Urban Swingers

People generally associate golf pro-jects with flood plains or river bottoms, not with prime real estate on the cusp of the central business district. But on 25 acres bordered by Lemmon and McKinney avenues and Central Expressway sits the Hank Haney Golf Center at CityPIace, a practice range and teaching facility that gives downtown workers a chance to steal away for a noon tune-up of their swings. (Or the ever-popular “Honey, I have to work late” afternoon excursion. ) It’s not uncommon to see executives doff their jackets, loosen their ties, don their cleats, and begin beating balls, which start at $4.50 for a small bucket.

Ian McCrea, head professional, says that revenues have increased appreciably since the center opened in October 1993. Residential construction has brought more golfers into the area, but the facility has also demonstrated the pull of its namesake, who’s regarded as one of America’s top teachers. Haney and McCrea estimate that 1,000 new golfers took their first swats at Hank Haney’s last year.

Well and good, but how long can such a facility survive? “It may be here another three years, it may be another 20 years. It depends on when the Central Expressway expansion is completed,” says Neal Sleeper, president of CityPlace Co., developers of the property. “Until the property is ready for more dense development, either a mid-rise or a high-rise, it [the golf center] will probably be there.”