
DATE: Thursday, March 20, 1997              TAG: 9703200334

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER,

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:  122 lines

PGA TO BUILD GOLF CLUB AT BEACH STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY IN LAKE RIDGE SECTION COULD BE READY AS EARLY AS FALL OF 1998.

Hoping to upgrade its image as a golf resort, the city announced Wednesday the PGA Tour would break ground in spring on a state-of-the-art Tournament Players Club in the city's Lake Ridge section.

The city will put up $3.5 million to build utilities, a road infrastructure and make other public improvements, while the PGA Tour will pay the construction costs for the course and clubhouse, estimated at $6.5 million to $8 million.

Both parties have agreed to a letter of intent, with the PGA Tour paying an annual lease fee of $300,000 for land use. Construction of the course, to be called the TPC of Virginia Beach, could be completed as early as fall of 1998.

Until last summer, the PGA Tour wasn't even considering Virginia Beach as a possible site. But PGA Tour representative Keith Tomlinson said city officials called to express their interest, and the area sold itself.

``Candidly, we hadn't looked at the market,'' said Tomlinson, vice president of development of golf course properties. ``But when we did, we saw the right ingredients. After that, things moved quickly and smoothly.

``The City Council members and economic developers knew what they wanted, and it was obvious they'd done a lot of homework on this project.''

Tomlinson said the course will be driven by daily fees, unlike some other TPC courses that are either corporately driven (TPC at Avenel in Potomac, Md.) or funded by private membership (TPC at Southwind in Memphis, Tenn.).

Greens fees upon opening are expected to be about $60, with a $15 cart usage fee.

The course will be built on approximately 200 acres on the eastern portion of the city's 1,200-acre Lake Ridge section. It will be designed by the PGA Tour's in-house agency, PGA Tour Design Services, Inc.

Tomlinson said that one of the last pieces of the puzzle will be lining up a design consultant. Among players who have worked on the designs of the PGA Tour's other 17 TPC courses are Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman.

According to sources, Curtis Strange, a two-time U.S. Open champion who grew up in Virginia Beach, has had discussions with PGA Tour officials about his possible involvement with the course. Strange is playing in this week's Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando and was unavailable for comment.

Virginia Beach bought the Lake Ridge property, which was tied up in bankruptcy proceedings, in 1994 for $9.5 million. The acreage was amassed by a group of investors led by developer R.G. Moore between 1984 and '87, with intentions to build a planned community complete with subdivisions, a hospital, shopping mall, office park, hotels and a golf course. But a national recession and a slump in the local real estate market sent the investment into a tailspin.

Since the purchase, the City Council has sought public input on potential uses of the property. A $17 million amphitheater already occupies about 90 acres. Beyond the planned 18-hole course, another 200 acres are earmarked for a second course that might also be built by the PGA Tour, which will hold the option for that course through the year 2002. If the PGA Tour builds a second course, the yearly lease would jump to $550,000.

Taxes generated on site - from admissions, meals, etc. - will go toward the PGA Tour's annual rent.

Other likely future uses for the Lake Ridge property include sites for three schools, a multipurpose stadium and business developments that would be built in conjunction with the golf course.

``The city is really trying to show that it wants to do quality,'' said Vice Mayor Will D. Sessoms.

Just how did the resort city become part of the PGA Tour's TPC Network, which currently numbers 27 courses worldwide?

Last year, City Council members accepted recommendations of a golf study committee, appointed by City Manager James K. Spore, and told him to seek a developer to build at least one championship-caliber course. Sessoms and Councilman William W. Harrison Jr. headed the City Council effort and helped hone the agreement with the PGA Tour.

Behind-the-scenes help from golf committee chairman Fletcher Bryant, a local insurance executive, Rep. Owen B. Pickett and lawyer Leslie R. Watson provided momentum.

It didn't hurt that PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem is a Virginia Beach native, a graduate of Princess Anne High School and close friend of Pickett.

Finchem was in meetings all day Wednesday - the PGA Tour is preparing to host The Players Championship, an annual tour stop held at the original TPC course at Sawgrass in Jacksonville, Fla. - and could not be reached for comment.

Pickett said in a news release: ``Golfers worldwide seek out and are attracted to (TPC) courses because of their reputation for unique design and high quality. This will be an immensely beneficial asset to the tourist industry in Virginia Beach and for recreational golfers in the Mid-Atlantic area of the U.S.''

According to Harrison, the next step is to hammer out a binding contract between the city and the PGA Tour. Such an agreement would fix financial and legal responsibilities for both parties on matters of land leases, construction costs and expectations for a future Nike Tour event.

Most TPC courses annually host PGA Tour events, either on the regular PGA tour, the senior tour or the Nike Tour.

``I'm just ecstatic,'' said Harrison. ``We're sitting here on a rainy day awaiting the building of a golf course by the top golf course developer in the country.''

``What does the PGA Tour emblem mean to the region?'' Sessoms asked. ``I'd say it's something similar to the NFL or NHL coming to town.

``Golfers spend money when they go somewhere to play golf, and this can take some of the brunt off the taxpayer. Plus, it's a major calling card for the area as well as great for the citizens of the region. We know we've got golf courses in the area that are overplayed as it is. This can only help alleviate some of the problem.''

What will the course look like? Tomlinson admits there isn't a great amount of forestry with which to work.

``It was a soybean field,'' Tomlinson said. ``It doesn't presently have a lot of features. Some will have to be created. But we've had similar experiences elsewhere in the country with huge success. Our goal is to make it look good right out of the box.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color by Florida Times-Union

Spectators mounds abound at Tournament Players Clubs such as this

one in Jacksonville, Fla.

Right: Photo illustration

Man swinging golf club

Graphic

The Agreement

The Construction

Cost to Play

For complete copy, see microfilm KEYWORDS: GOLF COURSE PGA VIRGINIA BEACH