Current and former executives of Odessa Country Club will gathered Oct. 5 to break ground for a new clubhouse that will physically link its two 18-hole golf courses.
The "Shovels and Suds" groundbreaking will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the end of Club Drive off East Highway 80.
Refreshments will be served.
The estimated cost of construction is $ 10 million, which says something about the health of the Odessa economy, longtime member Kirk Edwards says.
"It's a very good signal for Odessa, It shows the town is vibrant and still growing," he said.
The decision to shift the location of the 65-year-old country club was prompted by OCC's 2002 acquisition of nearby Mission Dorado Country Club, which left it with two golf courses, pro shops, restaurants and grills, Clay Kinnaird, OCC chief operating officer, said.
OCC executives considered renovating their clubhouse but opted to start from scratch because of the building's age -- it was built in 1944, he said.
"Plus we feel it will be more convenient for our members," Kinnaird said.
"They can come to the new clubhouse and have their choice of courses." Currently, members must drive from the Old Course at OCC or the Links at what once was Mission.
As part of the clubhouse construction, the entrance to the country club will be moved to Faudree Road, providing Midland members ease of access via state Highway 191 or East Highway 80, Edwards said.
The project will also include a reordering of all the holes at the Old Course and the Links, Kinnaird said. For example, the No. 17 hole will be the No. 1 hole at the Old Course, and No. 4 will No. 1 at the Links.
From the new clubhouse, members will be able to reach the No. 1 hole at the Links via a tunnel running from the clubhouse northeast and beneath Faudree Road, Kinnaird said.
Edwards said one advantage of building anew is that day-to-day operations at the existing clubhouse will not be disrupted.
"And anytime you can walk into a new modern facility and have all the amenities it will have to offer, it's going to be pleasant for everyone," Edwards said.
Edwards said having two completely different types of courses to offer members -- the older one lined by towering trees, the newer one by low, indigenous grasses and brush -- increases the club's attractiveness.
"We're already picking up new members," Edwards said. "People like to play two starkly different courses at the same country club." No decision has been made regarding the fate of the original OCC clubhouse, which was built in 1944, Kinnaird said. It may be sold, as was the case with the clubhouse at Mission Dorado, he said.
The new clubhouse is scheduled to open in the fall of 2005, Kinnaird said.
Source: Odessa American (Texas)
