Kennedy Golf Course in southeast Denver is in line for a serious glow-up, with a renovation plan city officials say could top $30 million. The proposal would scrap the facility’s two smaller clubhouse buildings in favor of a single-roof clubhouse, transform the driving range into a Topgolf-style, tech-heavy practice zone, and then roll out wider course upgrades in phases. City golf leaders say the goal is to modernize the public course and broaden programming for families and newer players.
The cost estimate, which runs upward of $30 million, covers a new clubhouse, a Toptracer-equipped driving range that tracks shot speed and direction, and related site work, according to Denverite. Oz Architecture is listed as the clubhouse architect, and Denver Golf director Scott Rethlake has said the plan could make Kennedy "more family-oriented." As reported by Denverite, the reimagined driving range has been explicitly likened to entertainment-style venues such as Topgolf.
Design choices and public input
Last Thursday, the city hosted an open house where residents could meet the architect, pore over clubhouse renderings and vote on two finalist design styles. The City of Denver Golf project page lays out the meeting details and invites anyone who missed it to weigh in via an online survey, also noting that the open house took place at Kennedy Clubhouse Cafe (10500 E. Hampden Avenue, 80014). City of Denver Golf has narrowed the design to two distinct looks for the new building.
How the city will pay
Denver Golf operates as an enterprise fund, which means it keeps the revenue generated by its courses to cover operations and capital projects instead of leaning on the city’s general tax base. A 2021 audit from the Denver Auditor notes that Denver Golf "operates like a business to fund its own operations," helping explain why officials are eyeing golf revenues for the renovation work. The Denver Auditor documented the enterprise structure and capital funding model.
Timeline and next steps
Officials told reporters the department expects the clubhouse phase to wrap up by 2029, with the rest of the course improvements to follow afterward. The project still needs design finalization and budgeting, and public votes, along with the department’s survey, will guide which of the two clubhouse styles moves ahead. In the meantime, the city is lining up golf enterprise revenue to cover construction rather than pulling from general fund dollars. Denverite reviewed the plan and timeline with city sources.
