Twin Brooks municipal golf course in St. Pete has been reopened since earlier this month, but the city will officially celebrate Saturday.
Mayor Rick Kriseman and Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin will be on hand at two in the afternoon for a ribbon cutting as part of the official grand opening.
Twin Brooks is the city’s oldest golf course. It closed in May to undergo a $1.5 million face-lift. Upgrades include larger greens, an expanded and covered 18-station driving range, a three-hole practice course, two practice greens, and, much to the joy of anyone who’s ever walked Twin Brooks, electric golf carts.
It’s the first time the course has been majorly renovated since the city took ownership some 40 years ago.
Changes also include better, larger fairways. To make room for that the course now features just nine holes of golf instead of 18. Other improvements include better drainage so the course can reopen to golfers quicker after heavy rains.
The makeover wasn’t just intended to make a nicer facility for retirees to work on their golf swings, it was also for the kids. First Tee, a nonprofit group that offers youth services like mentoring, is planning to build a 3,000 square-foot educational facility.
The $750,000 facility will include computer labs and a fitness room with mentors on hand during business hours to help with homework, general challenges kids face and, yes, golf.
First Tee offers regular golf instruction and allows kids to take part in tournaments. Families pay on a sliding scale for the program and no one is ever turned away.
The facility, slated to open in spring of 2016, is a huge step up for First Tee. The organization is working out of a 100-square foot room at Mangrove Bay.
Parking at Twin Brooks, located at 3800 22 Ave. South, is limited. Any overflow traffic is invited to park across the street from the course at Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School.
