Seminole’s Jimmie Austin Golf Course is about to undergo a nearly complete makeover.

In a special meeting held Tuesday, March 21, the Seminole City Council approved nearly $86,000 in improvements to the course. Champion Turf Farms, headquartered in Bay City, Texas, was awarded a $72,500 contract to renovate all 18 greens at the course. Tulsa- based Jones Plan also submitted a proposal for the work, but their bid was substantially higher— $192,556. The council also approved a bid of $13,738 from Keeling Company in Bentonville, Arkansas for replacement of the irrigation system heads for the greens. The project will be funded via the city’s capital improvement funds.

“Our city council has a great approach to balancing the people’s resources between the unseen infrastructure and quality of life. Our golf course is one of Seminole’s highest profile jewels,” said City Manager Steve Saxon.

“The effects of the tornado essentially destroyed the golf greens. In order to preserve this asset, we needed to come up with a solution. Led by the golf course management team of Curtis Morgan, Bobby Hammond and Tim Mathews, the volunteer golf association came up with something the city council could afford. The plan is to replace the delicate ‘bent grass’ greens with a much more hearty and heat resistant Bermuda strain for greens,” Saxon added.

According to Saxon, the heavy work on the greens will begin in mid-April while temporary greens are made available.

“We should see good progress on recovery by August. In the meantime, the volunteer golf association plans on having numerous workdays to assist in the aesthetics around the course,” Saxon said.

The Jimmie Austin Golf Course, built in 1920, is located in the Seminole Municipal Park, and features 6,542 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. The course rating is 70.5 and it has a slope rating of 116. The course is open seven days a week from dawn to dusk. Annual memberships are available and on-site facilities include a practice putting green, snack bar and pro shop. Soft spikes are required.