Seattle Parks and Recreation invites the community to the centennial celebration and grand opening of the new golf and community facility at Jefferson Park Golf Course on Saturday, May 16, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Join us for the ribbon-cutting event at 10:30 followed by an 18-hole golf tournament and other golf activities, music, giveaways and light refreshments as we honor 100 years of sport and diversity on Beacon Hill. Seattle’s first golf course, Jefferson Park, is located at 4101 Beacon Ave. S.
The community is invited to enter a free putting contest, get a quick golf lesson, register for the tournament, tour the new building, visit the Beacon Grill and learn about FootGolf. The recent City investment in Jefferson Park includes the Beacon Grill with indoor and outdoor facilities, a double-decked and covered driving range, banquet and meeting rooms, increased parking and new putting greens.
Jefferson Park Golf Course opened on May 12,1915. The original clubhouse at Jefferson Park burned down in 1919, and was rebuilt and then expanded in 1936. Frank S. Chin, quoted at HistoryLink.org, describes Jefferson Park’s public golf course as having been “open to anybody” from the beginning. HistoryLink.org continues “African Americans, Asian Americans, and other minorities were welcome to play on the course. Women were also afforded the same privileges as men at the golf course.” Jefferson is the home course for the nation’s second-oldest African American golf club, the Fir State Golf Club and home to the Cascade Golf Club formed in 1951 by Chinese Americans.
The recent improvements at Jefferson Park Golf Course were guided by community input and the 2009 Master Golf Plan. Seattle Parks and Recreation worked with the community to prioritize goals for Jefferson Park Golf Course and Bassetti Architects designed the project. All Seattle municipal courses are maintained by the City of Seattle and managed by Premier Golf Centers LLC. Premier Golf will offer golf activities throughout the day.
For more information about the project and ribbon-cutting event please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/projects/jefferson_golf/ or contact Karen O’Connor at karen.o’connor@seattle.gov or 206-233-7929.
For information about golf events or to register for the golf tournament please visit http://www.premiergc.com/-jefferson-park-golf-course or contact Premier Golf, at jpgccentennial@premiergc.com or 206-762-4513.