Yankee Trace golf practice facility gets big upgrade in Centerville

The Golf Club at Yankee Trace in Centerville is “well under way” with a nearly $1 million upgrade to its practice facility, which will include a variety of features.

The changes will include a new 2,500-square-foot practice green, an entertainment area with patio seating and speakers, and a comfort station with a range ball dispenser and a water and ice machine.

The upgrade also will see the facility convert bentgrass to Bermuda grass, which is more resilient during summer months, city of Centerville communications director Kate Bostdorff said.

“It grows more upright, so it allows golfers to putt on the very top of the grass and promotes a smooth roll,” she said.

Bostdorff said the city wants people to be able to enjoy the practice facility “or just enjoy a lovely evening before or after a round.”

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After starting in August, the upgrade is targeted for completion by the start of the 2024 golf season, Bostdorff said. It will be paid from the city’s Capital Improvement Fund within the general fund, she said.

The 150-acre facility has continued to see a “very high” number of golfers this year, Bostdorff said.

“We do a lot of rounds at Yankee Trace,” Bostdorff said. “We know that to maintain that level of quality and customer service, we have to continue to make investments in the course and the clubhouse.”

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

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Renovations to Yankee Trace in recent years have included an interior renovation to the clubhouse ($316,180), new ballroom carpet ($49,890) and an audio-visual system upgrade to the clubhouse ($100,445), all of which were completed in 2021. Window and door replacement was completed for $287,270 this year.

While practice facilities are a major component of successful golf courses today, “it wasn’t necessarily like that 10 to 20 years ago,” Bostdorff said.

“We’ve seen other municipal courses struggle, and so we’re trying to make adjustments now to make sure that we maintain that level of customer service,” she said.

The city of Dayton closed its Kittyhawk and Madden golf courses in 2020, and Middletown’s Weatherwax Golf Course was among multiple local courses that closed last decade.

Non-golf upgrades

Separate from the practice facility upgrade, a possible expansion of the patio and kitchen at the Golf Club at Yankee Trace “is designed to create a unique setting for group events, wedding ceremonies and receptions and casual dining,” according to city documents.

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That project is tentatively set to include the addition of a four-season room with a roof expanding the indoor bar to the outside portion and adding two large pergola.

If approved, it would make the covered patio portion a fully enclosed, air-conditioned and heated room that could be divided for separate events. It would allow indoor and outdoor fireplace use and add accessible ramps.

“The renovations will update the exterior facility with tie-ins to the existing clubhouse for year-round entertaining opportunities,” the city said in the packet presented to council.

The cost of the proposed project increased to an estimated $4.3 million because of a roof addition, additional design services and supply costs, according to the city.

The project “may or may not move forward this year depending on other projects,” Bostdorff said. “It is critically important that the city be fiscally responsible” she said.