Municipal Golf Course front 9 restoration hits milestone with design contract approval
At their July 29 meeting, City Council approved a contract with Biohabitats of North Carolina to design the restoration of the Municipal Golf Course front nine holes. That portion of the City-owned regional amenity was heavily damaged by Tropical Storm Helene.
As a unique and historic public asset, the Municipal Golf Course will largely be restored to its pre-storm state. However, this project will go a step further, integrating the City's commitment to a coordinated and resilient rebuilding strategy.
In keeping with the historic significance of the course, Biohabitats will partner with golf design specialists Forse Golf Design and Cutlip Golf Design. Forse Golf Design, headed by Ron Forse, is a nationally recognized leader in the restoration of Donald Ross courses.
“Forse Design is indeed honored to be a team member commissioned to rebuild and restore the historic 1927 Asheville Municipal Golf Course”, said Ron Forse. “We look forward to collaborating with a fine group of professional consultants and the City of Asheville to recapture the course design genius of the master architect Donald Ross for the Asheville and golf tourism community.”
To support this effort and provide local insight, Cutlip Golf Design, based in Boone, NC, will collaborate closely with Forse and other team members on design implementation, and coordination throughout the life of the project.
The project will honor the course's historic architecture and enhance its resilience by integrating ecological and engineering strategies.
“The Asheville Municipal Golf Course is more than a cherished community greenspace—it’s a living piece of American golf history, designed by Donald Ross and deeply intertwined with Asheville’s Black heritage,” said Keith Bowers, founder, advocate, and practice leader of Biohabitats. “In the aftermath of the devastating floods, we’re honored to partner with the City of Asheville on a restoration effort that not only preserves the course’s historic design and cultural significance but also integrates flood resilience and ecological vitality throughout the landscape. By embracing nature-based strategies to manage stormwater and rising river flows, the city is helping to ensure Asheville Muni remains a beloved public space for the next century, while also restoring the Swannanoa River floodplain as a dynamic, living system.”
Funding
The City anticipates funding for the Municipal Golf Course Front 9 Restoration project to come from the FEMA Public Assistance program. As the City secures funding for overall storm recovery, it’s important to begin rebuilding where possible. Moving forward with this project will help prevent the further loss of taxpayer dollars, as the City currently bears the burden of net operational losses. Those costs average nearly $30,000 for each month that the 18-hole course is not fully open.
In the Meantime: Back 9 Open for Golf while Front 9 Hosts a Temporary Disc Golf
The back 9 holes of the golf course reopened on October 28, 2024 and will remain open throughout the restoration project.
The Asheville Municipal Golf Course has teamed up with Chris Dickerson, professional disc golf player and the 2020 U.S. Disc Golf Champion to design a championship-length, 18-hole disc golf course utilizing the front nine area of the Asheville Municipal Golf Course. The new course officially opens for paid tee time reservations and walk-ins Friday, August 1st at 9 a.m.
City of Asheville’s Recovery Strategy
In conjunction with storm recovery efforts, the City continues to advance its Capital Improvement Plan as well as Bond projects. The integration of these initiatives ensures a coordinated effort to strengthen Asheville’s infrastructure and economic stability. The Municipal Golf Course is just the first of several larger storm recovery projects underway. In August, City Council will consider approval of a design team for the French Broad Riverfront Parks Recovery project, followed by the Azalea Parks and Infrastructure Recovery project in September.
| 