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The Mobile County Commission voted on Monday, July 8, to officially name the former Linksman golf course: Cypress Creek Golf Course at Riviére du Chien Park.
The names are geographically based, as the park and golf course are nestled among tributaries leading to Dog River. Once completed, the 18-hole Cypress Creek Golf Course will have water on 14 holes.
Riviére du Chien Park will feature a golf practice area for local middle- and high-school golf teams, a driving range, Cypress Creek Golf Course, tennis and pickleball courts, green spaces, a waterfront picnic area with boardwalk, and more.
The park project is being spearheaded by Commissioner Randall Dueitt. “We’ve designed and are building Riviére du Chien Park and Cypress Creek Golf Course from the ground up to create something we can all be proud of," Dueitt said. "The Jerry Pate-designed Cypress Creek Golf Course will be an attractive, challenging, tournament-quality course for every level of play. The course will be home for local high school and middle school youths who play on golf teams.”
The infrastructure phase of the park and golf course construction is underway. Portions of Riviére du Chien Park should open in the fall of 2024, including the driving range, golf practice area, and tennis/pickleball courts. This phase of construction also includes parking, roadways, and an office/maintenance building. Construction of the 18-hole Cypress Creek Golf Course is expected to be completed in 2025. A clubhouse, playground, and other amenities are planned for future phases.
The Mobile County Commission authorized the purchase of the former Linksman Golf Course in September 2021. The Commission acquired the 100-acre former Linksman property in 2022 for approximately $850,000 using funding from the Gulf of Mexico Energy and Security Act (GOMESA). Once acquired, the park and golf course engineering, design, permitting, bidding, and awarding contracts took over a year, largely due to pandemic-fueled cost increases. Park infrastructure was bid twice and the golf course was bid three times before construction contracts were awarded.
Construction information:
Park engineering and design: Watermark Design Group, LLC.
Park infrastructure construction: Ben M. Radcliff Contractor, Inc.
18-hole golf course planning and design: Jerry Pate Design
Golf course construction: Mid-America Golf & Landscape, Inc.