30 Jul ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES PLANS TO MODERNIZE ESSEX COUNTY WEEQUAHIC GOLF COURSE Updating Infrastructure, Enhancing Safety and Preserving Historical Elements are Included in Project
Published on July 30, 2024
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced plans to provide Essex County Weequahic Golf Course with a comprehensive makeover on Tuesday, July 30th. The improvements include updating drainage and irrigation systems, realigning the layout of the course to enhance safety and eliminate blind spots, and updating playing conditions while preserving historic elements.
“Weequahic Golf Course has a rich history of being the first public course in New Jersey and providing access to the game for all golfers regardless of race, ethnicity, gender and socio-economic status. The changes we are making help Weequahic continue to carry out its legacy and keep it as a vibrant recreation attraction for generations to come,” DiVincenzo said. “Over the last several years, we have made significant investments to update Francis Byrne Golf Course in West Orange and Hendricks Field Golf Course in Belleville, and nw it is time that we do the same at Weequahic Golf Course so all three of our public facilities offer championship caliber playing conditions,” he added.
“This project is a big undertaking and I want to thank Governor Phil Murphy, Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz and Assembly Budget Committee Chair Eliana Pintor Marin for understanding the unique needs of Essex County and working to secure State funding for Weequahic Golf Course,” the County Executive added.
“Projects such as this bring opportunity for children and adults to learn the game and play the sport. It’s easy to fight for money for the improvements the County Executive wants because they make our parks better and our communities better,” Pintor Marin said.
“This is where I learned to play golf, and this is my home course. I am looking forward to seeing this project done,” Sheriff Armando Fontoura said.
“This is a momentous occasion for the City of Newark because of the economic development it will bring and because it is unique to have a golf facility such as this in an urban setting,” Newark North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos said.
“I want to thank the County Executive for understanding the importance of open space in our community and understanding the importance of maintaining it. We appreciate all the investment he is making in Weequahic between the golf course, walking track and other upcoming projects,” Newark South Ward Councilman Patrick Council.
The irrigation and drainage infrastructure, much of which was installed over 50 years ago, will be modernized to help better maintain and care for the course. Holes will be redesigned and realigned to eliminate safety hazards and buffers will be created to prevent golfers from getting hit with errantly hit balls. Tees, greens and bunkers will be rebuilt and designed to replicate historic features that were removed by previous administrations. Cart paths will be repaired and dead and decaying trees will be removed.
Similar projects were undertaken at Essex County Hendricks Field Golf Course in Belleville in 2021 and Essex County Francis Byrne Golf Course in West Orange in 2023.
A professional services contract was awarded to Stephen Kay Golf Course Architect of Egg Harbor City for $350,000 to design the golf course improvements. A publicly bid contract was to Downes Tree Service, Inc. from Hawthorne for $9,016,072 to perform the construction work. The Essex County Department of Public Works will monitor the project to ensure delays are avoided. The project is being funded with grants provided by the State of New Jersey and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund. Construction is scheduled to begin after Labor Day in September and be completed by the summer of 2025.
Essex County Weequahic Park Golf Course opened in 1914. The original nine-hole course was designed by Seth Lowe, the former golf professional at historic Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., while the back nine holes, which opened in 1969, were designed by distinguished golf course architect Hal Purdy, making Weequahic a charming and challenging par 70, 18-hole facility. In 2017, the parking lot was redesigned, a new open-air pavilion was installed, the clubhouse was renovated and the three-hole First Tee practice facility was modernized. In 2015, Holes 10 and 11 were redesigned to address safety issues on the course. The course received a major renovation in 2009 in which many course features were redesigned to improve strategy and make the holes more challenging. The drainage system was upgraded to address flooding issues that affect at least nine holes and a new pumping and filtration system was installed to improve the quality of water used to irrigate the course. Additional bunker and feature work was performed on nearly every hole at Weequahic to emphasize the natural beauty of the course’s rolling landscape. More than half of the course’s tees were rebuilt or expanded to provide better playing conditions, and several new cart paths to improve safety were installed.