Summer opening planned for golf course
The Sun-Herald - March 3, 1998

You can't have lunch with PGA golf pro Bob Tway early next week at Bobcat Trail without buying a home or otherwise getting an invitation. But sometime this summer you can tee off on all 18 holes of the pro's signature golf course inside the gated community off Toledo Blade Boulevard. Tway will make his private appearance in North Port to mingle with home buyers and also will walk the course to suggest design tweaks. About 40 of 200 lots in the development's first phase have been sold and ground broken on a handful of homes even though four home builders opened six model homes just in time for the final weekend of this year's Charlotte Builders and Contractors Association Parade of Homes. Despite the models' late entries, 1,000 prospective buyers still paraded through their living rooms, master bedrooms and lanais Saturday and Sunday. Jonathan Baltuch, vice president of acquisition and sales for Bobcat's developer, said the 6,700-yard, par 71 championship course should be ready to welcome duffers of all caliber no later than Labor Day. But bring plenty of balls. There's water on 12 of the holes, though Baltuch insisted it wasn't in play on all those (uh huh). One of the subtle touches on Tway's water greens is bleached-white coral rock wrapped around the putting surface rather than the more common wooden bulkheads. Bobcat's amenities -- including the golf course, clubhouse and pool -- should be ready for grand opening late this month, Baltuch said. The golf course is semi-private but will be open for daily public play for a fee. The residential development will be completed in three phases over three years. Along with 110 villas will be homes ranging from 1,700 to 4,000 square feet costing upwards of $130,000, lot included.