Award recipients: (White shirt) Drew Demorest, Brad Holmgren, and Mark Demorest.
Left to Right: Bayard Beautification Committee Members, Patsy Sanchez, Lucille Salas, Jovita Gonzales, Armando Amador, award recipient Brad Holmgren, Mayor Pro-tem Chon Fierro, award recipient Drew Demorest, Vernon Cravens, award recipient Mark Demorest, and Lori Gabaree
Cobre Golf Practice Facility is located on Cobre High School property southeast of the intersection of Bard and Joan Streets. The fairway extends from the site of the former Cobre High AG building up to Lusk Street, and is downhill from and surrounding the Cobre High Softball outfield.
The facility has been under development for over six years with countless hours of volunteer assistance, and was a vision of Brad Holmgren, retired Cobre High School Golf Coach. The funding was approved by past Superintendents Dane Kennon and George Peru. The property is on the original Foy Homestead, and has a small natural spring running through it. The three acre site has five tee boxes two landing greens, plus a 6000 square foot putting green. The facility is used by the Cobre High Golf Team, Cobre High PE classes, local golfers, local elementary school programs, and the Bayard community for walking, running, ball throwing, etc...
The facility was designed and built for Cobre Schools by Brad, and Drew Demorest a retired golf course superintendent (GCSA) and golf course designer. Drew's brother Mark, a PGA professional, has also worked alongside Brad and Drew on the project preparing the site, mowing, helping maintain it, and giving free golf lessons. Jess Rogers, David Leyba, Scott Siville, Gary Arellano, Steve Potts, and Roy Duran volunteered countless hours, as well as Cobre School's Maintenance Staff, the Cobre High School Golf Team members, the Cobre High School Work Study Program, Fowler Brothers staff, and City of Bayard Maintenance staff.
There is over a half-mile of irrigation pipe and electrical wire. The irrigation system is computerized allowing the seven separate zones containing 47 sprinkler heads to go on at varying intervals on a timer. The tee boxes and landing greens are a dwarf bluegrass and the fairways are ryegrass. After the green areas were developed and maintained, the first phase opened October 2011. A used Toro fairway mower with 300 hours was picked up January 2012 by Brad and Drew, in Glendale California. The mower was fine-tuned over the winter and it was first used for the 2012 season. The fairways were mowed at least twice a week. The putting green was started January 2012. The City of Bayard excavated the site and created the top soil for the surface. Fowler Brothers hauled in 20 free truckloads of fill dirt from the Central Elementary School project, and also shaped the site with Drew's guidance. It was finally seeded on June 23, 2012 after weeks of continual raking and removal of rock. A Tyee Bentgrass was used on the putting green and mowing began late July, after purchasing a walking greens mower from the Deming Country Club. The mowing continues every day during the growing season. Lt. Willie Kerin of Bayard Police Department recently raised funds from the community to purchase a storage shed for the mowers.
Brad gives credit and many thanks to Drew and Mark Demorest for the endless hours they worked and continue to work on this project. He stated that he could have never completed this project without their help. Brad also gives thanks to all named and everyone involved with "One of the largest volunteer projects in the history of Bayard."
The City of Bayard Beautification Committee gives thanks to Brad Holmgren, Drew Demorest, and Mark Demorest for their hard work and diligence in helping make the City of Bayard a better place to live by promoting an area of beauty and pride, and for the camaraderie and community created through this project from start to finish.