Crews work on the expansion of the Independence Golf Club’s main building, which will house a renovated restaurant, bar and event space. Photos by Evelyn Rupert.
Bankrolled by a new ownership group, a Midlothian golf course’s new look is set to be unveiled this month.
Independence Golf Club, a 260-acre daily-fee club that straddles that the Chesterfield-Powhatan county line, is expected to reopen its full course on Sept. 22 after major renovations that left it closed since May. The changes included overhaul to the club’s greens, fairways, bunkers and driving range.
Giff Breed, who along with his brother Alan Breed bought the 13-year-old club in October, said he expects to have the first outing on the full course on Sept. 19 and it should be open to the public the next day, barring any unexpected delays.
“I think we’ll have arguably the best public course in Richmond,” said Breed, who has decades of experience in the sports management business.
Giff Breed
The club’s 25,000-square-foot clubhouse and grounds will continue to undergo renovations as the Breeds look to drive new sources of revenue from non-golf related activities.
Construction is underway on a 3,200-square-foot banquet hall that will overlook the course. Breed sees weddings and events as an attractive way to supplement golf income. The addition will also allow for 2,500 square feet of extra space on the club’s ground floor that may be converted into a spa, Breed said.
The club’s restaurant will be revamped and renamed the Founders Bistro. A new chef has been hired, and Breed said he hopes the bistro will attract residents of the surrounding Founders Bridge neighborhood as a regular dining option for the rural area.
Independence is installing a grass court that can be used for tennis or croquet, and its owners will look to attract opera, symphony and art youth camps to the Independence grounds to take advantage of its scenic setting and make it more of a gathering place beyond golf.
“Golf is on the decline,” Breed said. “Courses like us need to figure out different ways to get people to come here.”
The Breeds, through Pros Inc., purchased the course from its original owner, the Virginia State Golf Association (VSGA) Foundation. The company paid $3 million for the property, according to county records.
Breed would not share how much they are spending to see their vision to fruition.
“It has been a significant investment to get this where we want it,” he said.
They had three criteria in mind when they decided to shut the course down for the summer: pace of play, playability and sustainability, Breed said.
“Everything had to pass through that filter,” he said.
Until its full opening, Independence has a three-hole course and a practice range open.
Breed said the renovations to the course included installing new greens, removing 40 percent of the bunkers and replacing the rest, new grass on all the fairways and 30 percent of the rough, and revamping the driving range.
New carts have arrived, and Independence has struck a deal with a local Lexus dealer to provide a high-end “player assistance vehicle,” known less formally as the beverage cart.
Lester George of George Golf Design oversaw the course’s new design. He’s done work at Birkdale Golf Course, the Country Club of Virginia, and Kinloch, among many others.
B. K. Katherman is the general contractor from Katherman & Co. on the club’s renovations and Balzer & Associates is the architect.
Independence was built by the VSGA Foundation as the centerpiece of the Founders Bridge community in 2001.
It has since housed the headquarters of the VSGA and the VSGA Foundation nonprofit. The foundation has been revamped as Fore Children and will have a broader mission of spreading the sport to young players as well as other causes. It will continue to be housed at Independence.
The VSGA is planning a new home of its own just up the road near Salisbury Country Club.
Breed said Independence will always be a work in progress, and he has some bigger-picture, long-term ideas in mind. Horse trails, a zip line, and a boutique hotel on the grounds are just a few of the ideas, and Independence is working a deal to potentially buy some more land surrounding the course.
“If we ever sit down and think we’re finished, then we’re finished,” he said. “We have to constantly be thinking what’s coming next.”
Crews work on the expansion of the Independence Golf Club’s main building, which will house a renovated restaurant, bar and event space. Photos by Evelyn Rupert.
Bankrolled by a new ownership group, a Midlothian golf course’s new look is set to be unveiled this month.
Independence Golf Club, a 260-acre daily-fee club that straddles that the Chesterfield-Powhatan county line, is expected to reopen its full course on Sept. 22 after major renovations that left it closed since May. The changes included overhaul to the club’s greens, fairways, bunkers and driving range.
Giff Breed, who along with his brother Alan Breed bought the 13-year-old club in October, said he expects to have the first outing on the full course on Sept. 19 and it should be open to the public the next day, barring any unexpected delays.
“I think we’ll have arguably the best public course in Richmond,” said Breed, who has decades of experience in the sports management business.
Giff Breed
The club’s 25,000-square-foot clubhouse and grounds will continue to undergo renovations as the Breeds look to drive new sources of revenue from non-golf related activities.
Construction is underway on a 3,200-square-foot banquet hall that will overlook the course. Breed sees weddings and events as an attractive way to supplement golf income. The addition will also allow for 2,500 square feet of extra space on the club’s ground floor that may be converted into a spa, Breed said.
The club’s restaurant will be revamped and renamed the Founders Bistro. A new chef has been hired, and Breed said he hopes the bistro will attract residents of the surrounding Founders Bridge neighborhood as a regular dining option for the rural area.
Independence is installing a grass court that can be used for tennis or croquet, and its owners will look to attract opera, symphony and art youth camps to the Independence grounds to take advantage of its scenic setting and make it more of a gathering place beyond golf.
“Golf is on the decline,” Breed said. “Courses like us need to figure out different ways to get people to come here.”
The Breeds, through Pros Inc., purchased the course from its original owner, the Virginia State Golf Association (VSGA) Foundation. The company paid $3 million for the property, according to county records.
Breed would not share how much they are spending to see their vision to fruition.
“It has been a significant investment to get this where we want it,” he said.
They had three criteria in mind when they decided to shut the course down for the summer: pace of play, playability and sustainability, Breed said.
“Everything had to pass through that filter,” he said.
Until its full opening, Independence has a three-hole course and a practice range open.
Breed said the renovations to the course included installing new greens, removing 40 percent of the bunkers and replacing the rest, new grass on all the fairways and 30 percent of the rough, and revamping the driving range.
New carts have arrived, and Independence has struck a deal with a local Lexus dealer to provide a high-end “player assistance vehicle,” known less formally as the beverage cart.
Lester George of George Golf Design oversaw the course’s new design. He’s done work at Birkdale Golf Course, the Country Club of Virginia, and Kinloch, among many others.
B. K. Katherman is the general contractor from Katherman & Co. on the club’s renovations and Balzer & Associates is the architect.
Independence was built by the VSGA Foundation as the centerpiece of the Founders Bridge community in 2001.
It has since housed the headquarters of the VSGA and the VSGA Foundation nonprofit. The foundation has been revamped as Fore Children and will have a broader mission of spreading the sport to young players as well as other causes. It will continue to be housed at Independence.
The VSGA is planning a new home of its own just up the road near Salisbury Country Club.
Breed said Independence will always be a work in progress, and he has some bigger-picture, long-term ideas in mind. Horse trails, a zip line, and a boutique hotel on the grounds are just a few of the ideas, and Independence is working a deal to potentially buy some more land surrounding the course.
“If we ever sit down and think we’re finished, then we’re finished,” he said. “We have to constantly be thinking what’s coming next.”
I have a group of guys that all belong to the Country Club of the Highlands but I am sure we would love to come out to your course.