Staples Golf to launch Community Links concept
Staples Golf Resource Group will launch its first Community Links concept in Hobbs, N.M. Named Ocotillo Park Community Links, the project is set to invigorate the city’s golf course by implementing design practices that reinforce the course’s connection to the surrounding community.
The primary focus of the plan is to attract youth and beginners to the game of golf by redesigning the existing 18-holes golf course to incorporate family tees, expand the practice facility and add a 9-hole executive course with a SNAG facility. Additional elements such as walking trails, trail heads with rest areas and other outdoor spaces within the property will be included to increase use of the facility by the non-golfing community. A complete rebranding of the facility also will take place.
“This course is not unlike many older municipally owned courses across the country,” said Hobbs City Manager J.J. Murphy. “The course is deteriorating before our eyes and people are just not playing golf like they did in years past. This concept provides a complete paradigm shift as to how the city’s course will be viewed within the community and how it will be utilized by its residents.”
City officials began a comprehensive search for ideas to bring players back to their course while exploring responsible ways to invest in their aging facility. They knew something had to be done, but had little support from the community since the facility continued to lose money.
Andy Staples, owner and principal architect of Staples Golf Resource Group, was hired to explore ways to improve the facility and conducted an analysis of the course and its infrastructure. After completing a full inventory of the course, he presented the city with a series of proposals that supported the need for improvements. Among his ideas was the concept of using the golf course as a center point for community development.
“When we heard the vision that Andy had for how our golf course could be transformed into something other than your regular ol’ local municipal golf course, we immediately became intrigued,” Murphy said. “Now that we’ve had a chance to see the vision begin to come to life, there’s an excitement for this course that I have not seen before. I absolutely love how this golf course will begin to bring our community together around the game of golf.”
Staples, a longtime supporter of sustainable golf practices, said, “Many courses are looking for reasons to upgrade their facility, but for a variety of reasons, aren’t able to garner the support to do it. The concept of a Community Links gives a municipality a verifiable reason to invest in their facility. If it improves the life in a particular city and increases use in a deteriorating asset, why wouldn’t they do it?”
Construction will begin by the end of 2013 and Ocotillo Park Community Links will integrate all areas of Staples’ no-nonsense design philosophy. The overall focus of the plan is on how the course can be maintained efficiently. It keeps overall turf acreage to a minimum, integrates a minimal irrigation delivery system that uses the city’s effluent water system and features drought-tolerant grasses.
The design of the course also gave Staples a chance to implement a long-time favorite philosophy. Reminiscent of the classic courses on the eastern seaboard of the U.S., it will include a wide-open fairway with multiple options of play, simple grass-faced bunkers and “fill-pad” style green complexes. These features are designed to play with the golfer’s depth perception and will not dramatically change the flat nature of the site.
“My focus is to create an interesting, fun golf course that feels dramatically different than other courses in the area,” said Staples. “Fully integrating the community aspect into the plan only gives the project a better chance to succeed. I firmly believe golf should be shared by more people in the country, and we plan to make as large of an impact as possible for the city of Hobbs. When we pull it off, it will be pretty cool.”