With the final i's dotted and t's crossed, the Arizona Golf Association and city of Phoenix are ready to begin the long-overdue project of restoring Papago Golf Course.
The Phoenix City Council gave its stamp of approval Wednesday to the project, in which the AGA was put in charge of the restoration and has agreed to manage the course for at least 25 years.
The city is hosting an event for Papago loyalists today. The AGA will host an appreciation day, including a round of golf, followed by a groundbreaking ceremony, at 2:30 p.m. Friday. Renovation will begin Monday. 
Securing funding for the project was the final hurdle, and the AGA cleared that last week when the city's Industrial Development Authority approved $12.5 million in revenue bonds. Compass Bank is the financial partner.
AGA Executive Director Ed Gowan doesn't hold back when asked what he expects Papago to become as a result of the project.
"The best public golf course in the Southwest," Gowan said matter-of-factly. "That's our goal. We think the design is that good.
"To some people, it might not look like some of the courses in north Scottsdale with their boulder formations and desert landscape. But with the buttes and the design, I think it's going to be something special."
The course, which was designed by the late Billy Bell and once was regarded as one of the better municipal layouts in the country, is scheduled to reopen Nov. 1. When that happens:
• Peak-season greens fees will be a maximum of $44 (not including cart) for golfers who possess a city golf card. Non-card holders will be charged a maximum of $115 (excluding cart). In the summer months of 2009, the greens fees will be about $20 for cardholders and $40 for non-cardholders. The rates are applicable until Oct. 31, 2009, and might be adjusted after that date to keep up with the cost of living, but they wouldn't be raised more than 5 percent.
• The 44-year-old layout, which has deteriorated in recent years, will be restored as closely as possible to its original design, although some length will be added with expanded tees on some holes. Greens will be enlarged, bunkering will be restored and all of the turf will be replaced.
• The antiquated irrigation system will be replaced, and the practice facilities and pro shop will be upgraded. The clubhouse will receive a facelift, but plans call for an extensive renovation or a new clubhouse within three years.
"Our National Golf Foundation consultant and the bank have both said the clubhouse is critical to the plan and bringing in the kind of revenue we need at the course," said Rob Harman of the city Parks Department.
"What form that will take, we're not sure yet. It could be a whole new clubhouse or a major renovation, but we're giving the AGA a three-year time frame to get it done."
Some Papago loyalists formed an opposition group, headed by Larry McLennan and Joe Hume, when the AGA partnership was granted by the city. Their Save Papago Golf group has become less vocal in recent weeks, but McLennan said serious concerns remain, particularly with the project's financing.
"Their financial projections are overly optimistic," McLennan said. "They would have to exceed what the course does now by at least 75 percent to even come close. Their figures defy logic."
That group also has concerns about the AGA's ability to operate the property successfully and believes that another bidder, Bellows Golf Management, would have been a better choice because of its resources and track record with course projects.
"Now (the AGA) will have to deliver something they have never been successful at," McLennan said.
One of the main goals of the city and AGA is to attract high-profile tournaments, such as a mid-level U.S. Golf Association championship or a pro tour event. Harman said he also hopes Papago can be re-established as the site of qualifying for the FBR Open, an event it hosted for many years before it was moved in 2004.
"We'll pursue those events, and I think over time we will have some of them," Gowan said.
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