Ol' Colony, PARA Chip Away At Improvements Ahead Of Two Major Golf Events

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa County is providing additional support to the Ol' Colony Golf Complex as the course gears up to host two major golf events in the coming year.

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During the regular meeting of the Tuscaloosa County Commission on Wednesday, Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority requested $47,580 to purchase new sand for the bunkers at the course, which is set to host a NCAA Regional event in May.

"They will have the top teams in the country, so it's a big deal," Brion Hardin said on Wednesday, speaking on behalf of PARA and Ol' Colony in making the request. "We're really pushing trying to make it right."

Hardin serves on the Ol' Colony Board, in addition to his company — Hardin Construction — undertaking much of the work at the golf course.

PARA Executive Director Gary Minor told Patch on Wednesday that the request was for sand approved by the United States Golf Association (USGA), which he explained relates to the sand being within a tight diameter specification.

"Over time, you lose sand from golf play and some of it washes out," Minor said. "You need a certain size grain of sand so that your ball doesn’t bury in the sand deeply or compact too tightly and end up like concrete."

What's more, Ol' Colony will also host an Epson Tour event in September similar to the Korn Ferry Tour that will bring some of the best golfers in the world to Tuscaloosa. Of the 144 female players, the top 10 from this event will go on to compete in the professional ranks of the LPGA.

Minor said the Epson Tour event at Ol' Colony is set for the last week of September, crossing in to the first weekend in October.

"The biggest deficiencies we have left is redoing bunkers, as far as putting sand in them," Hardin said. "This request would help us purchase the sand. We've made a lot of progress out at Ol' Colony. It's really looking good if y'all ever get out that way. It doesn't even look the same any more."

The Korn Ferry Tour is a developmental golf circuit for aspiring amateur athletes who have not yet ascended to the professional level.

"If we can get a Korn Ferry event, that brings a lot of money and brings a lot of people," Hardin said.

Hardin then said he would be meeting with officials from the City of Northport Wednesday afternoon to discuss potential in-kind donations toward improvements. He also pointed out that the City of Tuscaloosa has put up substantial funding for equipment upgrades ahead of the busy year to come for Ol' Colony.

"If this is a potential large tournament, everyone will benefit," said Probate Judge Rob Robertson. "But it's good to see the city helping get the upgrades and getting it opened back up after it was having such a hard time during covid."

District 1 Commissioner Stan Acker, whose district includes Ol' Colony, agreed that the upgrades and improvements will benefit more than just elite golfers on tour stops.

"We're getting this for these tournaments, but also for the community and for the taxpayers who can use the course and it's just an upgrade for them," he said. "We don't want to downplay that."

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