A public groundbreaking ceremony has been set for the new Saukie Golf Course Clubhouse. The ceremony is 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the new clubhouse site, located at 3108 38th St. Rock Island.
The Rock Island Parks and Recreation Department’s new clubhouse will preserve the golf course’s historical significance while offering modern facilities. The building will include meeting space, seating areas, an office, kitchen and dining area, and outdoor seating with views of the course. It will create a more welcoming and fully accessible starting and ending point for golfers. It also will provide year-round space for recreational and learning opportunities with an indoor golf simulator.
Its funded through the Park and Recreational Facility Construction (PARC) Act. The project also is part of the Rebuild Illinois capital improvement program.
The City of Rock Island announced in January that it was awarded $901,800 in funding from the Illinois Park and Recreational Facility Construction Act grant program to build a new clubhouse at the city-owned course. The PARC grant is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It was among 13 grants totaling $28 million awarded as part of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois capital improvement plan.
$1M major upgrade
The new clubhouse at Saukie Golf Course, 3101 38th St., will replace the existing facility. That building is 95 years old and in need of a major upgrade. The estimated $1 million project will cater to the needs of today’s golfers and other users. It also will preserve the historic significance of the golf course, the city said in a news release.
The new capital project comes on the heels of a new clubhouse opened last summer at Rock Island’s Highland Springs Golf Course. That $2.1 million facility, which included the first permanent classroom for the youth leadership program First Tee, opened in June after a year of construction.
Estes Construction is the construction management firm for the project.
