HARTFORD -- It has taken a long time for the sun to spring to return after a cold, wet spell, but it has been a much longer wait for golfers to go out and play at the historic Keney Park course, which straddles the Hartford-Windsor line.
After years of mismanagement, the course fell into disrepair, and in 2013 the city of Hartford took control of Keney and began a 2 1/2 year, $5.8 million extreme makeover. The city brought in the Connecticut section of the PGA to help, as well as Guilmette Golf, a maintenance company, and the neighborhood beatification agency Knox Inc.
"The day has come!" exclaimed Tom Hantke, the executive director of the Connecticut section of the PGA. "Keney Park is a restoration mission. It is a wonderful rediscovery and restoration project."
"It has come a long way," said Christopher Guilmette, from Guilmette Golf -- the maintenance company that has provided its expertise to both Keney Park and Goodwin Golf course in Hartford. "The greens were pretty much gone, pretty much everything was gone. To take this from what it was to what it is today, it's a pretty remarkable transformation."
East Hartford's Frank Leone said, "I think this is a great thing for Hartford. I was talking to my friends about coming back, playing golf and then going to a Yard Goats game."
The summer ahead looks like it will be an exciting time for the course; in June it will host the Hartford Women's Open and in August the 85th Connecticut PGA Championship will compete at Keney. To find out more about Keney Park Golf Course click here.