Tee party: Shuttered golf course showing signs of new life for Masters Week

Joe Hotchkiss, Augusta Chronicle
·2 min read
3
The former clubhouse of Jones Creek Golf Club is shown in this photo from 2020. A golf events marketing company wants to revive the course, which closed in 2018.
The former clubhouse of Jones Creek Golf Club is shown in this photo from 2020. A golf events marketing company wants to revive the course, which closed in 2018.

Visiting golfers could be teeing off at a defunct Columbia County golf course as early as the opening day of Masters Week.

Bond Golf Global, a golf events management and consultancy business, has started to spruce up the former Jones Creek Golf Club as part of its effort to revive the course – or at least part of it – by the time the Masters Tournament begins.

“They’ll have a functioning driving range,” said Tripp Nanney, president of the Jones Creek Homeowners Association. “It’ll have a lot more bells and whistles than they originally anticipated.”

Course correction? Jones Creek residents could appeal decision that leaves golf course without clubhouse

Road trip: Take Crenshaw Drive to Spieth: Street signs reveal Augusta area's deep connection to golf

The former golf club, nestled in Evans’ Jones Creek subdivision, closed in September 2018. In 2019 the course’s clubhouse and adjoining parking lot was purchased by a homebuilder who rented the building to a catering business while the course itself, still seeking a new owner, fell into disuse and later foreclosure. The course failed to sell at public auction in October 2020.

Now, Bond Golf founder and owner Andrew Brooks, a former PGA golf pro, is proposing to open The Practice Club at Jones Creek, according to a statement given to subdivision residents.

The new facility “will be powered by TopTracer,” the statement said. TopTracer is the brand name for a type of computer technology that analyzes the paths of golf balls and players’ swings.

“The Practice Club at Jones Creek will have eight covered hitting bays, eight outside hitting bays and two academy studios servicing the needs of every player,” the statement said. “All hitting bays will be floodlit and fully outfitted with TopTracer monitors allowing players to enjoy the next level of practice and entertainment.”

Bond Golf has cleaned up the property and trimmed the grass to make it less of an eyesore, Nanney said, but it’s not close to resembling its previous level of pristine upkeep.

“Unfortunately, they won't get a lot of grass to grow over the next two weeks,” Nanney said. “It won’t be manicured and perfectly green but I think for people who want to get in a few swings and practice, it’s going to be exciting. We’re excited about it. Just the activity excites us.”

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Let's swing: Driving range at old Jones Creek might open for Masters