Bacon Park Golf Course has reached a milestone few local recreation spots can claim: 100 years. Savannah celebrated the municipal course’s centennial on October 2 with a community gathering, live music, food and fireworks.
The evening also honored the late Willis “Shorty” Cooper with a memorial plaque. Cooper worked at the course for 48 years before retiring and became known for helping young Savannah golfers learn the game. The course’s address, 1 Shorty Cooper Drive, carries his name.
Bacon Park opened in 1926 with a design by Donald Ross, the golf architect behind courses across the country. It remains owned by the City of Savannah and has hosted the Savannah City Amateur for more than 50 years, alongside charity tournaments, junior golf events and family activities.
The course has changed over the decades, but a restoration brought much of its original layout back into view. After O.C. Welch Golf Properties took over management in 2014, golf architect Richard Mandell used Ross’s field sketches and aerial photographs from 1951 and 1971 to guide the work.
The restoration earned Golf Inc. magazine’s 2016 Renovation of the Year award in the public-course category. O.C. Welch Golf Properties says it has invested more than $8 million in the course and facilities since taking over management.
The centennial also comes with a management-contract renewal. O.C. Welch Golf Properties has agreed to continue operating Bacon Park, with additional support from the city for further improvements. Specific new projects have not been detailed in the announcement.
Bacon Park remains a public place to play, practice or introduce someone to golf. The grounds include a lighted driving range and a pro shop, and tee times can be booked online. A century after its opening, the course is still part of Savannah’s everyday golf scene, not just its history.
Photo: Bacon Park Golf Course.
