THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 22, 1996 TAG: 9608220345
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MEREDITH COHN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 136 lines
In the city of Chesapeake, where fields of corn are fast giving way to houses and strip malls, one of the newest signs of a sprawling suburbia has emerged in another field of green: a driving range.
The attraction on Cedar Road is not the first, but it is the latest and - the owner hopes - the most elaborate haven for local golfers and fun-seekers. It boasts 36 shaded tees, an indoor cafe, an arcade, a shop, batting cages and a sports bar.
Wallace Cahoon, the Chesapeake farmer who owns the 500-acre site that lends a corner for the complex called Cahoon Plantation, is hoping to do more. He wants a practice putting range and maybe some bumper boats in the site's lake. And he hopes to build an 18-hole, par-3, beginner golf course and a 27-hole regulation course.
Chesapeake, with 187,000 residents, has two private golf clubs but no course for the public.
Recent visitors to Cahoon's driving range were happy with the addition to the city's recreational facilities.
``This is stress relief, as long as you hit the ball halfway decent,'' said Lee Simmons, 36, a Virginia Beach resident who works at Tidewater Community College in Chesapeake, across the street from the range.
Simmons used his midday break recently to practice his swing. ``This is great fun for me,'' he said.
An amateur golfer who plans to use the new center frequently because it's convenient, Simmons represents a sizable chunk of the expected clientele, said Mike Richter, the site's manager and golf pro.
Richter plans to bring in others by teaching a community college golf course there. He also hopes to work with city parks and recreation officials to set up lessons with area students and seniors.
Brenda Gregory, who works in the cafe with a view of the range, said she's noticed a steady flow of students and business people who come in for lunch and some golf practice. But the bigger crowds come after work and on weekends, she said.
``I bet it will be about half and half - half locals and half from outside the city,'' Richter said. ``Hampton Roads doesn't have enough golf facilities.''
Public sentiment about golfing in Chesapeake is unclear. Informal polling suggests residents would like to have a course. But a survey of citizens released by the city in January showed nearly 90 percent of those asked were already satisfied with city recreation programs and leagues, and nearly 84 percent were satisfied with city recreation centers. The study did not ask specifically if residents wanted the city to build, buy or support construction of a golf course.
For the 1.6 million people in Hampton Roads, there are 34 golf courses. Fourteen 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. Desirable tee times are tough to get.
Chesapeake City Council members officially recognized that golf courses would be an appropriate use of space in June when they approved an ordinance allowing land zoned for agriculture to be used for courses. Applications from farmers who want to develop golf courses would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
So far, officials in the city's planning department have not heard formally from any applicant, but they said they expect to.
Richter, the golf pro, said he believes Cahoon's Plantation is filling part of the recreational void in the area. ``For recreation, this really is it,'' he said.
Still, some have not been completely sold on the idea of golf as the major draw in town. Mike Symons, a 13-year-old Chesapeake resident who swung a golf club for the first time at the complex recently, said he really wants to play hockey.
``I might like golf if I could hit better,'' he said.
In the city of Chesapeake, where fields of corn are fast giving way to houses and strip malls, one of the newest signs of a sprawling suburbia has emerged in another field of green: a driving range.
The attraction on Cedar Road is not the first, but it is the latest and - the owner hopes - the most elaborate haven for local golfers and fun-seekers. It boasts 36 shaded tees, an indoor cafe, an arcade, a shop, batting cages and a sports bar.
Wallace Cahoon, the Chesapeake farmer who owns the 500-acre site that lends a corner for the complex called Cahoon Plantation, is hoping to do more. He wants a practice putting range and maybe some bumper boats in the site's lake. And he hopes to build an 18-hole, par-3, beginner golf course and a 27-hole regulation course.
Chesapeake, with 187,000 residents, has two private golf clubs but no course for the public.
Recent visitors to Cahoon's driving range were happy with the addition to the city's recreational facilities.
``This is stress relief, as long as you hit the ball halfway decent,'' said Lee Simmons, 36, a Virginia Beach resident who works at Tidewater Community College in Chesapeake, across the street from the range.
Simmons used his midday break recently to practice his swing. ``This is great fun for me,'' he said.
An amateur golfer who plans to use the new center frequently because it's convenient, Simmons represents a sizable chunk of the expected clientele, said Mike Richter, the site's manager and golf pro.
Richter plans to bring in others by teaching a community college golf course there. He also hopes to work with city parks and recreation officials to set up lessons with area students and seniors.
Brenda Gregory, who works in the cafe with a view of the range, said she's noticed a steady flow of students and business people who come in for lunch and some golf practice. But the bigger crowds come after work and on weekends, she said.
``I bet it will be about half and half - half locals and half from outside the city,'' Richter said. ``Hampton Roads doesn't have enough golf facilities.''
Public sentiment about golfing in Chesapeake is unclear. Informal polling suggests residents would like to have a course. But a survey of citizens released by the city in January showed nearly 90 percent of those asked were already satisfied with city recreation programs and leagues, and nearly 84 percent were satisfied with city recreation centers. The study did not ask specifically if residents wanted the city to build, buy or support construction of a golf course.
For the 1.6 million people in Hampton Roads, there are 34 golf courses. Fourteen are private or military. The National Golf Foundation reports that in 1995, the region ranked 259thout of 309 metropolitan areas for holes per 100,000 people - the bottom 16th percentile. Desirable tee times are tough to get.
Chesapeake City Council members officially recognized that golf courses would be an appropriate use of space in June when they approved an ordinance allowing land zoned for agriculture to be used for courses. Applications from farmers who want to develop golf courses would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
So far, officials in the city's planning department have not heard formally from any applicant, but they said they expect to.
Richter, the golf pro, said he believes Cahoon's Plantation is filling part of the recreational void in the area. ``For recreation, this really is it,'' he said.
Still, some have not been completely sold on the idea of golf as the major draw in town. Mike Symons, a 13-year-old Chesapeake resident who swung a golf club for the first time at the complex recently, said he really wants to play hockey.
``I might like golf if I could hit better,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: STEVE EARLEY color photos/The Virginian-Pilot
ABOVE: Lee Atkins, assistant to the golf pro at Cahoon Plantation,
works on his swing. Among the complex's attractions: 36 shaded tees.
BELOW: Mich Richter, Cahoon's golf pro and manager, works out in the
complex's batting cage. by CNB