Palmer, Sorenstam To Design New Royal Golf Club At Lake Elmo

LAKE ELMO, Minn. (WCCO) -- Big plans are in the works for Tartan Park Golf Course in Lake Elmo.

The new owner, along with two of golf's biggest legends, will give the course a major overhaul. Annika Sorenstam and representatives of Arnold Palmer were in Lake Elmo on Tuesday.

And as Molly Rosenblatt shows us, Sorenstam and Palmer will design the new course.

Tartan Park Golf Course is a place developer Hollis Cavner has had his eyes on for years.

"We have worked so hard to get this to fruition of being able to buy Tartan Park.  It is the greatest piece of property in the Twin Cities," Cavner said.

Cavner plans to revamp the 27-hole course, previously owned by 3M, to an 18-hole course along with the purchase of an additional 477 acres of surrounding land. Cavner says it will be a destination, re-designed by Annika Sorrenstam and Arnold Palmer's Design companies.

"As far as getting people out here to play golf, I think what Arnold and Annika are going to produce, it's now become a different deal than what was Tartan Park. This is big-time golf.  And I will tell you this, could we host a PGA tour here? It'll be that good.  I can assure you that," Cavner said.

And the course's new name:  The King and Queen, after Palmer and Sorenstam.

"The Queen, yeah I'm certainly flattered, that's not been my nickname in the past but I certainly look forward to working with The King so it'll be fun," Sorenstam said.

Now the makeover doesn't just include major upgrades, but they're also focusing on making it eco-friendly, so the new course will be a model for sustainable golfing.

"Throughout the use of advanced irrigation technologies, reducing the number of irrigated acres and reintroducing some of the native flora you find in this area of the country," Thad Layton with Arnold Palmer design said.

With a beautiful backdrop and landscape already in place, the team agrees they can't wait to get started on the already renamed Royal Golf Club at Lake Elmo.

The new course will be open to the public. They promise affordable pricing and youth programs to help grow the sport. They plan on opening the summer of 2017.