THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 20, 1996 TAG: 9608200338
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 104 lines
A nine-member golf study committee recommends that the city help develop a five-star resort hotel and two connecting ``signature'' golf courses on the city-owned Lake Ridge property.
It's part of a long-range strategy to establish Virginia Beach as an East Coast golfing mecca that rivals Williamsburg and Myrtle Beach, S.C., in year-round drawing power.
The committee, which was formed by City Manager James K. Spore and began meeting in April, recommends that the city aggressively move to develop a package of top-flight golf courses citywide, along with amenities such as golf schools, practice areas, clubhouses, health spas and related eating facilities.
These courses would be privately developed and operated and would be aimed at the tastes of a nationwide market of traveling duffers who are accustomed to $100-plus greens fees and the luxurious amenities that that go with them.
The recommendations have been forwarded as an early draft to the City Council so that it can discuss the proposal at its annual two-day retreat, which begins today at the Pavilion Convention Center.
Vice Mayor W.D. ``Will'' Sessoms Jr., a long-time proponent of golf course development as a potential boon to local tourism, is enthusiastic about the plan:
``The bottom line is, I think it's fabulous,'' he said. ``I strongly recommend and support the signature golf courses.
``The reality of it is, can we bring that resort, conference hotel there?''
Sessoms admits that, at first glance, the chances seem remote of landing a Hyatt or Marriott hotel chain on a rural tract where the only neighbor now is a 20,000-seat amphitheater. But he and Councilman W.W. ``Bill'' Harrison Jr. say interest has developed for the site. Beyond that, they and other city officials are unwilling to make public the contacts that have been made.
The project already has run into stiff resistance from the Virginia Beach Hotel and Motel Association.
Henry Richardson, association president, resigned from the golf committee to protest the recommendation calling for the resort hotel development.
``The association has been on record as opposing the city underwriting the development of another hotel,'' Richardson said. ``We pay taxes, too, and this is like subsidizing the competition.''
The city owns a 1,200-acre tract along Princess Anne Road that it purchased in December 1994 after a planned private development known as Lake Ridge fell into bankruptcy.
The council is studying uses for the property, which already houses the Virginia Beach Amphitheater.
Golf courses have been proposed for the site since the beginning.
While the golf committee recommends including a resort-type hotel as part of the Lake Ridge plan, it would not keep the city from also pursuing another longtime goal of attracting a larger, convention hotel near the Oceanfront.
The golf committee's strategy, outlined in a cover letter from chairman J. Fletcher Bryant, calls for city officials to:
Develop a five-star'' resort hotel in connection with two signature, or tier one, golf courses on the 1,200-acre Lake Ridge property owned by the city.
Spruce up and expand city-owned Red Wing Golf Course and help develop the city-owned West Neck Creek property into tier-two championship quality courses.
Have the city's Economic Development Department create a full-time position or expand full-time efforts on golf course development.
Make Virginia Beach the ``links capital of the East Coast'' by a tiered approach to golf course development.
The tiered approach, Bryant explained, is creating four plateaus of courses based in descending order on greens fees, degree of difficulty, quality of design and accommodations. For instance, a tier one course would require greens fees of $100 and up for 18 holes of golf; tier two, $75 to $100; tier three, $50 to 75; tier four, $50 and below.
The fourth tier would encompass the city's municipal courses at Bow Creek and Kempsville.
A separate tier would be reserved for military courses, such as the one to be built at Fort Story in the next two years. This course would be privately developed and managed. It would be open to both military personnel and non-military golfers.
Committee members, who recommend that the city develop a plan to realize these goals within three years, also proposed that the city join regional and statewide golf marketing efforts and a central reservation system.
Such a move would make golf tour packaging simpler and more attractive to out-of-state players, especially those with deep pockets.
The committee's report says that expanding the city's golf offerings would expand the shoulder season for tourism beyond the Memorial Day to Labor Day period, enhance the city's image, improve residents' quality of life and favorably affect the local economy.
There are 34 golf courses in Hampton Roads to accommodate 1.6 million residents.
Fourteen courses are private or military. The National Golf Foundation reports that in 1995, the region ranked 259th out of 309 metropolitan areas for holes per 100,000 people - the bottom 16th percentile. MEMO: A NEW APPROACH
The Virginia Beach golf committee envisions something different from
the well-manicured courses often found in suburban areas surrounded by
houses. ``Links'' are defined by the committee as environmentally
friendly golf courses, similar to those originating in Scotland, where
greens, fairways and bunkers were developed around existing terrain,
mainly sheep pastures. Operations and profitability would not depend
upon the sale of abutting land for housing development. Famous links
courses include St. Andrews and Muirfield in Scotland, Royal New Kent in
Williamsburg and Shinnecock, N.Y. ILLUSTRATION: Map by CNB