Construction Continuing on Cottonwood Hills in Kansas

Work continues on the new public 18-hole Golf Course in Hutchinson, Kans. Cottonwood Hills Golf Club is slated to open with nine holes this spring, with the second nine scheduled for completion in June.

Designed by Nick Faldo, the $7.2 million facility will feature a regulation-length course, driving range and clubhouse. The course is being built within a new 619-acre housing development that will eventually contain upwards of 700 homes and a business center. Also involved are stores and offices, a 10-acre park and outdoor amphitheater, horse trails and pedestrian paths, a city center and a school.

Marriott Golf has been hired to oversee the final stages of construction and will operate the facility once it opens. Ron Lewis was recently named the director of grounds for Cottonwood Hills. In this position, Lewis will be responsible for overseeing all grounds maintenance and operations.

Lewis comes to Hutchinson from Stone Mountain Golf Club, a 36-hole facility in Atlanta, Ga., where he served in the same position. During his tenure there, Stone Mountain received Marriott Golf's honorary 2003 Financial Management Excellence Award and the 1998 Most Improved Golf Course Award. A 25-year veteran of Marriott, Lewis began his career at the Tan-Tar-A Golf Club in Osage Beach, Mo.