STUART, Fla. — Ronnie Vitti and his three golfing buddies get set to tee off at Sailfish Sands Golf Course in Stuart.
“It’s really, really nice the course, we come here once a week, sometimes twice a week," said Vitti.
Martin County took over the course in 2014 and despite a consultant's advice to sell the property, the county commission at the time voted to never sell it. The 27 holes here have been recently redesigned, and there’s a refurbished pro shop.
But the biggest addition here is a new two-story hitting bay that just opened last week.
It's the vision of Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Abbate.
"This facility here, it really isn’t about golf. It’s more of a social experiment... an entertainment component of our parks system. We already have plans to bring in college golf teams as a training hub," Abbate said.
$4.6 million has been spent upgrading the complex and adding space for a full-service restaurant inside called "The Fish", bringing in dozens of full-time jobs.
"My passion is golf and my career is food and beverage and I’ve been serving the Martin County area for the last twenty years," said restauranteur Michael LaMattina.
This isn’t the first time the county has entered the entertainment business.
Sailfish Splash Water Park opened a decade ago after much controversy.
"This year, the water park profited over 250,000 after year number 10," said Abbate.
The hope is this golf complex will be a financial asset, and not an albatross.
“I would say to anyone in this community it’s the same thing we do for anything else, we invest in the community," said Abbate.
Hitting bays can seat up to 6 at $25 to $45 an hour and the work here isn’t done. The next project will be a massive putting green scheduled for next year.
Ronnie Vitti's foursome split down the middle when asked if they'd spend the extra time, and money, in the hitting bays.
“Golf is practicing and hitting the ball and it's perfect for that,” said Vitti.
“I take enough swings out here, I get plenty of practice," said Terry Locatis.
Time will tell if this effort beyond the greens, adds more green to the county.
