Last Update :8/25/2014

VSGA under contract for new HQ

Michael Schwartz August 25, 2014 0

The VSGA will leave its location in the Independence Golf Club clubhouse for its own headquarters nearby.

The head cheerleader of golf in Virginia is eyeing new home turf.

The Virginia State Golf Association is under contract to purchase a small parcel of land near Salisbury Country Club where it will build a new headquarters building.

Jamie Conkling, VSGA’s executive director, said it will buy less than an acre on Dovercourt Drive, near the intersection of Salisbury and Winterfield roads. The property sits about two miles from the organization’s current home at Independence Golf Club, where it has operated since 2001.

“It’s the right time,” Conkling said. “We’re busting at the seams.”

The VSGA currently occupies about 3,300 square feet on the third floor of Independence’s clubhouse. Its new building will have about 6,600 square feet, giving it space for its 13 employees and needed storage room for all the equipment it keeps on hand for tournaments.

The organization was founded in 1904 and has a mission to promote the game of golf in Virginia. That includes organizing hundreds of adult and juniors golf events each year across the state.

It has 325 golf clubs in the state as its members. Those clubs have about 70,000 members combined, Conkling said.

VSGA is buying the land from the Salisbury Corp. the company that developed Salisbury Country Club and the surrounding residential community. The company has about 3.25 acres of commercial land available for sale around the site.

Conkling said the deal went under contract earlier this month. The organization is still working out its planned budget for the project. He said it considered leasing space, building from scratch or buying an existing building.

“We realized it was basically less expensive to build than it is to lease long term,” Conkling said. “We don’t move much. We’re looking to stay there for decades.”

Hoy Construction is the general contractor on the project. The architect is Covington Henrdrix Anderson Architects out of Virginia Beach.

Conkling said VSGA hopes to break ground in the next couple of weeks with a planned opening of the office in spring 2015

A not-for-profit, VSGA operates with a $3.2 million annual budget. Its revenue is derived from member fees, competitions, its magazine and sales of its VIP cards that allow purchasers to play at other courses around the state.

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