Hampton Roads Area Munis
Hopeful of an Economic Lift
Courses seek strength in solidarity, wider appeal through improvements to layouts
by TOM ROBINSON
CLAY BARBOUR/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT, NORFOLK
T
he growing footprint
of Mike Fentress and his
course management partners in South Hampton
Roads nearly doubled
in December.
Golf Management Inc.
was the only bidder on the City of Norfolk’s
proposal to take over historic Ocean View
Golf Course and nine-year-old Lambert’s
Point Golf Course.
The company agreed to 20-year leases
on both properties, expanding its roster to
five public courses. That matches Hampton
Roads Golf Clubs for the most course
contracts in Tidewater.
“I envision us getting maybe two or three
more golf courses, and I think that should be
just about right for us,” Fentress says.
Fentress and partners Eddie Luke and
Andrew Menk, all of them PGA professionals,
have operated Virginia Beach’s Red Wing
Lake, Kempsville Greens and Bow Creek
as Virginia Beach Golf Management Inc.
since 2010.
The group was joined in 2014 by longtime
PGA professional Andy Giles, one of the most
familiar faces in South Hampton Roads golf.
Giles left Bide-A-Wee Golf Course in
Portsmouth after 17 years. On Jan. 1, 2015,
he became the head PGA professional
at Ocean View, an 84-year old track that
has hosted four Virginia State Opens, an
exhibition featuring Sam Snead, Arnold
Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in 1963, and a
clinic by Tiger Woods in 2000.
Giles’ son, Conlin, will be the head
professional at Lambert’s Point in April
when the city’s management contract ends
with Hampton Roads Golf Clubs.
The latest acquisition returns Fentress to
control of Lambert’s Point, where as project
manager he oversaw the nine-hole course’s
construction from a city landfill bordering
the Elizabeth River.
“With all the time spent there, you sure
feel like it’s part of you,” says Fentress, who
was head PGA professional at the course
until 2010.
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But Fentress says his company won’t
play favorites. Ocean View’s greens need
immediate care, according to Fentress. He
also says the city of Norfolk, whose subsidy of
the courses in 2014 reached almost $500,000,
expects his company to improve the entire
quality of its municipal golf.
According to the lease, Fentress’ group
will pay the city $15,000 per year, as well as
contributing 2 percent of gross revenue to a
capital improvements fund.
The latter tariff won’t apply in years five
through 10 because the company plans to
build a new clubhouse at Ocean View.
And at Lambert’s Point, which is tucked
in a neighborhood next to Old Dominion
University, Fentress notes one goal is to
designate separate practice space for ODU’s
teams, which already train at the club. He
also points out forward tees will be added
on the challenging, wide-open course with
steep changes of elevation to appeal to junior,
beginner and novice golfers.
“Those being the only two properties in
Norfolk, we really want to make sure they
shine for them,” Fentress says. “We’re taking
ownership, too, really trying to make sure
that they exceed everyone’s expectations of
what the golf courses should be.”
Author Tom Robinson is a writer from Norfolk, Va.,
and a contributor to Virginia Golfer.
Golfers can look for a hopeful future for daily-fees such as Lambert’s Point Golf Course in Norfolk.
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