Cheekwood Golf Club, at the Tuesday Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, was awarded a lease for 54-acres of city-owned land located along the southeast quadrant of Hillsboro Road and Mack Hatcher.
The lease enables Cheekwood to expand across the street from the existing course and upgrade from an executive 9-hole course to a regulation 9-hole course in a phased process. Cheekwood also will strive to build a new multi-purpose clubhouse, a lighted driving range and a public trailhead.
“My partners and I are very excited and honored by BOMA’s decision to entrust this property to us, and we look forward to creating a much needed recreational and community-gathering venue that mirrors the city’s history of character and charm, while also preserving and protecting the environmental integrity of the land, wild life and the surrounding residential neighborhoods,” Todd Jester, co-owner of Cheekwood Golf Club, said.
“Cheekwood initiated the request for this lease because the 54 acres are a natural extension of our course and are ideally suited for our growing needs. We knew that in order to continue to be a sustainable, financially viable business in the future, we must find a way to expand to be able to meet the needs of our citizens of all demographic groups. We also recognized that to be successful in meeting more community needs, we must have a broader base of activities in addition to golf.”
The current course is right next to the new land.
“The expansion also allows land-use improvements that will maintain the integrity and beauty of the open space, which is especially important since the area is very visible from Mack Hatcher, one of the city’s busiest roadways,” Jester said. “We intend to create quality open space that is noted as an environmental treasure for Franklin.”
Cheekwood has a 22-year successful history in Franklin and is one of only three golf courses in Williamson County fully open to the public. The new land will also allow it to:
- Expand the existing Executive 9-hole golf course to a Regulation 9-hole course.
- Relocate ALL its golf “operations” (i.e. carts, maintenance operations, clubhouse, parking lot) away from the residential homes
- Build an attractive new, multi-purpose clubhouse facility
- Renovate and enhance the course to ensure the long-term sustainability of Cheekwood Golf Club.
- Remain in an area and on land that is ideally suited to meet the community’s growing golf needs, and provide Williamson County with a new recreational /community gathering venue for corporate, civic and social use.
Learn more about Cheekwood Golf Club at cheekwoodgolfclub.com.
