Renovations and upgrades to the 120-acre Liberty Municipal Golf Course are finally wrapping up, more than a year after it was slated to reopen.
Most of the setbacks were caused by weather – with tremendous rains in 2021 and then a drought in 2022. The City previously eyed reopening dates in January 2022 and then in October 22, but both dates had to be pushed off after rain stalled work on the slopes, bunkers and cart trails, and the drought that followed kept the resodded greens from growing. Now, the reopening date has been set for May 5, 2023.
“We had extreme weather for two years,” explained Liberty Assistant City Manager Chris Jarmon. “This is the only project that we will do that is entirely dependent on the weather, more than other projects we will build. We had two crazy years of weather and it’s something we had no control over. Hopefully, when we reopen, people will think it’s worth the wait.”
The golf course closed in April 2021 to begin a $2.88 million renovation project funded by the Cambridge Fund, which comes from profits from the Sam Rayburn Municipal Power Agency. The cities of Liberty, Jasper and Livingston are the three member-cities that make up the SRMPA. Previously known as Magnolia Ridge Golf Course, the nine-hole golf course was purchased by the City in 2018.
Among the renovations are improved greens and sand traps, additional cart paths, installation of a water well for a new irrigation system, improved drainage and a new bathroom facility.
“We also moved the driving range from one side of the parking lot to the other and expanded it. The cart paths are another major improvement,” said Jarmon. “I think what people will see when they visit the golf course is our intent to keep it as much like the original course and layout, but with upgrades to make it better. The greens are bigger than previously. We have more tees than we had previously. We also have bunkers, and we didn’t have those before. We used to have a main lake and a small lake on the first three holes. Those have been merged into one lake.”
The imminent grand opening of the golf course has allowed Oaks at Magnolia Ridge, a restaurant located in the clubhouse, to reopen, too. It has been closed since November 2022, said Jarmon.
Already the golf course is gaining interest from organizations hoping to host golf tournaments. Jarmon said one local school is planning to have its high school athletics banquet there in June.
“We have one tournament scheduled and we are working on another one. It’s in the planning stages,” he said.
As for the clubhouse, people interested in renting out the space for weddings and parties should contact the Oaks at Trinity by calling 936-334-4641.
“I think people will like what the City has done out at the golf course. As for how many visitors we will see, we don’t know for sure but the feedback we are getting leads us to believe we will be busy. We are expecting to book some tournaments,” Jarmon said.
To discuss booking the facility for a tournament, call the City of Liberty at 936-336-3684 or the Liberty Municipal Golf Course at 936-336-3551.
To see a list of fees for the course, click here.
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