PINE BLUFF, Ark. — The City of Pine Bluff reached a huge milestone Thursday morning as it celebrated the grand opening of the Harbor Oaks Pro Shop.
The shop had been closed since 2019 due to a 100-year flood that affected most of the state.
"When we had the flood, you could go up to the intersection, and you could see the water there, so you could imagine what it was like here," One Pine Bluff resident said. "It sits here for a while, even after it's drained down."
The flood damaged homes, highways and roads. It also significantly affected the Harbor Oak Golf Club in Pine Bluff.
"It covered the entire building [and] it destroyed the golf course," Pine Bluff Parks and Recreation Director Trudy Redus said. "It destroyed the building, and we had to just totally regroup... it was a journey."
The golf course was able to reopen a few months after the flooding, but Redus said it took a little longer for other places, like the Harbor Oaks Pro Shop.
Additionally, Redus said that having the pro shop and the course back open to the public should significantly boost the city's economy.
"That's the number one piece of its tourism... to bring people back to the City of Pine Bluff," Redus said. "It's not just for our community, but for others that come in."
Redus said this is just phase one of reconstruction. The goal is to add more amenities like a cafe and bathrooms that aren't just brick and mortar.
"We have snacks and drinks and things of that nature, but we want to take it a little further," Redus said. "We want to be able to do the hamburgers and french fries... we want them to be able to come in, sit down, relax and cool off before they go to the next nine holes."
Despite the time it took to tee off, they're glad to provide families with an outlet for fun and greens the city can be proud of.
"Playing on a premiere 18-hole golf course, and that's what we have provided for the community and surrounding area," Redus said.