AUGUSTA, Ga. — When Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Fred Ridley announced Wednesday that the club was creating a partnership with Augusta Municipal Golf Course, First Tee of Augusta and Augusta Tech to strengthen public golf in the community, he said it was “in its early stages.”
It was the first new topic of business that Ridley addressed in his annual State of the Masters news conference.
And it has led to much excitement and speculation as to when work would start at Augusta Municipal Golf Course, the public course fondly known as The Patch.
Augusta native Jim Dent, 83, knows the answer.
Masters 2023 leaderboard: Get the latest news from Augusta
“I asked when it was going to happen,” Dent said, referring to Ridley. “He said, ‘As quick as possible.’”
One of the city’s most famous golfers – 12 wins on the PGA Tour Champions and more than $9 million in earnings – was among the guests at Ridley’s news conference on Wednesday at Augusta National Golf Club.
He was invited to learn about the initiative first-hand because of his connection to the Patch. He learned the game there, caddied at Augusta National while in high school in the early 1960s and his son, Jim Dent Jr., is the pro at the Patch. The road leading into the course is named after the elder Dent.
A decade ago, Dent said an investor wanted to go in with him to buy the course, but it fell through. Dent visits the course regularly, and was there Thursday.
The plan also includes a renovation of the Patch and the adjacent First Tee of Augusta.
“That’s a plus,” Dent said. “I think it’s something that needed to be done a long time ago.”
The Patch is owned by the city of Augusta and managed by Cypress Golf Management. As is the case with many public courses, there are budget constraints and its conditioning leaves something to be desired. In particular, general manager Ira Miller said the greens need to be rebuilt and re-sodded because there are so many strains of grass on them.
“The tees boxes are in desperate need,” Miller said. “Some of the fairways need big work. It does need a renovation, to be honest.”
Can Miller picture the completed renovation in his mind?
“Oh, they could make it look like Augusta National,” Miller said. “They’ve got unlimited money, they could. Whether or not they go that far with it, I don’t think so.”
Longtime member Bob West welcomed the news.
“As far as Augusta National, when you hear that name, you can only…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…