NAMPA, Idaho — The city of Nampa is continuing to invest in its golf courses by replacing and upgrading the irrigation system at Centennial Golf Course. The $5 million project scheduled for 2026 is the latest effort to address deferred maintenance at the city-owned facilities.
"This is mission-critical for a golf course," said Tony Blasius, Golf Manager for the City of Nampa. "This is the lifeblood of a golf course, keeping turf in conditions that people want to play. It's important for golfers. They remember what golf conditions are at a golf course and the courses they've played."
Watch: Golf managers discuss the need to address the deferred maintenance
The irrigation project is part of ongoing efforts to improve the city-owned 500 acres of links, which include 36 holes over two courses that have been financially self-sustaining. While work is being completed next year, the courses' new spare green will serve as an additional hole during necessary closures.
Blasius has been with the city since it purchased the golf courses in 2023 and has prioritized improvement projects based on golfer feedback.
"One thing that Tony's done is listen to the golfers, and, for example, the parking lot that we just recently rebuilt and expanded the size of was a real sore spot for golfers," said Cody Swander, Director of Nampa Parks and Recreation.
The $5 million irrigation replacement at Centennial will be funded entirely by greens fees. The current system is nearly four decades old and requires constant repairs, with course superintendents continuously monitoring its performance.
"They always look at it, but they're really evaluating how things are going after about 15 or 20 years," Blasius said. "And you will see golf courses redo their irrigation systems starting after that. Thirty-eight years for Centennial. So they did a great job putting this place, the irrigation system in initially, but things have changed as far as technology, materials."
The city plans to maintain both Centennial and Ridgecrest as golf courses with no intention of selling the properties to developers. Notably, the irrigation project's price tag is nearly the same as the purchase price of the courses in 2023.
Swander indicated that bids for the project will begin to be gathered in the coming months, with work scheduled to start in spring 2026, possibly as early as February, depending on weather conditions.
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