targeting are really going to be beneficial to the long term life and wellbeing of the course.”

Parks and Recreation Board Chair Ramiro Pereyra agreed.

“I think the improvements for the golf course are very promising for our community,” he said. “I know that at this time one of the largest concerns is the expansion into the trails. I would urge all users of both trails and the golf course to join in on those meetings and make public comments during the Parks and Recreation Board meetings.”

Pereyra outlined some of the pros and cons about the project that should be considered.

Pros:

• All scenarios are going to expand the driving range to at least 320 years, which solves safety concerns, and makes it a productive practice area.
• Will potentially gain a short practice area for irons and wedges.
• Hole 7 is dangerous – therefore reconfiguration will resolve that issue.
• For any tree removed, two will be planted.

Cons:

• Potentially more land may be needed, between 3 – 5 acres
• 100 – 150 trees may need to be removed.

The project appears to be coming at a good time; Martinez said in general golf has risen in popularity. Based on what the design professional and golf course architects have reported, he said COVID has increased numbers nationally. It is a fitting sport for the present time since it is outdoors and people can socially distance, Martinez said.

Strain added for the local course it is hard to distinguish if more golfers are coming out due to the improvements or if they are just tired of being “cooped up”. Whatever the reason, the County golf course has sold more rounds of golf – upwards of 4,000-5,000 annually. Interestingly, he said USGA reports that numbers are way up, especially for the younger demographics. Those who are 20-35 years old are taking up the sport.

“People are really flocking to the game in huge numbers,” Strain said.

One of the appeals of the sport is the social aspect, he explained. People can enjoy hanging out at the driving or practice range.

“It’s become a new social activity,” Strain said.

Wherever people stand on the project and on golf in general, their feedback is welcomed on the project, Strain said.