BOISE, Idaho — This year, the city approved the funds to start the construction of Warm Springs Grill + Golf. It will replace the old club house that has stood since the course opened in 1974.
- The project was spurred by a $3.5 million donation from an anonymous donor. It will have a restaurant, event space, and a pro shop.
- Boise Parks and Rec hopes to break ground in 2024, and open in 2025. For more information, visit the project's webpage.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
Charlie Gains has been using this golf swing at the Warm Springs Golf Course for decades.
"Well first of all I love this course because of it's community spirit," Gains told Idaho News 6. "You know they serve something north of 75,000 rounds of golf per year to this community."
He's been on these fairways since the course opened in 1974. Since that year, the course has had the same clubhouse, and Boise Parks and Rec says it's hard to even call it that.
"It's two double-wide trailers that have been, a better way to look at it, slapped together and that's what we've functioned for 50 years," Said Doug Holloway, the director of Boise Parks and Recreation.
The course, which is owned and operated by Parks and Rec, recently secured the funds to build a new clubhouse, which city officials say will operate more like a community center.
"There's a myriad of reasons why it is that this clubhouse is way overdue and we're so grateful we're going to have it half donated and half paid for from the fees that are collected and contribute towards the cost of the clubhouse," Gains said.
The over 5,000 square foot clubhouse will have a pro shop, event space, and a restaurant, and its use will be more than just golfers. Parks and Rec says the space can host all kinds of events and should serve as a hub for Greenbelt users, families in the neighborhood, Foothill hikers, and golfers alike.
It's an exciting proposition for Gains.
"On a scale from 1-10, I'm at a 12," Gains said.
But what about the price tag? The city was spurred by an anonymous $3.5 million dollar donation, that covered a chunk of the price. Holloway says the donation, along with $2 million in reserve funds and an internal loan from the city will cover the almost $12 million project.
The City will break ground in the spring of 2024, with plans to open up in the summer of 2025
"It's way more than just looking at your standard clubhouse at a golf course it really is a community center space that we're hoping our community will take advantage of," Holloway said.
