Blue Devil to see play this season
Thirteen holes completed on Gary Browning design
Scott Atkinson doesn’t want to double cross himself but he firmly believes his company can have newly acquired Blue Devil Golf Club off the tees before the end of this season.
“I don’t want to speculate because you’ve got Mother Nature, but we’re on it,” said the chief operating officer of Heather Glen Eagles Golf Co. Ltd., which purchased the partially finished18-hole layout on Wednesday. “I don’t want to give an exact date because there’s too many factors, but we will be playing golf on it this year for sure.”
Thirteen of the holes are finished. Another one is about two weeks away from finish and the other four are in varying stages of completion at the southeast layout just below Chaparral and across 22X from Mckenzie Meadows Golf Club.
The course, a Gary Browning de-sign, has been under construction since 2008 but was put on hold last year by the former ownership, which had intended to introduce it as a private country club.
Atkinson says it will join his com-pany’s other two courses, Heather Glen and Gleneagles, as a public play offering with a green fee yet to be set but an educated guess would suggest somewhere in the $55 to $65 range.
“The 13 holes completed are in perfect condition,” said Atkinson.
“You could play them today. They’re just fabulous. It’s a beautiful rolling site. It’s walkable. Gary Browning really did it with this one.
“The five holes left to finish are at various points of completion, but they’re all shaped and really don’t need too much more work. A big asset is that they have a nice nursery with the same grass that’s been maturing on the greens that will be going onto the new greens.”
Atkinson says no expense was spared in constructing the course.
“Everything that was done is top drawer,” he said. “Just platinum. It’s not a penalizing course . . . you have to hit shots, but you can bounce balls onto greens. It was really well thought out, built right and we’re going to maintain the standard.
“We’re just very appreciative of this opportunity to finish it off.”
The course sits on an 80 hectare site with the 18 holes spaciously spread through 65 hectares.
While a larger clubhouse eventually will be built, a 280 square-metre temporary structure, complete with utilities, is on site.
“We have no idea what the time frame will be for a new clubhouse,” he said, “because that’s a process where you go through design and city approval of permits. What we have will serve nicely for now.
“The first priorities are to finish the course and pave the entrance road then we’ll proceed to completing the practice facility and toying with what we’re going to do with a 10-acre package in the northwest corner of the course.”
Entrance to the layout, which bor-ders both Fish Creek Park and the Bow River, will be on 194 Ave. off Macleod Trail.