THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 23, 1995 TAG: 9503230143
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY DENISE MICHAUX, SUN SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 120 lines
NEARLY EVERY GOLF pro dreams of owning his own golf course.
Earlier this week, Jim Armentrout received from the city of Portsmouth the final agreement confirming his 20-year lease on the Sleepy Hole Golf Course and complex.
Armentrout and Ronnie Rountree, president of Rountree Construction in Suffolk, plan to turn Sleepy Hole into a public country club.
Rumblings that Portsmouth would sell the complex - it includes Obici House, a campground and the park - began a couple of years after the LPGA made a stop at Sleepy Hole in 1985.
The complex wasn't making any money, and budget cuts kept money from being put back into the facility. Armentrout knew then that in order to take over the complex, capital improvements would be very important.
He and Rountree - now partners in J.S. Baar - knew each other only well enough to discuss the situation casually, but what Armentrout got was an open-ended commitment from Rountree for any kind of help he could provide. Since then, the pair have been working together and they came up with the most attractive lease proposal when the city offered to sell or lease the complex.
Rountree's expertise ``is figuring out how to do all the things we need to do, and I figure out what,'' Armentrout said.
``Our offer to upgrade the facility, they liked a lot. Often, when places are leased like this, they tend to get run down over time, and no money is really put into them. We want to bring Sleepy Hole to a level where people could be proud of it.''
Perhaps one of the most appealing improvements is the reconstruction of the lakes, which ultimately will provide Sleepy Hole with its own irrigation source. Sleepy Hole currently gets water from the city of Suffolk.
The work won't begin until next winter, but Armentrout plans to dredge and completely rebuild the lakes, which will ``one, be more pleasing to the eye; two, provide a good water source; and third, decrease the expenditure for water,'' Armentrout said.
``These lakes weren't really constructed with irrigation in mind.''
Of course, Armentrout would like to have everything done immediately, but he has a priority list.
``The greens are the top priority,'' Armentrout said. ``They are the lifeblood of a golf course. If you've got good greens, people will come out no matter how bad anything else is. We don't really want to test that point by only focusing on the greens, we'll be working on all of the bunkers, too.''
Ten of the greens were completed Tuesday, and Armentrout said those were the ones that were most in need of fixing up with new drainage. The remaining eight will survive another season and be redone in '96.
Next up were plans to remodel the pro shop and separate it from the restaurant.
They had a meeting this week to discuss a new golf cart facility.
And Armentrout plans to begin working on the parking lot in phases.
``That is such disruptive work that we have to do that gradually.''
What they hope all of this will do is bring a country club feel to a public course, without the country club dues.
Included in that is Obici House, which sits on the 18th hole. Built by Amadeo Obici, the founder of Planters Peanuts, the building has undergone extensive work to make it suitable for public use. In recent years, however, its popularity waned, largely because it wasn't marketed.
``I was the pro at a country club in Martinsville, and I know that 25 to 30 of the members, the sole reason they were members was to have a place for their daughter's wedding reception,'' Armentrout said. ``Well, we've got that, and we're offering it to the public for meetings and receptions and such.
``It's been very well received. We've already got several meetings lined up. We've got it open during regular business hours where people can come in and make appointments and look at the decorating.''
Armentrout admits that the greens fees will go up, but he has seen a lot of people looking for a quality golfing experience on a public course.
As of April 1, weekday greens fees will be $17, weekends $22.50, with a cart required on weekends and holidays before 1 p.m.
``People are going to be able see where their money is going,'' Armentrout said. ``I don't think they will mind paying when they can walk out on the course and see where it is going.''
Needless to say, Armentrout and Rountree aren't spending a lot of time hitting the links these days, but occasionally Armentrout takes a moment to look out at ``his'' course.
``It's pretty scary, no question,'' Armentrout said. ``I don't think anybody would be human if they didn't look out sometimes and say, `Whoa!' I would be really nervous if I wasn't so confident in this facility.''
Armentrout managed Sleepy Hole for Portsmouth, along with Bide-A-Wee and City Park golf courses. The contract for the golf course calls for $100,000 annually in rents and a portion of profits and promises to spend $1.5 million in improvements over 20 years.
Sleepy Hole park, off Nansemond Parkway, includes several picnic pavilions, restrooms, a fishing lake bordered by nature trails and play areas for tots. It overlooks the Nansemond River. The campground adjoins the park.
The 262-acre area now called Sleepy Hole Park was purchased by Portsmouth in 1962 from Suffolk, when Suffolk determined that it could not afford to operate the Obici estate.
With Sleepy Hole Road at its doorstep, and since the park was in the Sleepy Hole voting precinct, former Portsmouth Planning Director Brewer Moore suggested the park's name. Portsmouth opened the park on 65 acres in 1972, and the golf course opened in 1973.
The golf course draws players from across Hampton Roads. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on cover by John H. Sheally II
Partners Jim Armentrout and Ronnie Rountree...
Staff photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Jim Armentrout, left, and his partner, Ronnie Rountree, president of
Rountree Construction, talk about their plans for Sleepy Hole Golf
Course over coffee in the pro shop.
This sign marks the entrance to the golf course that will be open to
the public.
Staff photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
A threesome plays on the 18th green next to the Nansemond River,
behind Obici House, on the Sleepy Hole Golf Course.
Mary Boswell, left, Paul Bidnick, Rick Bidnick and Rick Shoemaker
discuss their game in the pro shop, which is to be separated from
the restaurant.
by CNB