SGC Red Nine Ready This Year
By Robin Vinci | Editor at June 18, 2024 | 6:30 pm | Print
In about 10 weeks golfers may soon get a taste of the new more difficult Red Nine at the Stanley Golf Course on Hartford Rd.
On Tuesday Mayor Erin Stewart had a chance to check out the progress and was very happy.
“It was absolutely incredible. I was floored at the amount of progress that has been made at the new holes,” said Stewart, who is a golfer. “The holes are not easy. It is going to be a more difficult course, but it is going to be a golfer’s dream. The difficulty is on par with some of the greatest courses in this state.”
Costco is building their new store on 15.49 parcels of land on Hartford Ave. Three holes on the Stanley Golf Course were moved to a part of Newington that the City purchased. That changed the Red Nine section of the golf course and did not allow golfers to use it this year. It was expected to take about a year to fix.
Because the City took the old sod from the course instead of putting new seed, the course will be ready sooner than expected.
“We did not think it would be ready until next year. The weather has been on our side and the new irrigation has been helping because we can control the weather,” said Stewart. “Even though it hadn’t rain for a while, we can now water as we please.”
The project is being done by Graham Construction who is now pulling workers out because the project is near completion. There are a few areas that need to be sodded. Those areas are expected to take three weeks to catch and grow.
“I could not believe my eyes when I was out there. I hated the red course,” said Stewart. “It was an eye opening experience to get out there and see it now. I think everybody is going to want to come to Stanley Golf Course just to see the new nine.”
The course has had new irrigation in the blue and white holes as well as the red holes this year which has filled up the dry spots.
The back of Costco will be covered by trees and brush to make a barrier so it is not viewed by golfers.
Not everyone has always been in favor of the new holes. Some residents in the area fought against the destruction of the golf course land throughout the project. Resident Elaine Lechowicz had filed a suit against the construction which caused the City to lose several months of construction time at the course pushing back its opening.
Costco plans to have 225 permanent jobs (50 percent full time and 50 percent part time), every full time job having full benefits and cashiers after 5 years will make $50,000.
The City will receive over $10 million in taxes from the company in the next 10 years.
City officials have said Costco has a reputation of providing high quality jobs, in terms of benefits and pay. Forbes magazine has placed Costco at No. 3 on its top 10 places to work list.
