The Miami Lakes Golf Club will be closed to play on Nov. 4 as a major overhaul by renowned golf course designer Bruce Hepner is begun.
“A big focus will be to make sure the course looks good, feels good to play on and that all of the trees are native to Florida,” said Danny Martinez, project manager at The Graham Companies, which owns the historic public course.
It was no secret to the club’s 132 members and guests that a hard rain would flood the back nine holes.
Repairs will be made to the original irrigation system and the back nine holes will be elevated to allow play after storms. Holes 5, 6 and 7 will be moved back to where they were when the course opened in 1962.
Construction will last for about a year, Martinez said.
“It will become a course to support golfers of all levels,” Martinez said.
First Tee Miami, a program that teaches the game to children, will continue clinics and activities on the driving range.
The pro shop will remain open. Golfers will be able to buy balls each day to practice at the driving range, and the course’s golf professionals will be available for individual lessons there.
The pro shop’s Prestige Golf team will also be available for club fittings.
A new driving range and building are planned as part of the $110 million mixed-use project called The Residences & Shops on NINE. It will also have a new clubhouse, banquet hall, 278-unit apartment building and commercial spaces.
The former clubhouse and Hotel Indigo, at 7601 Miami Lakes Drive, were demolished in December 2023.