City chips in $9,400 to finish off BGC cart path project

By: 
Jill Meier, Journal editor

The Brandon Golf Course will host the 2017 South Dakota Golf Association Men’s and Ladies Stroke Play tourney. It’s the one of the biggest tournaments the Brandon Municipal will host in its 38-year history. The Men’s Stroke Play will be played Aug. 11-13 in Brandon. Photo courtesy of the BMGC

Jon McInerny had an easy time convincing his Brandon City Council peers that it was a good idea to cover the remaining $9,400 needed to finish off the cart path project at the city-owned golf course.

At the council’s July 3 meeting, McInerny reminded them of the $66,000 that’s been raised to date through the sale of stones and bricks.

“In addition to that, Zane and his team, members of the community and his family have chipped in their own donations in terms of hours and labor to pour the concrete. They’ve poured 46,000 feet (at $3.50 per foot), so in essence they’ve added $161,000 in capital to the golf course at a zero cost to the city thus far,” he said. “So, I’d certainly be in favor of getting them across the finish line here quick so they can finish it up in time for the tournament. When it’s all said and done, it will add $200,000 in capital to the golf course. … What we’re looking at from city funding is less than $10,000, so I’ll certainly make a motion to approve the funding of the completion of the cart paths.”

Supporting the project, Mayor Larry Beesley also cited course staff, Brandon Golf Association members and community members for their volunteer efforts to improve the course in recent weeks.

“Not only have they worked on the cart paths, but they’ve also gone up on the hill and taken trees out, cleaned out the hill so it doesn’t look like a mess,” he said.

The $9,430 kick-in from the city will result in cart paths from the 7 green to the 8 tee box (350 feet, $5,400), from the 8 green to 9 tee box (375 feet, $3,700), from 3 green to 4 tee box (800 feet, $8,000), and the 10 tee box below (200 feet, $2,000). With existing cash, anticipated revenue from two recently-purchased stones and the city’s recent donation, the $19,100 project will be covered.

City Administrator Bryan Read said the city’s portion will be transferred in from the contingency fund later this year.

“We can wait to the end of the year to see what the city needs to transfer in from the contingency fund,” he said.

The tournament McInerny referred to is the 2017 South Dakota Golf Association Men’s and Ladies Stroke Play tourney. It’s the one of the biggest tournaments the Brandon Municipal will host in its 38-year history. The Men’s Stroke Play is the SDGA’s largest state golf tourney and will be played Aug. 11-13 in Brandon.

In 2015, the BMGC hosted the SDGA Two-Woman Team tourney, which drew more than 100 golfers to the two-day event.

The BGC has hosted eight SDGA state tournaments, according to Zane Swenson, BMGC manager/pro, who ranks this tournament at the top. He cited how the more than 1,600 now-mature trees have made the course more challenging, making it worthy of a tournament of this caliber. The trees, he added, have turned the course into a “shot-makers” course, and if you miss the fairway, there are trees to contend with.

Kelly Eilers is the course superintendent. A higher rough cut, an abundance of mature trees and faster greens are sure to make the course a challenge for the state’s best golfers, Eilers said. 

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The Brandon Valley Journal

 

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