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Media Contact: Stacie Zinn
Cell: 239-398-4224
Office: 239-774-1293
stacie@environmentalturf.com


Environmentally Friendly Plantation Preserve Golf Course Opens
Course Has Environmentalist Theme with Low-Water/Low-Fertilizer SeaDwarf Grass and 1.5 Mile Hiking Trail Through Center

Plantation, Florida (Tuesday, June 6, 2006): Environmentally friendly is the operative term at the brand new and completely redesigned 18-hole golf course at Plantation Preserve Golf Course & Club. A municipal golf course facility in Plantation, Florida, Plantation Preserve opened recently after a nearly 4-year design and construction process.

Owned by the City of Plantation, Plantation Preserve is a par-72, 7,148-yard, 18-hole, Audubon-certified championship golf course that utilizes low-water/low-fertilizer SeaDwarf Seashore Paspalum turfgrass and is surrounded by 29 acres of wetland preserve.
Perhaps the most unique element of Plantation Preserve is the 1.5-mile walking trail that is completely separate from the golf courses’ cart path and is carved right through the center of the 211-acre facility. The walking trail is classified by the City of Plantation as “a linear park.” With two trailheads, the linear park winds its way through the golf course and wetland preserve. Additionally, interpretive signs are located at the beginning and end of the trail, at each of four trail stops and at the historically significant Tequesta burial mound—an ancient Indian archeological site on the property.

“The United States Golf Association confirmed that we are the only golf course in the country to have anything like this,” said Colleen Cashman-McSween, sponsorship and membership director for Plantation Preserve.

Designed by famed golf course architects Robert von Hagge, Michael J. Smelek and Richard A. Baril, Plantation Preserve is the first municipal golf course in Broward County, Florida, to utilize SeaDwarf Seashore Paspalum turfgrass from tee-to-green. The grasses’ environmentally friendly characteristics fit right in with the ecological theme of the project. SeaDwarf Seashore Paspalum grass requires up to 50% less water for irrigation and up to 75% less nitrogen for fertilization. Salt may be used as an herbicide. And, with only one grass to maintain on the golf course, maintenance challenges on the golf course are greatly reduced.

For golfers of all skill levels, SeaDwarf creates a highly playable golf surface. Because of SeaDwarf’s upright nature, the golf ball seemingly sits up in the fairway almost as if on a tee, making for player-friendly golf shots.

Plus, SeaDwarf makes for a very visually attractive golf course. “It’s just so green,” McSween said.

SeaDwarf Seashore Paspalum grass was chosen for the course, Plantation Preserve’s McSween said, not just for its environmentally friendly aspects but also because “this is the grass that is most wanted everywhere.”

Plantation Preserve is located at 7050 W. Broward Boulevard, in Plantation, Florida. Though open to the public, memberships are available. Contact 954-585-5020 or www.plantation.org/community/PlantationPrese/index.html for membership information.

For more information on SeaDwarf Seashore Paspalum turfgrass from Environmental Turf, contact: 772-460-5575 or www.environmentalturf.com.

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Plantation Preserve Golf Course & Club Fact Sheet

Golf Course & Linear Park Amenities

Plantation Preserve Golf Course & Club

  • 211 acres of everglades-themed, protected open space
  • 18-hole Audubon-certified championship golf course, par 72, over 7,000 yards in length
  • Driving range
  • Pro-shop carrying a full line of golf equipment, accessories and apparel
  • 6,600 square foot clubhouse, featuring a 160-seat dining room and lounge, cart barn and beautifully landscaped terrace
  • The only public course in Broward County featuring an internationally-recognized Sea Dwarf Paspalum Grass surface

Linear Park

  • 1.5-mile, 55-acre multi-use recreation trail and linear park winding its way through the golf course and wetlands area
  • Two trailheads – one located near the NW 70th Avenue and Broward Boulevard entrance and the second located off of East Tropical Way
  • Interpretive signs at the beginning and end of the trail, at each of the four trail stops and at the historically significant Tequesta burial mound

Purchase Date & Funding Source

  • The site is the former site of the Plantation Country Club and was purchased by the City in 2002 for a contract price of $7.2 million from Panther Plantation Golf, Inc., an H. Wayne Huizenga corporation.
  • The cost was funded by a grant from the Florida Community Trust Florida Forever Program of $3.6 million and a Broward County Land Preservation Fund grant of $2 million. The City of Plantation’s 2002 Bond Program provided the balance.
  • The target construction completion date is September 2005.

History of the Land

  • The Golf Course, which comprises 211 acres in central Plantation, is bordered by Broward Boulevard and East and West Tropical Way.
  • Located on the grounds, near what will be the 14th green, is the site of an ancient Tequesta Indian burial mound. According to local historians, the site was excavated in 1975 and the artifacts, which included tools, pottery and animal and human bones, were sent to the University of Florida for study.
  • When the Plantation Golf Course was first constructed in 1950, it was considered the center of Plantation social life, although it was not the center of town. Interestingly enough, the clubhouse was within City corporate boundaries, but the course itself was not.
  • During the past several years, the land has been left virtually untouched; wildlife, including osprey, heron and the endangered wood stork, have settled among the trees and shrubbery. The City’s design team have worked to create a livable environment for these and other indigenous species.
  • An official groundbreaking ceremony was held on August 28, 2004. In attendance were members of Broward County Commission and Plantation City Council, the golf course construction and design team, and hundreds of local residents.
  • The official grand opening was April 22, 2006.

Design & Construction Team

Golf Course Architect
Mike Smelek, von Hagge, Smelek & Baril, Spring, Texas (www.vonhagge.com)
Over the past 45 years von Hagge, Smelek & Baril has designed many of the world's most famous golf courses and have been honored countless times. Their heritage and reputation rank them at the very top of the elite design firms throughout the world, yet their accomplishments and professional credibility separate them from all the rest.

Mike Smelek’s appreciation for the outdoors and talent for art, led him to pursue a career in Landscape Architecture. While attending the University of Idaho, he set a goal of specializing in golf course design and shortly after graduating in 1980, was given an opportunity to fulfill this passion. In March 1981, he moved to Texas and began his apprenticeship with Robert von Hagge. Mike Smelek , now a Principal, has primary responsibilities in the United States and Mexico, as well as the Pacific Basin Region. His most recently completed projects include Ube Country Club, in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

Environmental Wetlands & Park Design
Miller Legg & Associates, Pembroke Pines, Florida (www.millerlegg.com)
The firm of Miller Legg & Associates is a state-wide award winning consulting firm headquartered in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The firm brings together the elements of engineering, planning, landscape architecture and urban design, surveying, environmental wetlands consulting, environmental risk management and GIS services. Miller, Legg & Associates prides itself on its orientation toward the client. They provide responsive, personalized, quality service to value-conscious private clients and select government agencies that desire the very best in planning and design.

Clubhouse & Building Architects
Borrelli & Associates, Architects & Planners, PA, Miami, Florida (www.borrelliarchitects.com)

Established in 1968, Borrelli & Associates provides comprehensive services in architecture, planning, landscape architecture and interior design. With a practice based in South and Central Florida, clients include corporate and public entities within Florida and the US, the Caribbean and South America. Of particular interest is the firms track record with institutional and government entities: during the past 20 years, 90 percent of Borrelli & Associates services have been for public agencies.

Ongoing Golf Course Management
Guidant Management Group, Wellington, Florida (www.guidantmanagement.com)
Guidant Management Group (GMG) provides resort management consultation to all levels of the golf & leisure industry including private developers/owners, daily fee facilities, private-equity clubs, resorts, and municipalities. GMG’s corporate philosophy entails providing a “hands on” approach to management with the utmost attention to detail at all times. Their staff’s professionalism and integrity are the key elements found within their management techniques, which allow them to achieve the positive results that clients demand.

Construction Team
Wadsworth Golf Construction, Oldsmar, Florida, will build the golf course and develop the entire site including linear park, trailheads, wetlands, lakes and site work for the clubhouse, cart barn, maintenance area and other support structures. Additionally, The Siltek Group, Weston, Florida, will construct the golf course structures, including the clubhouse, maintenance buildings, cart barn and comfort stations.

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