Historic Bowden Golf Course will open to the public Friday, October 26, after being closed since April 2018 so it could undergo a major improvement project. Community leaders and golfers will celebrate the project’s completion with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and course tours on Thursday, October 25, at 11:30 a.m. at the Clubhouse (3111 Millerfield Road).

“We can feel the anticipation for this weekend’s opening; we’re regularly getting calls and messages from people asking us about opening weekend and saying how excited they are that we’re putting this kind of money into the course,” says Brandon Doles, General Manager of Golf. “We’re looking forward to expanding programs for youth here, hosting more tournaments, and creating a much better place for golfers from the region and state to play.”

“Your Historic Bowden Golf Course is a central part of our community’s history, and it deserves to be one of the crown jewels of the recreation opportunities we provide to people of all ages,” says District 3 Commissioner Elaine Lucas. “

The project was funded with $480,000 from the voter-approved 2018 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) and includes improvements to the irrigation system, new landscaping, renovations to the clubhouse, and, most importantly, redesigned greens and tee boxes. About $625,000 was used from the 2012 SPLOST, bringing improvements at the course since 2014 to more than $1.1 million.

Improving Bowden Golf Course is part of Macon-Bibb County’s award-winning Forward Together Strategic Plan in the Quality of Life Focus Area. Projects identified by the Commission and public in this Area “support, encourage, and promote good living in Macon-Bibb with the arts and cultural events, tourism improvements, social and night life opportunities, and a community-wide system of passive and active recreation.”