Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced a two-year, $7 million project to modernize and upgrade conditions at each of the County’s three public golf courses was completed on Monday, October 26th at Essex County Weequahic Park. Renovations to Essex County Francis Byrne Golf Course in West Orange were finished in May, Essex County Hendricks Field Golf Course in Belleville was done in August and Essex County Weequahic Golf Course was done in October.
"Today is the beginning of a new chapter for golfers at our three public courses. Over the last two years, we invested $7 million to improve access, make play more challenging and update infrastructure at each of our three public golf courses. Work at Weequahic Golf Course signals the completion of this aggressive project that addressed concerns at each course and will enable us to remain competitive and offer golfers first class playing conditions," DiVincenzo said. "A lot of work was undertaken and, at times, play was disturbed to accelerate construction. We appreciate the understanding of the golfers and hope they enjoy the transformation of our golf courses," he added.
"Clearly what is important here is that we have improved the recreation opportunities here in Essex County," NJ State Senator and Essex County Deputy Chief of Staff Teresa Ruiz said. "People are looking for affordable things to do that are close to home and they don’t have to leave Essex County to find them. Weequahic Golf Course is a state-of-the-art facility where they can play on for a nominal fee," she added.
"Weequahic Golf Course is a special place for me because it is where I learned to play the game," Sheriff Armando Fontoura said. "It is important that we keep this place as pristine and safe for the people who come here," he added.
"We are grateful for Joe DiVincenzo and his staff for reviving this golf course and providing activities for young children," East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser said. "Weequahic Golf Course is a jewel. We thank Joe DiVincenzo for all he has done to improve the Essex County Park System, especially what he has done here in Weequahic Park," Weequahic Park Association President Wilbur McNeil said.
At Essex County Weequahic Golf Course, many course features were redesigned to improve strategy and make the holes more challenging. Weequahic is a historic course that dates back to 1913, and it is the first public course in New Jersey. The grounds occupy a beautifully rolling terrain and have small, undulating greens that provide great playing interest. The drainage system was upgraded to address flooding issues that affect at least nine holes and a new pumping and filtration system was installed to improve the quality of water used to irrigate the course. Additional bunker and feature work was performed on nearly every hole at Weequahic to emphasize the natural beauty of the course’s rolling landscape. More than half of the course’s tees were rebuilt or expanded to provide better playing conditions, and several new cart paths to improve safety were installed. The 18th hole at Weequahic Golf Course is an excellent example of the work that was performed throughout the course. New forward and back tees were added, providing more flexibility in the layout and providing the appropriate challenge for all levels of golfers. A new bunker was carved into the face of the hill on the right side of the fairway, tempting players to carry the trap to gain the best angle into the green. This strategy has been accentuated by the construction of another bunker on the left side of the green, and helps to provide a great finishing hole to Weequahic’s much-improved course.
The improvements to Weequahic Golf Course complement The First Tee Youth Golf Facility and Learning Center that opened in August 2006. The First Tee has an enrollment of about 600 student golfers in its on-site program as well as an outreach program that includes about 2,000 students in 16 Newark public schools.
These programs are funded by the Metropolitan Golf Association Foundation and the NJ PGA, along with corporate sponsors, private donors and youth-oriented foundations. Essex County partnered with The First Tee to build a specially-designed three-hole golf facility for young people at Essex County Weequahic Park Golf Course. The First Tee is a youth development program that teaches positive values such as Honesty, Integrity and Respect through the game of golf. This nationwide program offers individual classes on Saturdays and Sundays and school and group lessons after school during the week. Essex County provides free golf for The First Tee participants at off peak hours.