The Golf Village at Central Park

The Golf Village at Central Park is a 9-hole Par 3 golf course in Gahanna, OH.  The 73-acre complex, which also features a driving range, a 9-hole short course, 18-hole putting green, as well as a clubhouse, was built on the former Bedford Landfill site.  The Golf Village at Central Park is owned by the Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation[1] and is operated by the Tartan Golf & Management Company of Dublin, OH4. 

HISTORY

The land where the Golf Village at Central Park is located was initially home to two landfills, the first of which was closed in 1978, the other in 1995[2].  In 2005, the city of Gahanna received a $3 million Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund grant from the Ohio Department of Development to begin work on cleaning up the Bedford landfill site[2].  Additional funds for the cleanup were provided by the city itself, as well as Franklin County and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency[2].   

The Claycraft Brick Company had previously owned and operated on the site, before going out of business,[3] and in a deal to forgive $245, 000 in back taxes owed by the company to Franklin County, the County’s Treasurer, Richard Cordray, transferred ownership of the property to the Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation[2]. 

The Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation began work on the $18 million project in a partnership with the Value Recovery Group, Franklin County, the City of Gahanna, the Ohio Department of Development, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency[4].  The course was originally slated to open in 2008, but due to ground shifting and other issues, the complex’s open was initially pushed back to 2010[2].

Further issues created more delays for the project.  In 2009, a liner was installed to help combat a leaky irrigation basin that had been unable to hold the water necessary for growing grass on the property[2]. The following year weather further hampered the progress of the grass, as the area suffered prolonged periods of dry and wet weather[2].

The Golf Village at Central Park finally opened to the public on July 21, 2011, despite the project not being fully complete.  At the time of the opening, the 9-hole Short Course was slated to open in the fall of that year[1], however more delays have pushed back the expected opening of the Short Course to spring, 2012[5].

PAR 3 COURSE

Hurdzan/Fry Environmental Golf Design of Columbus designed the 9-hole Par 3 course at the Golf Village at Central Park[1]. The course features holes that range in length from 110 to 230 yards and is estimated to take 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete[6].  Depending on where you choose to tee off from, the length of the course can be as long as 1,598 yards and as short as 1,042 yards[7]. 

SHORT COURSE

The Short Course will feature 9 holes that range in length from 30 to 60 yards[5].  Modeled after the Short Course at Turnberry Golf Club in Scotland, the Short Course at the Golf Village at Central Park is estimated to take 45 minutes for players to complete[5].  The Short Course was originally expected to open in fall, 2011, however that date has been pushed back to spring, 2012.

CLUBHOUSE

The 3,600 square foot clubhouse is a former train depot from Prospect, OH that was donated to the course by Barry Fromm[3].  Fromm serves as the chief executive officer of the Value Recovery Group, the company that served as the lead private investor on the project[3]. 

Officials on the project had originally planned to use the train depot to house the clubhouse and pub, however they balked at the $1 million needed to dismantle the building, move it to the new site, and then rebuild it again[3].  Instead it was decided that they would build a replica of the train depot in order to save money[3].  Disappointed with this decision, Fromm, who owned the depot, paid to the move the building to the course[3].

While the train depot retains much of its original design, a new roof was added to the building and the building itself was expanded to accommodate the addition of a restaurant and a Callaway Golf club-fitting studio[4].  The club-fitting studio is the only such studio Callaway Golf operates in the Midwest, and is one of only nine nationwide[1].

OTHER FEATURES

The complex also features a driving range with a 2-acre tee area and 4 target greens[8].  Plans to add heated tees and a short game improvement area are currently in the works[9]. 

There is also a 5,000 square foot 18-hole putting course on the site[8].

   

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[1] Bell, Jeff, “Golf Village at Central Park drives out of rough”, Columbus Business First, July 15, 2011

[2] Pramik, Mike (2007), “Nine-hole golf course to top former landfill”, Allbusiness.com, Retrieved February 10, 2012

[3] Binkley, Collin, “Golfers finally can tee off at course built on landfill,” Columbus Dispatch, July 21, 2011

[4] Kuhlman, Marla K., “Golf Village at Central Park opens”, ThisWeek Community Newspapers, July 20, 2011

[5] 9-Hole Short Course (n.d.), The Golf Village at Central Park, Retrieved February 10, 2012

[6] 9-Hole Par 3 (n.d.), The Golf Village at Central Park, Retrieved February 10, 2012

[7] Scorecard (n.d.), The Golf Village at Central Park, Retrieved February 10, 2012

[8] The Golf Village at Central Park (n.d.), Tartan Golf & Management Company, Retrieved, February 10, 2012

[9] Driving Range (n.d.), The Golf Village at Central Park, Retrieved February 10, 2012