CRESTVIEW — Golfers and other visitors wanting to enjoy the full experience of the city’s renovated Blackwater Golf Club might be able to by early July.
That’s when all the grass on the refurbished 18-hole course is expected to be fully grown in and when the club’s new full-service restaurant, The Crossing, should be ready to serve guests, according to club General Manager Brandon Martin.
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Located at 4927 Antioch Road, the property was formerly known as the Foxwood Country Club, which closed in late 2017 after its owners experienced years of financial trouble because of declining demand.
Crestview bought the 129-acre golf course and its clubhouse and amenities in August 2020 and began overseeing about $2.8 million in renovations last spring.
“The golf course is in pretty good shape, but we need more time for the grass to grow,” Martin said Friday. “The course already is in better shape than it has been in 10-plus years. We’re being a little picky, and it will be in fantastic shape once it opens” fully.
A few months ago, Crestview officials began allowing club members to golf only on the front nine holes from Monday through Thursday and on the back nine holes from Friday through Sunday. That arrangement has allowed crews to get as much work done as possible on the course, which features re-established greens, bunkers and tees, new drainage and irrigation systems and a much larger set of golf cart paths.
Besides providing the course to members-only on a limited basis, the city earlier this year opened the golf club’s 14-bay, virtual and interactive Toptracer Range and its tiki bar called The Drive Bar to the general public.
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Blending the digital video game world with actual golfing, the Toptracer Range allows guests to golf virtually at world-famous courses. It also uses the same technology as seen on TV to allow viewers to track a player’s ball, as well as display data such as ball speed and arc height.
“It’s been fantastic,” Martin said about locals’ support of the Toptracer system. “There are so many different games you can play out here and for all abilities, whether you have never played golf before or if you’re a highly-skilled golfer. And we have food and drinks and comfortable seating.”
The new tiki bar and the club’s new 150-seat outdoor pavilion are adjacent to the soon-to-open restaurant.
Martin said the finishing touches are being done to the restaurant, which is in the renovated former Foxwood Country Club clubhouse and has its own bar and about 120 seats.
Mike Carroll, who owns Hub City Smokehouse and Grill and The Hub American Family Restaurant in Crestview, has a lease with the city to operate The Crossing.
“He’s put a lot of money into it,” Martin said of Carroll’s work on the restaurant. “It’s moving along really well.”
The Blackwater Golf Club’s individual membership is limited to 200 people. Martin said it quickly filled up months ago, and that close to 20 people now are on a waiting list to join.
To learn more, visit https://golfatblackwater.com/memberships/.