rdymond@bradenton.com
EAST MANATEE — Tara Golf & Country Club unveiled the final phase of its hotly-debated $7 million renovation when its remodeled golf course reopened after being closed since April 13.
Tara officials celebrated with an 8 a.m. shotgun start for 128 members and guests Tuesday.
Before the day ended, 256 had played on the remodeled course, which has 18 new greens, said Tony Greising, general manager.
“They were chomping at the bit to play after seven months,” Greising said. “I heard nothing but positive comments. Golfers told me they loved what the architects did to the holes.”
A jacket and tie dinner was planned Tuesday night for Tara’s 765 golfing members and 106 social members.
Tara member Gene Fadely, who lives off Hole No. 11, was one of the first golfers to finish his first round and he gave the course and the other improvements a thumb’s up.
“I would give it an 8 on a scale of 10 with 10 being stupendous,” said Fadely of the course. “The changes they have made are member-friendly without taking away the competitiveness.”
Lakeland-based golf course architects Ron Garl and Ricky Nix redid all 18 greens and redid the entire green “complex,” which includes bunkers, greens and mounds, on holes No. 4, 10, 11 and 12.
The designers also added eight acres of waste bunker area, which are tracts of natural vegetation or sand where golfers can legally ground their clubs, to minimize water usage by 10 percent.
They also added an elaborate irrigation system.
Although Fadely realizes the renovations have made an impact, he is also keenly aware they divided the community.
Some residents, who opposed spending such a sum during the current ailing economy, joined forces in an effort to try to oust the board of directors who wanted the renovations.
But a mediator with the state ruled that the petitions signed to remove the board could not all be verified and no removal of board members or halting of the project occurred.
“It was very divided, neighbor against neighbor,” Fadely said. “I am certainly hoping this will bring them back. Tara has always been a good value. Now it’s a better value.”
Besides the golf course, Tara redid all the furnishings and fixtures in the pro shop, dining room, restrooms and grill room, which were all crowded with guests and members for opening day. The biggest change was in the kitchen, which received an expansion and a renovation.
A canopy cover for the front of the club was also replaced as were some rotted spots in the soffits, Greising said.
The golf course renovations cost $3.3 million. The clubhouse renovation cost $3 million and a new pre-cast concrete wall cost about $600,000.
“It almost made me cry when I first saw the clubhouse,” said Maureen Gee, president of the Tara Golf & Country Club.
The lounges have granite counter tops, automatic faucet and individual mirrors over every sink.
The kitchen got a new, pinkish, seamless epoxy floor that can be hosed down every night to keep it spotless, said head chef Tom Brazen.
“If you have an efficient floor, you can keep a clean kitchen,” Brazen said.
A new fitness center is double the size, which has members thrilled, said snack bar employee Cindy Anderson.
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