Teeing up improvements From the cover
How we got here
Digging deeper
Olympia Hills Golf and Event Center
May: Council approves contract with Watermark Golf for construction cost estimates August: Council signs contract with Watermark Golf to provide drawings October: Council receives a progress report from Watermark Golf November: Request for Proposals are posted to compile bids for the projects December: RFP pre-submittal meeting with contractors July: Renovations to be completed February: Renovations begin
The course greens will see upgrades following gradual wear and tear since opening in 2000. The renovations include expanding the size of Par3 tees, adding 100 new sprinkler heads and upgrading to Premier Pro bunker sand for longevity, drainage and playability. Par3 players tend to use iron clubs, which create more divots or take more ground o the tee box. Golf course sta would have to re- sand the divots and then add fertilizer to help the grass grow back, causing the tee boxes to concave, Director of Golf Operations Sal Garcia said. He said they will laser-level the tee boxes to be completely at and then resurface them using Paspalum grass—a type of grass typically seen on golf courses. A new control system will also be added so the superintendent can turn the sprinklers on and o using a computer or phone, Garcia said. “If a sprinkler goes down, it will immediately alert him so he knows that a sprinkler’s not working correctly,” Garcia said. “In the old days, you would have to drive the golf course and look for dying grass in order to kind of know ‘Hey, that sprinkler’s not working.’” The course has also been growing in popularity. The number of rounds played has increased by 59.3% since 2018, according to data provided by Olympia Hills. Garcia said the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and resurfacing the greens in 2024 brought more visitors to the course. “We really shot up with our rounds of golf and really became one of the sought-after golf courses to play in the San Antonio area,” he said.
2025
35
1518
UNIVERSAL CITY BLVD.
2026
N
$7.94M contribution to Universal City’s economy annually
50.8 local jobs created by the golf course
SOURCE: UNIVERSAL CITY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Number of rounds played over time
0 10K 20K 30K 50K 40K
43.6K 43.3K
37.1K
In their own words
29.5K
41.6K
45.1K
47K
25.7K
+59.3%
“It’s a boom for the city of Universal City that 90% of the players are coming from outside of Universal City.” BEAR GOOLSBY, COUNCIL MEMBER
2024 course visitor breakdown Other San Antonio-area residents: 62.8K
Out-of-area residents (beyond 50 miles): 5.3K Universal City residents: 9K Out-of-state residents: 2.5K
6.7%
11.3%
total visitors 79.6K
3.1%
“We need to continue to make it an asset to us because it is bringing in money,” CHRISTINA FITZPATRICK, MAYOR PRO TEM
78.9%
SOURCE: UNIVERSAL CITY, PLACER AI DATA 2024 COMMUNITY IMPACT
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