A contract with a renowned golf architect could help the recently renovated Azalea City Golf Course become a “first-class facility,” a Mobile city councilman said this week.
District 4 Councilman Ben Reynolds made the remark during the City Council’s pre-meeting work session after public works head Shonnda Smith presented a $60,000 contract with Richard Mandell Golf Architecture for the council’s consideration.
The agreement with Mandell, whose company is based in the golf haven of Pinehurst, North Carolina, includes creating a “professional business plan” for the course as well as “architectural consulting services,” according to the contract.
Smith said Mandell will visit Azalea City Golf Course and perform a full assessment of its grounds and operations. Mandell will also engage with local golfers to inform his recommendations for the course’s development, Smith said.
Reynolds said he looks forward to seeing “an outcome that is going to be positive” for the city’s decades-old golf course. “I can’t wait to see it be the first-class facility it can be,” he said.
The contract could be approved as soon as next week. In March, the city unveiled an upgraded website for booking tee times at Azalea City, and the course’s clubhouse was also renovated along with parts of the course. Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis has previously said Azalea City is the second-busiest municipal golf course in Alabama in terms of rounds played per year.