When the Buenaventura Municipal Golf Course went completely underwater in January 2023, it looked like this mainstay of Ventura public golf for nearly 100 years had seen its last days. Located in a flood plain as are many municipal golf courses in California, the course had gone underwater many times over the years, but the water always receded, leaving some damage but damage easily remediable. But this time was different, and before the course could be restored and reopened, the city needed to figure out what had changed and more importantly, how to accommodate those changes so that the course wouldn’t go underwater again.
Most importantly, the city needed to figure out how to pay for whatever flood mitigation might be necessary in addition to paying for the restoration of the flooded facility. That’s why many in the Ventura golf community thought they may have seen the last of their beloved golf course. The Ventura City Council thought different, and in a 6-1 vote last year authorized the City Manager’s Office to explore working with FEMA to develop a plan to solve the flooding problem as part of an overall solution that restores as much as of the original golf course as possible within the scope of the necessary flood mitigation work. The city’s Golf Advisory Group, which had gone dark during COVID, was brought back to life to assist.
According to project manager Deputy City Manager Brad “Brick” Conners, the goal is to reopen all 18 holes; however, should the flood mitigation work require more acreage than the city’s consultants now anticipate, he is also working with California based golf course architect Damian Pascuzzo to develop an alternative – a 12-hole course with a driving range and short-game practice area. But he and City Council Member Jim Duran, in whose district the golf course sits, are adamant that the goal is to restore all 18 holes. When the preferred plan and the alternative plan are complete, the city will conduct a community meeting to share the results, take additional public comment, and bring a final recommendation to the City Council.
The 14-hole temporary layout, which comes with a reduced greens fee schedule, is meant as much to relieve some of the pressure now experienced by Ventura’s other municipal golf property Olivas Links as it is to demonstrate the city’s commitment to restoring the city’s much older of its two municipal golf courses.
Tee time booking is open online 10 days prior to the date of desired play at www.buenaventuragolf.com or via telephone between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM at (805) 677-6772.
Click here for further information about the reopening and the long-term plan for restoration.