There is a proposal on the table to rename Arlington's Chester W. Ditto Golf Course the Texas Rangers Golf Club, making the team the first in the MLB to have a co-branded golf course.
The plan calls for the city to pay re-branding expenses and would include incentives and discounts for the team, Rangers employees, VIPs and guests staying at Texas Live! In exchange, the team must promote the course -- hopefully driving more golfers onto the links.
The course, a 164-acre 18-hole course not far from the ballpark, is currently being renovated. The city has owned the land at Collins Street and Brown Boulevard since 1968, when it was purchased from the Ditto family, but a golf course wasn't opened there until 1982.
The city called together the Rangers, Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau and the University of Texas at Arlington to work with Colligan Golf Design to redevelop the course into a "destination golf course that could be one of the best golf courses in North Texas."
In the deal, the city agrees to maintain the course "in a manner so that excellent playing conditions exist for both the championship and the average golfer." Nearby courses, Texas Star (Euless), Tierra Verde (Arlington), Cowboys Golf Club (Grapevine) and Bridlewood (Flower Mound) were all held up as the standard.
The Arlington City Council will vote on the plan Tuesday night during their weekly meeting. If passed, the name would remain in place until Dec. 31, 2054.
