Published: April 29, 2008 01:30 pm         

City council teed off over golf course condition

By David Wilfong

Herald-Banner Staff



The Rockwall City Council will be taking a hard look at improvements for the Shores golf course in the near future as all seven members spoke disappointedly at the current condition of the course. The city had taken steps to force the course’s management to improve the overall maintenance in the past due to resident’s complaints.

Councilmember Glen Farris took the lead in reporting on the present condition of the course. Farris has a background in horticulture and had taken the time to pre-inspect the course ahead of the officially planned date.

“We spoke at the last subcommittee meeting that I and Brad (Griggs, Rockwall Parks and Recreation director) would go out and do what we call an ‘informal inspection’,” said Farris.

“Before I went I read all the maintenance schedule too, and that’s the contract between the City of Rockwall and The Shores in terms of the maintenance schedule they’re supposed to keep and the maintenance specifications.

“To say the least, I was a little bit taken back by the condition of the course. I found it to be substandard I think at best.

“Number one, I think the weed control at the course is the worst I’ve ever seen it.”

Farris stated that the playable areas of the course are overrun with Dallas grass as well as other varieties. He stated that the size of the Dallas grass clumps indicate that the lack of weed control has gone on for at least a year.

He was also concerned about dead trees. He said that most of the dead trees he saw last year were still up, and that some of the replacement trees were also dying. Farris stated that these trees both posed a danger and were also unsightly.

“The condition of the greens were fair at best,” Farris stated. “Taking into consideration that this is a transition month where you transition from a winter-type grass to a spring-type grass or a summer-type grass, in this case Bermuda. They looked very, very bad. It was very thin and in some places there wasn’t very much grass at all.”

Farris stated that the sandtraps — which were supposed to be under renovation — showed no signs of improvement, though he did acknowledge that recent rains could have slowed that process.

In summation, Farris stated that he believed that the course was far under the standards that the management was contractually obligated to fulfill.

“I can’t begin to tell you how discouraged I am at the condition of the course, because it’s been that way for the three years that I’ve been on the council,” said Margo Nielsen.

The sentiment was widespread on the council.

“I’m frankly really angry at myself with the agreement we reached with IRI in the past because I really thought that by doing that we would get some changes to the course that would make it a better course,” Councilmember Matt Scott said. “It now appears to me like what they did is they fixed that to the detriment of everything else. Those (photos reviewed) are just atrocious. It looks like a swamp.”

Rockwall City Manager also noted that by the terms of the contract with IRI, the city also had the right to audit the financial records of the course and that the subcommittee had recommended that the city begin doing so.

“There comes that time when a line has to be drawn and that level of accountability has to increase, and I think we’re at that point now,” said Councilmember David Sweet as he offered up the motion to proceed with an audit process. The motion passed unanimously.