Hollister
– Despite a thumbs-up from the 33rd Agricultural District, the
Bolado Park Golf Club will have to wait another month to begin
construction on its new clubhouse.
Hollister – Despite a thumbs-up from the 33rd Agricultural District, the Bolado Park Golf Club will have to wait another month to begin construction on its new clubhouse.
After reviewing the plans to replace the old clubhouse lost to fire in January 2006, the state asked for more detail about the design. Mike Winn, president of the Bolado Park Golf Club board, said the state wants to know more about handicap access and the clubhouse’s kitchen.
“There’s nothing structurally that they have a problem with,” Winn said. “The engineering looks good.”
Winn and other board members hope to submit the additional information, receive approval from the state and break ground on construction of the clubhouse in early May.
Helen Andrade, a club member who was finishing a round of golf just as it began to rain Tuesday, said she is looking forward to the completion of the new clubhouse.
“The atmosphere is so much nicer when we have the clubhouse,” Andrade said.
The trailer now being used for a starter box and snack shop can’t host the luncheons Andrade has been enjoying since she became a member at Bolado Park in 1972.
As the club waits for approval, its board is already collecting bids on the foundation, framing, plumbing and electrical work for the building. Board members want to keep construction costs within the $530,000 insurance payout it received after the fire.
If the insurance doesn’t cover construction costs, Winn said, the club may leave the bottom floor of the clubhouse unfinished until the board can raise the funds to complete it.
The new clubhouse, which was designed by club member Rick Stanifer, will be built on the old clubhouse’s foundation, Winn said. Built in 1950, the old clubhouse had the look of a Spanish ranch house.
The new building has shingles instead of Spanish tile, but will still be mostly stucco, Winn said. Plans include a bar, grill and lounge on the second floor.
“It still has a traditional look,” Winn said. “But not as traditional as the old clubhouse.”
An alcove will also be added for the starter’s box, allowing the starter to keep an eye on the parking lot and first tee box, Winn said.
The fire couldn’t have come at a worse time, Winn said. The club was about to raise its yearly rates when the blaze destroyed the clubhouse. At the time of the fire, the club had 275 members. In little more than a year, membership has dropped to 220, Winn said.
“We lost some members, but I think once we get things going we’re going to get them back,” he said.
The club’s board started implementing changes to draw that membership back before construction on the clubhouse begins. Those changes include replacing the club’s 10 old golf carts with 18 new electrical carts, Winn said.
New “super twilight” rates were also put in place, featuring cheaper greens fees after 4pm. It costs $9 on weeknights and $12 on weekends to play during super twilight without a cart.
Under the supervision of board member Manny Gutierrez, the club began grooming and cutting the grass on its greens shorter, making for better putting, Winn said.
Club members have already noticed, said James Ferland, clubhouse manager.
“It’s a lot different now,” Ferland said. “The greens look better than I’ve ever seen them and I’ve heard that from a lot of people.”
Faulty electrical wiring caused the 2am blaze on Jan. 21, 2006, that destroyed the original clubhouse. Local firefighters didn’t get the call to the course until almost an hour after the blaze began, when a passerby called emergency officials, authorities said.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
