Golf Architect Contracted to Assess Azalea City Golf Course

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 will be positive for the city’s decades-old golf course.

He said he can’t wait to see it become the first-class facility it can be. 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.

Golfers weigh in on the course’s needs

Regular players at Azalea City say they love the course and its affordable price, but believe the city could offer an even better experience. Laveda Le’Jour, who plays three to four times a week, said the tee boxes, greens and bunkers all need work.

Le’Jour said she is an avid golfer and loves the place.

Still, she credited the grounds crew for keeping up with heavy play despite golfers who don’t repair their divots. She said it’s a hard job because many people don’t fix their divots when they mess up.

Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis said bringing in Mandell was about tapping outside expertise the city lacks in-house. Cheriogotis said he’s really glad they’re bringing in a true expert, as they need expertise. The consultant will take a hole-by-hole look at the course, examining cart paths, drainage, maintenance, playability, and overall design.

Cheriogotis said from a course redesign, rebuild, or renovations, he knows Mandell will recommend phased approaches. He doesn’t expect they’ll have enough money to fully redo the golf course just sitting around. Cheriogotis said the plan will also examine the course’s management and operations.

The course currently loses about $300,000 a year, he said, and should at least break even. The push for improvements comes as Mobile County prepares to open the new Cypress Creek Golf Course, an 18-hole public course with no announced opening date yet.

Cheriogotis said he wants Azalea City to remain part of the conversation for golfers touring multiple courses in the area, alongside Cypress Shores and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. He said when everybody’s upping their game, they want to make sure they’re on theirs.

Update: Council to vote on GPS system to keep golf carts out of restricted areas

Separately, the City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a $68,115 contract with Tagmarshal International Ltd. for a GPS geofencing system that would monitor golf carts on the course and automatically shut them down if they stray too close to greens, driving tees or other sensitive areas.

Smith said the system would set up an invisible fence around no-go areas at Azalea City. When a GPS-equipped cart gets too close to a restricted zone, it will beep or shut down.

She said the technology offers a layer of protection beyond asking golfers to use good judgment. Smith said they’ve had some bad behavior, but also investment in the area, including an erosion issue where they put almost a million dollars into fixing erosion and berms. After initial setup, the system would cost taxpayers about $13,000 every other year, but she believes it would pay for itself through savings on repairs from wayward carts. Cheriogotis said the geofencing system effectively keeps golf carts away from sensitive parts of the course, adding he’s experienced the technology at other courses.

He said he’s been shut down many times, and you have to throw it in reverse and back up. He said when you’re at a course you’re not familiar with, you sometimes head in the wrong direction. Smith said the system has additional benefits beyond keeping carts off greens: because carts are remotely monitored from the clubhouse, staff can respond quickly if a golfer needs help.

She said if something is wrong with someone, they can alert staff, who can know where they are and where to go to address medical issues. Smith said the idea, already in use at golf courses nationwide, came from a steering committee appointed for Azalea City’s long-range master plan.

She said the city initially thought to physically rope off certain areas, but that approach was set aside because it aesthetically changes the look.

Related coverage from South AL News

• Golfers Invited to Walk Azalea City Golf Course With Architect as Mobile Weighs Renovation
• Two Course Openings and a Wave of Renovations Are Reshaping Golf in Mobile and Baldwin Counties
• Mobile Council Approves GPS Geofencing System to Keep Golf Carts Off Sensitive Course Areas
• Cypress Creek Golf Course Set to Open on Former Linksman Site by Year's End