Iconic North Carolina Course Gets Much Needed TLC
Golfers know. In every town, they know. The goal is to play the most prestigious, hardest to get on, nicest golf course in the city. However, EVERYONE knows that one course we call got our start on. In Greensboro, that track is Gillespie Golf Course.
What Is Significance Of Gillespie Golf Course
Not unlike Sifford Golf Course here in Charlotte, Gillespie Golf Course is a nine-hole facility that has been around for decades and is home to the junior golf program “The First Tee.” Also, in 1955, it gained notoriety when six black golfers, known as “The Greensboro Six,” integrated the course. It is the course of the common man.
What Is Needed At Gillespie Golf Course
Calling Gillespie Golf Course, the course of the common man, is a kind way to put it. Golfers affectionately refer to a course like this as “a goat track.” And don’t get me wrong, that’s a term of endearment. Facts are facts though. Municipal golf courses like Gillespie are owned by the city. And let’s face it, when it comes to budget allocation, golf courses are not (and shouldn’t be) a city’s financial priority. So, many times these golf courses fall prey to a pattern of neglect due to lack of funds. The greens at Gillespie are more than 80 years old. They are the original greens. To put this in perspective, Quail Hollow Club, home to this week’s Wells Fargo Championship, has changed their greens 4-5 times in the last 12 years! Those greens are definitely on the list of TLC improvements to be done. Ryan Wilson, CEO of The First Tee Central Carolina tells WFMY TV, “Those greens are old out there. They are the same greens that are 80-plus years old when the golf course first opened and so even though it is wonderful, it’s time to make some updates.”
How Much Money Is Going Towards Gillespie Golf Course
The City of Greensboro is going to pony up two million dollars to the Gillespie renovation project and an additional $250,00 is coming from a grant from the PGA of America (the organization behind The First Tee Program).
No doubt this will ensure that Gillespie Golf Course will remain an affordable and nice place for the common man golfer in the area for years to come.
