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Big things are happening at Greystone this year and it’s a reminder of how special it is to have two world-class golf courses available to Members. That’s because even while the Legacy Course gets new greens, tees, and bunkers this summer, Members will still have the chance to play every day on the Founders Course.
The work on Legacy follows the creation of the new Lakeside Activity Center. This latest amenity for Greystone families includes four new pickleball courts, a full-size basketball court, and a large green space for activities.
The Lakeside Activity Center sprang to life at the request of Members who wanted to get more out of the space between the Aquatic Center and the large pond on the Founders Course’s 9th hole. The pond has been dredged and will be stocked with fish. Members can now add “fishing with the grandchildren” as just another great way to spend a day at Greystone.
“The sky’s the limit,” said Frank Paduch, who has been a Greystone Member since 2009 and is president of KFP Construction, which created the Lakeside Activity Center.
Inclusivity is important to Greystone and our Members, so making the Club even more accessible was a priority in the project. Paduch’s firm built a smooth, gently sloping path from the lower parking lot to the pools. Now a guest in a wheelchair or a mom pushing a stroller doesn’t have to navigate stairs. “The path ties so much more of the outdoor space together,” Paduch said. “It’s just so much more inviting.”
The Aquatic Center also underwent improvements this past winter. When the pools open on Memorial Day weekend, Members will see a new waterslide, decking, patio furniture, metal-spindle fencing, and renovated bathrooms and changing rooms.
Next up: Improvements at Legacy Clubhouse
After the Regions Tradition tournament concludes in May, Paduch’s company will begin renovating the Legacy Clubhouse, including expanding Amici, Greystone’s popular fine-dining restaurant.
“It will be amazing for us to transform that clubhouse into a destination itself, not just
a place that people go if they're already playing golf. That’s important to us,” said David Porter CCM, Greystone CEO and General Manager. “We want to provide amenities for the whole family.”
The new Amici will have significantly more seating for guests. There’ll be new bars both inside and outside and additional fire pits on the patio (which will be 30% larger). New accordion doors will make it possible to tie the indoor and outdoor spaces together when the weather is nice too.
Golfers will be able to practice their swing at the new golf simulator, which is getting its own lounge inside the Legacy Clubhouse. The simulator allows players to play more than 200 courses worldwide – even the Legacy Course – without ever leaving Greystone.
Play Golf 7 Days a Week at Greystone
Although the Legacy Course is one of the best courses in Alabama, it is in need of some updating. The greens will get the same heat-tolerant variety of bermuda grass that is already on the Founders Course.
“Last summer was a tough summer,” Porter said. “We had to close down the course for about a month, and
then be open only on the weekends, because the greens were so stressed. So we made it a priority to accomplish this quickly for our Members.”
“The new grass needs additional sunlight,” Porter said. Instead of guessing how many of Legacy’s trees might need to come down to ensure good light for the greens, he consulted with Canadian company Arborcom. They studied the course and helped determine removing 300 of the 3,000 shade trees would be enough. “We wanted to be good stewards of the land, because the trees make Legacy really special,” he said.
While replacing the greens, it is a good time to replace the tees, and the bunkers too. Porter’s team consulted with Legacy’s architect, the Rees Jones firm, to upgrade the bunkers for today’s design elements and golf equipment. “We’re reducing the amount of overall bunker square footage by 20 percent – enlarging some, reducing some, creating new, more prominent ones. I think the golfers will really appreciate that.”
Golfers will also appreciate that Founders will still be open while Legacy undergoes these exciting upgrades. You never have to miss a day of golf as a Member at Greystone.
Paduch looks at all the work that’s been done and the work that is still to come and sums it up nicely. “I don't know where else folks could go and have a better experience, that’s all inclusive, for all ages. There's not much that we don't have at Greystone.”
