The Refuge hopes for late summer, early
fall 2019 for grand re-opening
Nathan Crace, ASGCA
Associates and Golf Course
Superintendant
When we re-open
for play, golfers
won’t recognize the
course. It will feel
like a destination
course with the hotel
and the amenities
available there.
– Nathan Crace
Although now dormant for the winter,
the renovations continue for The Refuge
Golf Course. In a release from summer
2017, Watermark Golf ’s Golf Course
Architect Nathan Crace, ASGCA, said,
“When the course opened in 1998, the
game was played differently. In the two
decades since, the ball travels further, the
trees have grown bigger and players’ time
is more constrained.”
All this and more has been enveloped
into the plan and redesign for The Refuge.
With a $50 million investment in a new
200-room hotel and conference center,
new greens with TifEagle hybrid Bermuda,
new and renovated bunkers, irrigation
upgrades, the removal of invasive species
of trees, and a the creation of two new
holes and re-alignment of several others
to create returning nines back at the
new clubhouse, this project by the City
of Flowood will soon reestablish The
Refuge’s reputation as the “Best Purely
Public Course in Mississippi.” The new
Sheraton Hotel will serve to make it a
destination course, open to the public, but
with the feel of a resort course.
Crace says the new configuration will
really make a difference at The Refuge.
“That’s going to be a big shot in the arm to
the operation of the course,” he said. “Our
golf professional [Randy Tupper, PGA]
can tell you that it was a daily occurrence
for golfers to walk in asking to play nine
and it’s currently not a popular option
because the 10th tee is on the opposite end
of the property. They can play nine, but
then they have to walk or ride all the way
back. The discussion of having returning
nines after the renovation has already
stirred up a lot of excitement. When we’re
open, you’ll have the option to play 5, 9 or
18 holes and return to the clubhouse.”
Gary Rhoads, longtime Mayor of
Flowood, said, “This is not just a facelift
or an update. This is a full renovation that
will re-position The Refuge as the premier
golf destination throughout Mississippi.
With a world-class hotel and conference
center adjacent to it and the Jackson
International Airport across the highway,
there will be nothing else like it in the
Magnolia State for golfers, families, and
anyone wanting to just play golf or get
away for recreation, a vacation, or even a
business trip. You can literally walk from
the hotel lobby into the golf shop and get
in your cart and drive to the first tee. It’s
going to be great.”
“When we re-open for play, golfers
won’t recognize the course. It will feel like
a destination course with the hotel and
the amenities available there. Players can
expect the same great course conditioning
plus TifEagle greens, but every hole will be
drastically better with wider corridors and
a different look. When golfers walk off the
18th green, I want them to immediately
call their friends and say ‘You’ve got to
come play this course!’ For us, that’s the
ultimate goal.”
Crace says he is hopeful that current
progress points to opening the new facility
at the end of the summer or early fall
2019, but he stresses they can’t make any
promises just yet. Follow the course on
Twitter and Facebook, both @refugegolf,
for updates. Also, visit refugerenovation.
com for more information and progress
reports.
19