No Pussyfooting Around
The Sun-Herald - March 10, 1998
By Marshall Grove North Port Editor

No pussyfooting around Bobcat Trail also in the bid for Riverwood Sunday, Bob Tway was in Miami pocketing $48,000 for finishing ninth in the Doral Open. His score was 5 under, the same as a golfer with more name recognition, Tiger Woods. Monday, the PGA professional traded in his golf shoes for high rubber boots. Tway was tramping on the grounds of the 18-hole signature golf course in North Port that Bobcat Trail plans to open in September. The occasion was a private preview of the seven new models the development now has open on Toledo Blade Boulevard. A grand opening for the public is scheduled for March 22. KEB Inc., headquartered in Arkansas, is the Bobcat Trail developer. Kent Arnold, KEB president, said the development is only a start of what they plan to do in the area. Six months ago, he said, the company purchased Panacea, a 2,300-acre section on Toledo Blade Boulevard near Interstate 75. The development in Panacea, originally proposed in 1982, was to include 5,200 homes, a school and light industry. But the area remained stagnant as Panacea struggled with finances, according to North Port city staff. KEB plans to change that. "We plan on being the developer of Toledo Blade, big time," Arnold said. The company also is in the running for the purchase of Riverwood, the bankrupt golf course development on State Road 776 in El Jobean. "If we get Riverwood," Arnold said, "that also would complement our operation here." In February, Centex Corp. outbid two other companies and won the bid for Riverwood, said Tom Smith, president of Riverwood Land Co. Although the bid has been accepted, nothing is final. "We're operating under a letter of intent right now," Smith said earlier. Although the models were the reason for Monday's preview, with Tway's presence, the golf course took center stage. The first question asked of Tway was about the hole in one he had in the Doral Open on the 15th hole. He surprised the gathering with the information that it was his 19th hole in one. Then he jokingly added, "And I haven't won a car yet!" One man questioned why the course would be a par 70, instead of a tougher par 72. Tway answered that the last four championship tournaments were held on par 70 courses. And continuing to show his sense of humor, he quipped that a par 70 is better anyway, "because when you shoot a nine over, 79 sounds much better than 81." Tway said he would be back in North Port for opening day at the course, scheduled for Labor Day weekend. It's the first golf course Tway has designed. "I will be here the first day it opens to find out how tough it really is," he said. Lee Singletary, of Singletary Golf Services, is building the course. He said it will have a lot of contour, which is unusual for golf courses in this area. The sodding will begin in three weeks, he said, and it should be covered with grass by June 1. "It looks good right now for a Labor Day opening," Singletary said, adding that's if there are no unusual weather problems. Arnold, repeating how the company stumbled onto North Port on the Internet, said he was fascinated with the city because of its miles of roads and small population. "We have a commitment to North Port," he concluded. "Located strategically between Sarasota and Fort Myers, we believe it's a diamond in the rough."