Manager pleased with Thompson Park Golf Course’s first weekend of opening

Jordan Northrop, manager of the course, said he saw families and military soldiers having a good time on the course this weekend.

And he’s expecting the course will be busy all week as the weather forecast is calling for some sunny spring weather.

“I was very pleased,” he said, adding that 75 season members have signed up so far to play.

His goal is 150 members, he said.

“To get half in just less than two weeks, it’s more than I expected,” he said. “I’m very happy.”

The 18-hole golf course opened last Monday under mostly rainy days for the first few days.

So far, the golf course will host 10 tournaments this season. He did not know how many other events have been planned.

Mr. Northrop said he didn’t know how many wedding receptions and other events will be hosted at the facility this year.

Under previous owner Michael A. Lundy, there were about a dozen tournaments last season and a total of 32 tournaments and special events.

Councilwoman Lisa A. Ruggiero drove by the golf course over the weekend, only to see the facility was so busy that golfers were parking their vehicles all around Thompson Park.

People have told her that the course was in excellent shape to play this weekend.

She had not heard that the golf course already has attracted 10 tournaments this season.

“That’s awesome news. That’s positive,” she said, adding it shows that the right people have been hired by the city for the golf course.

While it was good news about the number of tournaments, Mayor Jeffrey M. Smith pointed out that those events won’t be anywhere near the amount that the city paid for the facility to make it profitable.

Each tournament will bring in about $4,000 in revenues if 25 teams of four play, he said.

A grand opening is still planned for the golf course in the coming weeks, Mr. Northrop said.

Food and beverages will be provided by Spokes on the Green.

The owners are waiting to acquire a liquor license and state Department of Health approvals before they can sell food and beverages. Initially, Spokes plans to operate out of a special events tent before it uses the clubhouse.

The clubhouse’s electrical system must still undergo some major upgrades, but a timetable for their completion is not known yet.

The city purchased the Watertown Golf Club for $3.4 million from Mr. Lundy in January.

The controversy over the giant golf ball sign that Mr. Lundy removed from in front of the clubhouse and taken to Ives Hill Country Club as part of an April Fools prank remains a thorny issue with the mayor.

The golf ball has not been returned to the city yet, he said.

However, Mayor Smith confirmed that the golf ball was recently repaired at Metal Man, a Watertown metal fabrication business, last week.

But its whereabouts are unknown now, he said. Or when, or if, it will be returned to the city.

The golf ball was not on a list of hundreds of items that were turned over to the city as part of the golf deal, so its ownership could still be in question.

The city also is asking for some other items that Mr. Lundy hasn’t returned, including a tractor and an automotive charger, City Manager Kenneth A. Mix said.

The city also is entitled to 14 other working chargers that would be used to charge the facility’s 45 golf carts. The ones that were left are inadequate, he said.

In recent months, the deal has been the subject of much debate, with opponents objecting to its $3.4 million price tag. The city purchased nine holes from Mr. Lundy; the city had owned the other nine.