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For members: City makes last debt payment for golf course as revenues increase

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Part of Tennessee Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge is pictured above on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The City of Oak Ridge made its last debt payment for Tennessee Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge on Tuesday, and monthly revenues increased at the golf course last year and are up significantly so far this year.

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Part of Tennessee Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge is pictured above on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The City of Oak Ridge made its last debt payment for Tennessee Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge on Tuesday, and monthly revenues increased at the golf course last year and are up significantly so far this year.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

Council approves $175,000 settlement with Billy Casper Golf Management

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Centennial Golf Course is pictured above in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge City Council last week approved a $175,000 settlement to resolve a dispute between the city and Billy Casper Golf Management over the termination of the agreement to manage Centennial Golf Course.

The city owns the golf course, which is in east Oak Ridge. The city notified Billy Casper Golf Management in October 2017 that it was going to terminate the management agreement “for cause,” Oak Ridge City Attorney Ken Krushenski said in a memo to Council. But Billy Casper Golf Management contested the termination of the agreement, and the company’s attorney claimed that the city owed more than $520,000 in termination fees, Krushenski said.

The two sides negotiated, and the management company accepted the city’s offer of $175,000 to settle all claims, Krushenski said.

[Read more…]

Centennial Golf Course has breakfast fundraiser for Girls Inc. on Saturday

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Waffle-Breakfast-Jan-2019

Centennial Golf Course will host a waffle breakfast fundraiser to benefit Girls Inc. of Tennessee Valley from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, January 26.

The cost of admission is $5 for all ages, and it includes access to a full waffle bar with toppings, a press release said. All proceeds will go to Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge. There is no need to pre-register for the event.

Girls Inc. is an after-school, summer camp, break camp, and sports program for girls 5-18 years old. The organization began in 1976 and opened its permanent Oak Ridge campus in 2000 at 1798 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Girls Inc. has grown to be an integral part of our community and serves more than 850 girls every year across Anderson, Roane, and Knox counties, the press release said.

Centennial Golf Course is located at 101 Centennial Boulevard in Oak Ridge. The course is currently operating on its winter schedule, with tee times available Monday-Sunday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. The clubhouse serves breakfast every Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m.

Questions about the fundraiser can be directed to Centennial Golf Course at (865) 483-2291 or Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge at (865) 482-4475.

Golf Course hosts Sweets with Santa on Dec. 3

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Tennessee Centennial Golf Course Logo Web

Centennial Golf Course is hosting a Sweets with Santa holiday event on Monday, December 3. Space is limited and advanced registration must be complete by Friday, November 30, a press release said.

Admission is $10 per adult and $5 per child age 4 and up. The cost includes story time, gingerbread man decorating, and pictures with Santa Claus. Guests can also enjoy cookies, milk, cocoa, and more, the press release said.

Registration can be completed online at http://bit.ly/SweetsWithSantaEvent. Additional information is available on the Centennial Golf Course website at https://www.centennial.golf/ under the Events tab.

Questions can also be directed to the golf shop by calling (865) 483-2291.

Housing: Plan approved for new residential development in east Oak Ridge

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Oak Ridge officials approved a plan in November 2018 that would allow a new residential development on more than 100 acres off Edgemoor Road in east Oak Ridge. This is the view looking toward the part of the development that would be called Harbour Pointe A and Harbour Pointe B on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge officials approved a plan in November 2018 that would allow a new residential development on more than 100 acres off Edgemoor Road in east Oak Ridge. This is the view looking toward the part of the development known as Harbour Pointe A and Harbour Pointe B on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge officials have approved a plan that would allow a new residential development on more than 100 acres off Edgemoor Road in east Oak Ridge.

It’s a significant change to what had originally been expected on the property in a master plan adopted in 2009. That was for a planned unit development called Centennial Village.

The new development, which requires changes to the Centennial Village master plan, would be called Harbour Pointe. It could include 310 lots on 117 acres. Of the lots, 186 could be single-family and 124 could be multi-family.

It’s one of several new or revived residential developments across Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission unanimously approved rezonings and a preliminary master plan for Harbour Pointe, subject to certain conditions, during a special meeting on Monday, November 5. The Oak Ridge City Council then unanimously approved them, with the Planning Commission conditions included, on Monday, November 12. [Read more…]

Centennial Golf Course names new general manager

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Mike Callender (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Mike Callender (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The City of Oak Ridge has completed its management transition at Centennial Golf Course and has announced the new general manager: Mike Callender.

Callender has 18 years of experience in the golf industry, a City of Oak Ridge press release said. He is a certified Class A PGA Professional with 10 years as a head professional and is certified in golf operations, the release said.

“I am very excited to make Centennial Golf Course the place to go in East Tennessee, not just for golf, but also for business meetings, casual outings, and eventually dining,” Callender said.

“Our goal is to establish Centennial as one of the premier public golf courses in the region, and the addition of Mike Callender to the team as general manager will help us get there,” Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said. “With his leadership and the ongoing reinvestment by the city, we are now poised to provide a quality experience for all golfers in the greater Knoxville region.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge announces holiday closures, changes

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All City of Oak Ridge administrative offices will be closed on Monday, December 25, and Tuesday, December 26, to observe Christmas. Other closures and adjustments to city services and facilities because of the holidays are listed below:

  • Household Trash and Recycling Collection—Pick-ups will run on a one-day delay during Christmas week
  • Waste Connections Convenience Center—Closed Sunday, December 24, and Monday, December 25
  • Oak Ridge Civic Center—Closed Friday, December 22, through Tuesday, December 26
  • Scarboro Community Center—Closed Monday, December 25, and Tuesday, December 26
  • Centennial Golf Course—Closed Monday, December 25

The extended closure of the Oak Ridge Civic Center is due to gym floor refinishing, a press release said. While the rest of the building will reopen to the public on Wednesday, December 27, the gymnasium will not reopen until Thursday, December 28. [Read more…]

City to begin managing Centennial Golf Course, releasing private firm from its contract

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Centennial Golf Course is pictured above in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Centennial Golf Course is pictured above in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The City of Oak Ridge will begin managing Centennial Golf Course internally through the Recreation and Parks Department, releasing the private firm Billy Casper Golf from its management contract, a press release said. The transition will begin immediately and is expected to be complete by the end of November.

“The city chose to make the move in order to initiate repairs to the facility on an aggressive timeline,” the press release said.

The golf course will not close during the management transition or subsequent renovations. Nine holes will remain open while crews work on the rest of the course. Cart path repairs are planned along with drainage improvements and the installation of guard rails and other safety measures. The driving range and clubhouse will also remain open. The city will be honoring passes and memberships purchased prior to this change, the press release said.

“Golf is an extremely dynamic sport, and we have to adapt in order to remain competitive,” Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said of the decision. “Our goal is to have a truly great public golf course and this is the first step in making that a reality.” [Read more…]

UT students studied how to use Centennial for more than golf; hear their recommendations Tuesday

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Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

A team of graduate business students at the University of Tennessee have studied ways the city can use Centennial Golf Course for more than just golf, and the students will present their recommendations on Tuesday. The meeting is open to the public.

The graduate students are from UT’s Master of Business Administration, or MBA, program. They will present their recommendations from a recent “Innovations in Practice” project to the City of Oak Ridge at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.

There has been discussion of how to increase revenues at the golf course, including at Oak Ridge City Council meetings when the city has been asked to provide more money for the golf course.

A press release said the study of Centennial Golf Course took the group of four MBA students approximately seven weeks to complete. [Read more…]

Letter: Oak Ridge Country Club responds to comments made at Council meeting

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Editor’s note: This is a letter sent to Oak Ridge City Council by the Oak Ridge Country Club in response to comments made during a City Council meeting in January, when Council considered whether to provide $120,000 for the city-owned Tennessee Centennial Golf Course.

Dear Council Members:

On behalf of the membership and Board of Directors of Oak Ridge Country Club (ORCC), I would like to take this opportunity to express our displeasure in councilman Rick Chinn stemming from a statement made during a recent City Council meeting, which subsequently made it to public media outlets. During that meeting Mr. Chinn, in defense of his vote against allocating funds to Centennial Golf Course, stated that, “there is another private golf course in Oak Ridge that is also struggling.” Due to the fact that ORCC is the only private golf course in Oak Ridge, one can conclude that he was referring to our club. I would like to take a moment to address that completely unfounded and inappropriate comment.

Oak Ridge Country Club was founded in 1947 and will celebrate its 70th year in existence this year. ORCC is not funded by the City of Oak Ridge. We currently have 275 golf members and over 440 members total that maintain the financial stability of our club, without city or state assistance. Our club is not remotely a fair comparison to Centennial when it comes to taxpayer dollars spent in the city of Oak Ridge.

Of that membership of 275 golf members, a good percentage are individuals and families that come from outside the city of Oak Ridge (Powell, West Knoxville, Hardin Valley, and Kingston, to name a few), thus bringing dollars into our city’s economy. Our club annually hosts events for Tennessee Golf Association, Tennessee PGA and Knoxville Chapter PGA. All of these events bring players from all over the state of Tennessee into our community, to our hotels, restaurants, gas stations, etc. [Read more…]

ORHS Boys Basketball Boosters have fundraising golf tournament Aug. 13

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Oak Ridge Basketball Camp Logo

The Oak Ridge High School Boys Basketball Boosters have a fundraising golf tournament on Saturday, August 13.

It’s their 19th annual golf tournament. This year’s event—a four-man scramble format—will be at Centennial Golf Course in Oak Ridge.

The tournament will begin at 8 a.m. August 13 with a shotgun start. The tournament costs just $75 per person, a press release said.

Registration begins at 7 a.m. with breakfast and free range balls for participants. A Mulligan Package is also available for $25, which includes mulligans, a red tee, a door prize ticket, and a putting contest ticket, the press release said. [Read more…]

ORHS Boys Basketball Boosters have fundraising golf tournament Aug. 13

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The Oak Ridge High School Boys Basketball Boosters has a fundraising golf tournament on August 13.

The 19th annual golf tournament is a four-man scramble format that will be held at Centennial Golf Course in Oak Ridge. The tournament will begin at 8 a.m. August 13 with a shotgun start.

The tournament costs just $75 per person. Registration begins at 7 a.m. with breakfast and free range balls for participants. A Mulligan Package is also available for $25, which includes mulligans, a red tee, a door prize ticket, and a putting contest ticket, a press release said. [Read more…]

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