The First Tee of Richmond resumed full operation on Monday, nearly two years after Tropical Storm Ernesto flooded the facility and parts of surrounding Battery Park.

The city's only municipal golf course received minimal damage during the September 2006 storm. But it remained closed while several construction crews used the facility as a staging area during restoration and repair work in the Battery Park area.

"At long last, the First Tee is back in business and ready to serve those who want to take in a game of golf," said Mayor L. Douglas Wilder in a statement. "With this complex located so close to downtown, it offers a great opportunity to escape the workday stresses and enjoy some outdoor recreation."

Much of the repairs at the facility were minor - including loose gravel in the parking lot and minor damage to the greens. The damage was minor because the golf course is at a higher level than the rest of flood plain area at Battery Park.

While the course avoided more serious and costly damage, part of the fairway on the first hole was partially under water. Some of the greens needed fertilizer before the course could reopen.

"There was no physical damage on the range or the facility," said Lloyd Randolph, assistant general manager of First Tee of Richmond. "We still have a few minor repairs on the course, and we need to get the greens in better condition.

"Everything was still intact. The only repair we had to make was clearing up the mess the construction companies left behind. The problem was [construction companies] using the staging area. There was heavy equipment all over the place."

Since Ernesto struck in September 2006, the golf complex had been used as a staging area for the construction of a replacement sewer line that ran through the Battery Park area.

When the utility work was completed, the First Tee property needed to be regraded, portions of the driving range resodded, the parking lot repaved and the club house cleaned and repainted.

According to city officials, the restoration project for the First Tee facility cost approximately $140,000. The majority of the funds will be reimbursed by federal and state agencies - including 75 percent by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 21 percent by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

Even though the facility had been closed for 20 months, officials for Richmond Department of Public Utilities said contractors completed most of the work ahead of schedule.

"There are few complications in which we are still working on," Randolph said. "We couldn't open the facility sooner because of liability reasons."

The First Tee of Richmond has a state-of-the-art golf complex consisting of a six-hole, par-3 golf course. Also, there are 25 grass and 18 covered and heated practice tees (all of which reopened last Thursday), a putting green, a chipping green, a practice bunker, a clubhouse and a learning center.

The youth golf program, which had been held in some Richmond public schools, is available for youth between the ages of 8 and 15, and has more than 350 participants. Registration starts next month at most community centers in Richmond.

The golf program, which concludes in August, is held during the weekdays. There are three golf levels: introductory, skills and challenged golfer level.

The First Tee facility is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and located 400 West School Street.
Contact Ralph N. Paulk at (804) 649-6851 or rpaulk@timesdispatch.com.