Green is the color of golf.
And standing on the first tee at the new Silverbell Golf Course, one can actually see green — green grass, and plenty of it.
"Silverbell wasn't a bad golf course, but now it's a very, very good golf course," said Mike Hayes, deputy director of Tucson City Golf.
The municipal course on Tucson's West Side has undergone a $2.6 million, seven-month metamorphosis from a bland, splotchy, flat 18-hole track to a rejuvenated, challenging layout for golfers of all levels.
Despite lengthening the course by 112 yards, Tucson architect Ken Kavanaugh lowered par from 72 to 70 by adding personality to the tired course built in the mid-1970s on top of a closed landfill.
"I can't say enough about what the city staff did with this place," said city councilman Jose Ibarra, whose Ward One includes the West Side. "It has a different look, but more importantly, a very different feel."
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Ibarra and other dignitaries got the first look at the new spread Monday.
The course opens to the general public today, but no tee times before 2 p.m. are available through Friday.
"We've had lots and lots of calls," Silverbell head pro Paul Noonan said.
The course was moved westerly, off a city landfill that was filled in 1975. Settling of the ground over the landfill had created sinking on greens and landing areas — and significant drainage issues. Also, methane gas contributed to brown spots.
Now, only tee boxes remain over the landfill acreage, creating seamless repair issues that will not adversely affect playability nor create maintenance headaches.
Only tees and greens were sodded with Bermuda in the project. The fairways feature winter rye, which will be killed in the summer when the course closes for four months when Bermuda will be planted in the landing areas.
Kavanaugh inserted aiming points in the form of bunkers and consolidated seven water hazards into two larger ponds. Along the right side of the eighth green, a sand trap merges with the water.
"This is like a brand new golf course," Kavanaugh said of the relatively small 160-acre tract. "It was a remarkable puzzle."
Holes 8 through 12 remain relatively unchanged, a par 3 was added and a par 5 taken away. Internal out-of-bounds was eliminated, as were short doglegs that golfers routinely drove through off the tee because of technological advances.
Kavanaugh is well known for his work redesigning Del Urich (the old Randolph South) and the restoration of Trini Alvarez-El Rio.
Silverbell's elevation changes are less dramatic than Del Urich's yet create challenges that the course did not possess in its original design. Golfers will also notice more contoured greens and definition in the fairways.
"The city courses are like ice cream," Kavanaugh said. "We want them all to have different flavors."
The remains of an adobe barn from an old cotton farm are still prominent on the front nine, near the fifth tee. Although not deemed a historical landmark, the city plans to erect a plaque noting its significance. No new finds were discovered in an archeological survey of the property, Hayes said.
The face lift has resulted in a municipal course that is close to being all things to all golfers.
"It's a better golf course for championship golf and also perfect for the beginning or average golfer," Hayes said.
Silverbell Golf Course
Location: 3600 N. Silverbell Road
Length: 6,936 yards
Par: 70
Information: 791-4297
Reservations: 791-4336
Cost: $21 to walk, $29 to ride ($5 more for nonresidents)
Originally opened: 1976
Closed: May 11, 2005
Opened: Dec. 19, 2005
Cost of renovation: $2.6 million
PGA Pro: Paul Noonan
Architect: Ken Kavanaugh
