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Ruskin Golf Course Reopens

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By JOHN CEBALLOS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 19, 2007

Updated: 12/17/2007 09:22 pm

RUSKIN - After 20 years, one of the area's most popular leisure spots just received a significant facelift.

The Golf Club at Cypress Creek hosted 162 golfers for its grand reopening Dec. 1, which featured a free brunch between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. for the first 100 golfers. The course had been closed from June 11 to Nov. 1 for renovation.

"We've done alterations to the course here and there, but this is the first major reworking since the golf club opened," said Lisa Yates, general manager.
According to John Ward, superintendent, the changes included redoing all the greens, adding some new bunkers, replacing the irrigation controllers and a slight redesign of the 18-hole course.

Open to the public year-round, the 100-acre course sits on 640 acres of protected Oaks and Cypress forests.

The changes included the par 3 sixth hole, which head pro Guna Kunjan said went from being one of the ugliest holes to one of the prettiest, and extensive work on the 18th green.

"It's the last hole a lot of people play, and the green was a little bland before," Ward said. "We wanted to leave them with a good last impression."

Still, the improvements were not limited to the golf course. Yates said the clubhouse buildings were repainted inside and out, and 80 percent of the floors were redone.

Another significant addition is the Murphy Golf Academy, owned and operated by LPGA pro Brianne Murphy.

The school, located in the area previously inhabited by the tennis center, opened Dec. 7.

"It's an all-encompassing school," said Murphy, who is also a personal trainer. "I've been an instructor for 11 years, and I enjoy working with juniors as well as older players, though I'm trying to gear the school more toward corporate clients.

"I'm also very flexible, and I try to cater my instructional programs to what the students want to do."

Eventually, Murphy plans on having a PGA pro and another LPGA pro join her at the school.

"A lot of other clubs have sort of pulled back how much they spend on maintenance and other improvements," Ward said. "We've sort of gone the other way, to make our course better."

Yates said close to $1 million was spent during the renovation process - but there is still more work to do.

"We still have a few more changes in the works," Yates said. "I don't think we'll ever really be quite done tinkering with the golf course and making it more challenging and interesting for our members."

Reporter John Ceballos can be reached at (813) 865-1555 or jceballos@tampatrib.com.

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