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When the Eisenhower course at Industry Hills reopens this month, golfers will be pleasantly surprised by the work that has been done as part of a $50 million renovation project at the Pacific Palms Conference Resort. "Golfers will immediately notice the improvements on the Ike," said Dave Youpa, who has been director of golf at the facility for nearly 16 years. "The course layout wasn't changed, but all the fairway sod was replaced with a more lush Tifway II sod, the sand in all the bunkers was replaced with crushed white marble, and six green complexes where changed." Youpa also said that a lot of the wooded areas have been cleared, meaning that the course, which plays 7,200 yards from the tips, will be more playable for the average golfer. I can't wait for the improvements to the Ike to mature because the contrast between the white bunkers and green fairways should be dramatic. Once the Ike reopens, similar renovation work will be done at the facility's other course - affectionately known as the Babe - which will be shut down for close to a year. MAJESTIC APPEARANCE: The City of Industry owns the Pacific Palms Conference Resort, which opened as the Sheraton Industry Hills Resort in the late 1970s. Scott Huntsman, the current general manager, said "the complex had fallen on hard times" in the late 1990s and that Majestic Realty "stepped up to the opportunity to return a community jewel to its position of prominence." The city granted Majestic the master ground lease in October 2000, and the three-phase renovation project began a short time later. The first two phases concentrated on the hotel, which was redesigned with an Asian motif. The final phase is focused on golf, which, in addition to refurbishing the courses, will include a larger pro shop, expected to open in January, and a short-game practice area. Other new amenities include an upscale restaurant and a health spa expected to open in the spring that will "broaden our sphere of influence as a resort destination," Huntsman said. NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Kevin Na, whose home course is Empire Lakes in Rancho Cucamonga, used his knowledge of the Arnold Palmer-designed course to win the Nationwide Tour's Mark Christopher Charity Classic last month. Na joins James Oh, the 2003 Mark Christopher champion, as the only other player of Korean descent with a two-letter last name to win a professional event. Empire Lakes general manager Ugene Park was pleased with the increase in attendance for this year's event and hopes that a new clubhouse will be completed in time for the 2007 tournament. The plans are in place, and Park said he is waiting for city approval. "The city is all for this project and we're in the last stages. It's really just a matter of formalities," Park said. "We want to break ground before the end of this year and our goal is to have it complete for next year's event." t IN GOOD TASTE: A new product at the fall PGA Expo in Las Vegas had me licking my lips. I have a habit of putting a new tee in my mouth when I play golf, so when I saw the Tasty Tees display at the expo, I had to give them a try. Now I have a bag of them in my golf bag. The wooden tees taste like mint, cherry, grape and chocolate, with dozens of more flavors planned. I wonder if single malt scotch is one of them, or is that too much to ask? Check them out at www.tastygolftees.com. n Eric Tracy is also known as the Mulligan Man. He can be reached at eric@themulliganman.com. |
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