El Paso's newest public golf course in the works, tentatively named The Dunes at Butterfield Trail, has a tee off date of summer 2006.
It's a high-end Tom Fazio design to be located off Global Reach Drive on the eastern portion of El Paso International Airport.
Pat Abeln, director of aviation at the El Paso airport, recently made the announcement.
Its mission, according to Abeln, is to attract major industry to the industrial infrastructure surrounding the property. A luxury resort hotel is in the works, Abeln said.
Although the average greens fees for a Fazio design range from $80 to $100, Abeln said prices will be lower to reflect the economic environment.
"There's no sense building a golf course if no one plays on it," he said. "We want El Paso people to keep coming back."
He estimated fluctuating fees of $35 to $45, depending on the time of day, week and year.
Fazio is one of the world's foremost golf course designers. Seven of his courses are on the Golf Digest list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses.
"This is wonderful, especially with the greens fees," said Doug Haefner, a client manager for a local car dealership who golfs at several courses in town. "It will open up another avenue. Maybe it will end up as being ranked one of the best public courses in America, as Painted Dunes was when it opened."
The project, including an 8,800-square-foot clubhouse, will cost $11 million and is being financed by the airport. Bids go out in October.
The project manager is Tom Cardenas of El Paso-based ECM International. Cardenas said he has hired nine major consultants. The team includes the Fazio group and specialists in: irrigation, civil engineering, architecture, water management/soils, environment, survey work, reclaimed water and resort/golf.
Cardenas said there will be four to five tee boxes on each of the 18 holes. Juniors will play to a 5,000-yard course. Back tees will be 7,300 yards.
Cardenas said Fazio's plan calls for use of the land as is. There will be no trees planted because there are no trees now, Cardenas said.
The course will be dug out of the desert, preserving much of the native habitat. There will be a man-made lake by the hotel land and on the south end of the course. It will be the size of a regular par-4 fairway, Abeln said. A second smaller lake may be placed on the northwest edge of the course.
But it will not be desert flat. "It will be multi-level," Cardenas said. "In some places we will dig down as much as 30 feet."
Cardenas said he was worried the Fazio group might not like the topography.
"But they loved it," Cardenas said.
One could picture a child's sandbox, flat he said, and the Fazio design group scooping out a golf course. Grass will be planted only as needed, not into the rough, Abeln said.
According to Cardenas, Fazio said, "We always look to build in new places. But we never really thought of El Paso. We are really excited now."
Abeln said, "There is a great future for commercial development here. To get it we need something else. We chose a high-end golf course with a high-end luxury hotel as the anchor."
He said the complex is geared to be a central meeting destination for major industrial heads, especially those who do business in Mexico.
An agreement with a hotelier has not been reached, Abeln said. He expects the looks of the new course to attract a luxury hotel.
The course will be set back about three-quarters of a mile from Global Reach.
"You won't see anything at first. But when you get to the last clearing of sand dunes, you are going to see a spectacular golf course," Cardenas said.
Source: El Paso (Texas) Times
