Pompano Golf Course to Reopen
Sam Rosser
March 29, 2024
The Pompano Beach Municipal Golf Course is set to reopen its signature course, The Pines, on Tuesday, April 2. The course was initially closed to the public on April 3 of last year. While the project was initially estimated to be completed by the end of 2023, heavy rains caused delays in construction.
The $1.5 million investment from the city into The Pines course came in the form of more than 1,600 bushels of Platinum Paspalum, a newer strain of grass specifically engineered to thrive in coastal environments.
Previously, the fairways were comprised of the well-known Bermuda grass, which wasn’t fairing as well as golfers hoped.
“There has been a pretty substantial difference in how much better the paspalum has performed in the conditions,” said Robert Farina, owner of Country Club Services, Inc., the firm that provided the city with the re-grassing services. He added that “the paspalum has thrived.”
While the word “Bermuda” elicits the image of a pristine beach with perfect white sand, paspalum turf thrives in sandy soil and high-salinity water more than Bermuda grass does. The proximity of the course to the beach and the reclaimed salt water used for irrigation combine to create ideal conditions for the paspalum.
City officials said that this should reduce the burden on maintenance due to the turf thriving in the conditions and its robustness in the face of aggressive wear and tear exhibited by golfers. Although decreased costs and increased revenue might not be relied upon to keep the course operational, “a golf course in better shape tends to get more income,” Farina said.
