Charlotte, NC --  Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation will close Revolution Park Golf

Course on November 1, 2008 for extensive renovations. Construction is expected to run though  2010, and the course will remain closed during that period. The renovation includes:

• Reconfiguration of the course layout.
• Extension of Irwin Creek Greenway through the golf course.
• Construction of a headquarters for The First tee of Charlotte, an organization that partners  with Park and Recreation to teach golf and life skills to young people who might otherwise not learn about the game.
• And construction of the new $10 million, 30,000 sq ft Revolution Sports and Learning Academy which will also be built during this period, adjacent to the golf course.  This academy will be a place to teach learning and life skills to youth, especially through sports programs. It will be the new home for many athletic programs offered by the Police Athletic League (PAL), Charlotte Flights Track and Filed Club, Charlotte Boxing Academy, as well programs offered as Park and Recreation. This new academy is expected to open in late 2009. It will include athletic training space, fitness equipment designed for both adults and youth, multi-use classroom space for after school programs, concession area, and office area.
• A new clubhouse for Revolution Park Golf Course will also be part of the academy building.

Revolution Park golf course is the oldest County-owned golf course in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. It opened in 1930 as the first municipal golf course in Charlotte. It was initially known as the “Municipal Golf Course,” then named the Bonnie Brae Course, later officially re-named Revolution.  It is believed this name harkens to the family of businessman Osmond Barringer who provided land for the course and whose family fought in the American Revolution. Barringer Drive which runs beside the course is named for the Barringer family. 

Revolution Park Golf course has a rich history. In 1957 it became the first golf course in Charlotte-Mecklenburg to be desegregated.  Two players who honed their skills here were James Black and Charlie Sifford who were among the first black players on the PGA tour.  A plaque on the first hole tells the story of how the course was desegregated.

The course is now operated by Ratcliffe Golf Services, under contract with the County. Ratcliffe also operates three other County-owned golf courses:  Sunset Hills, Renaissance, and Charlie T. Myers.  These County courses and a fourth, The Tradition, invite players from Revolution to play during the construction project.