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IMPROVING THE LINKS

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By BART O'CONNELL

Tribune correspondent

Published: June 19, 2008

HUDSON - This past winter, David Donald, general manager of The Links Golf Club in Hudson, had a serious problem on his hands.

On the weekends, it was common to see lines forming just off the practice tee and putting green, as golfers clamored for their own patch of grass to warm up on before playing for real. Others complained about some oddly shaped tee boxes on nine of the holes.

"The demand was incredible," Donald said. "You just couldn't find a spot on the driving range."

That's when Donald and Course President Matthew Lowman decided to make a major investment for future winters.

Two weeks ago, the par-71 public course off Hudson Avenue began a three-month project to upgrade half the tee boxes and transform the practice facility into perhaps the finest in West Pasco.

The plans call for a practice putting and chipping green three times the size of its predecessor, complete with a nearby sandtrap, and a 26,000-square-foot practice tee area at the driving range - 75 yards wide - where golfers should find plenty of grass to hit off of, any day of the week.

The improvements, which encompass 85,000 square feet, are costing the public course "in the six-figures," course superintendent Todd Verbout said. But in September, when construction is expected to be finished, few area courses will be able to compete with The Links when it comes to offering an affordable, spacious area to practice. A bucket of 50 balls still will cost $4, with discount cards available, Donald said.

The most dramatic change will be the 16,000-square-foot putting green, outfitted with Tif-Dwarf Bermuda grass that is being planted in sprigs, not sod, and will take 12 weeks to grow.

The construction fully meets United States Golf Association specifications, including extensive drainage, a 4-inch layer of rock and 12 inches of top mix underneath the green. Sand for the nearby bunker is being shipped in from a mine in Davenport. The old green simply was not up to par.

"It was sort of hilly, unlike any on the golf course," said Art McConville, who runs The Links' pro shop. "They're making it more representative of the course."

The practice tees, 30 percent bigger than the old range, are being done with 419 Bermuda grass, and the 75-yard-wide tee area should be able to accommodate 35 to 40 golfers at any given time.

Nine tee boxes - on hole Nos. 2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 - also are being renovated. In general, they will be flatter than their predecessors, offer more areas to hit from, and also will be outfitted with the same 419 Bermuda as the driving range. Temporary tees will be used on the course until their completion.

The construction is being handled by Crystal River-based Barbaron, Inc., which has done extensive work on private courses such as Cypress Run in Tarpon Springs, and Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto. The Links is the only course Barbaron has refurbished in Pasco, including some work on the greens six years ago.

The Links plans to offer a free clinic on its new range with Saint Leo golf coach Ray Cisbani.

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