The
mission of the Langston Renaissance Revitalization Effort is to establish
the federally owned, historic Langston Golf Course as a model legacy site
in northeast Washington, DC, providing community energy for neighborhood
revitalization by building a full-service, family oriented urban golf
facitlity with the following elements:
Realigned
and Upgraded Historic Golf Course
New
Indoor/Outdoor Teaching & Practice Center with youth golf amenities
and community education/computer center.
New
Clubhouse with Inerpretive Exhibits
Integrate
a new 9-hole youth golf course dedicated to kids for nominal or no
fees, sponsored by the First Tee of Washington, DC
Goals
The purpose to the
Initiative is to provide accessible and affordable modern golf facilities
and programs to benefit the Washington, DC community. Special emphasis
will be on facilities for the inner city youth who otherwise may not have
the opportunity to experience the game. The project embodies the following
objectives:
1. Environmentally-sensitive
golf course
Enhance the existing
course to championship quality, serving as an industry model in the following
areas:
Environmentally
sensitive trends in turf management
Wetlands and irrigation
water reclamation
2. Youth Programs
Expose inner city
youth to golf as a recreational and competitive sport, instilling the
life values of honesty, sportsmanship and self-discipline, through the
following initiatives:
Expansion of low-cost
& free grassroots developmental programs available to every child,
regardless of socio-economic background
Integration of
academic studies & career counseling with golf programs
Expansion of existing
partnerships with DC schools, DC Recreation, Metro Police Boys &
Girls Clubs, and community groups
3. Tribute to Minority Golf
Promote the significance
of Langston's heritage and its nomination to the National Register of
Historic Places as follows:
Preservation and
celebration of black golf and minority golf history
Ongoing tribute
to future accomplishments of minority golfers
Historical studies
relative to John Mercer Langston's legacy in civil rights
4. Internship / Educational Programs
Create educational
and career development opportunities in cooperation with local universities,
schools, and golf organizations in the following areas:
Turf management
operations
Interpretive operations
Environmental
conservation
5. Waterfront Enhancement
Improve the visual
and environmental quality of the DC waterfront and one of the city's "gateways"
as follows:
Educational programs
with local universities and citizen groups in habitat conservation
Wetlands enhancement,
allowing the expansion of existing bird sanctuary and nature preserve
6. Neighborhood Programs
Maintain and expand
programs to benefit the surrounding neighborhoods as follows:
Meeting and banquet
rooms for neighborhood functions
Incorporation
of golf programs into existing neighborhood activities
Facilities
Upgraded
Historic Course
Enhance the existing
design and playing surface to a chamionship quality that incorportes the
following:
Environmentally
sensitive trends in turf management with the planting of Zoysia grass,
irrigation water reclamation/montoring and select hole realignment with
upgrades to irrigation system and landscaping, where needed
Historic interpretive
markers such as maps, photographs, and explanatory language citing Langston's
heritage and local cultural history
Teaching &
Pactice Facility
Construct a year-round
instruction and practice facility for both new and experienced players
with teh following:
Indoor classrooms
for golf and computer-based educational programs (for-profit & non-profit
use)
Indoor youth golf
resource library and junior golf program office (non-profit use)
Indoor swing, video,
and golf fitness areas (for-profit and non-profit use)
Outdoor winterized
& sheltered tees and short game area (designated tees dedicated
to non-profit youth golf programs)
Chipping &
Putting Youth/Beginner Course
Clubhouse with
Interpretive Exhibits
Construct a community
clubhouse complex with full-service amenitites including:
Interpretive exhibits
dedicated to minority and African American golfers
