TRADITIONS CONSTRUCTION ABOUT TO START By Tom B. Turbiville

Beyond the timber and weeds, there’s real work going on at the site that in a year or so will be Traditions Golf Course and Country Club at University Ranch.

To hear them talk, it appears that Traditions is on the brink of finally escaping the local politics that had threatened to delay the project that will give west Bryan and Texas A&M’s golf teams a quality place to play, and give new coach J.T. Higgins a jewel of a recruiting tool.

Much of the land where the course, clubhouse and hotel will sit has been cleared. The final hurdle on the way to starting actual construction of the golf course should be cleared in September, when the City of Bryan completes its utility placement obligations and turns the land over to ClubCorp USA. ClubCorp will in turn officially name the contractor who will build the course and within days of that, construction should start.

Sophomore Stephen Reed is the Aggies' top returner this season.

Plenty of groundwork has already been laid, according to John Floeter of Victory Public Relations in Dallas, a firm that Traditions has hired to get out the word on the project. Jack Nichlaus II, the son of the golfing great, visited the site in August and started final hole design for the golf course. Once his design is complete and in the hands of the contractor, progress will hasten towards the building of tee boxes, fairways and greens.

Seeding is expected sometime in the spring with a completion date for the golf course set for the fall of 2002.

"There’s so much vegetation around the perimeter of the property, it’s hard to see how much activity has been going on," Floeter said. "The spine road is under construction, and I believe C.F. Jordan is planning to open a sales office in October."

The resort will sit on 800 acres bordered by FM 60, Villa Maria, Turkey Creek Road and Texas Hwy 47. Joining the City of Bryan as partners in the project are Texas A&M, CF Jordan (developers of the residential property), Campus Hotels, and ClubCorp USA (builders of the golf course).

Junior Dwayne Morley

According to Traditions spokesperson Lynette Neidert, more than 1,000 members have already signed up, about 75 percent of those currently live outside Bryan/College Station. Floeter said a full-fledged marketing blitz is already underway with billboards already up in the community. There will be advertisement on the JumboTron at Kyle Field and television advertising that will be placed during college football broadcasts.

"ClubCorp and the other developers are totally committed to the project," said Floeter "Everyone is pleased with the membership response that we have so far and it looks like the City of Bryan is going to get their work done and turn the property over to us by mid-September."

Individual memberships at traditions will basically be on four levels:

Social non-resident (those residing beyond a 50-mile radius) memberships require an initiation fee of $500 and monthly dues of $35. The social non-resident member can play golf, but must pay a green fee each round.

Social resident (those residing inside a 50-mile radius) memberships require a $1,500 initiation fee and monthly dues of $55. The social resident member also must pay a green fee for each round of golf.

Classic and Champion Golf memberships are available to anyone. The Classic requires a $5,500 initiation fee and monthly dues of $195 and includes golf. The Champion membership includes golf and other frills and requires a $10,500 initiation fee and monthly dues of $210.

Lot ownership automatically includes a social membership and those members can upgrade to a golf membership.