With one acre now covered by a concrete foundation, the owners of Hackers Golf Park in Statesboro are working hard to refurbish the rest of complex in anticipation of the completion of The Clubhouse in October.
       Construction of the 42,000 square foot Clubhouse is well underway, and according to Hacker's co-owner Darin Van Tassell, if you are going to build a five star entertainment center, everything else in the complex needs to be five star as well.
       "Obviously, we are so excited about The Clubhouse," Van Tassell said. "Now that the concrete is poured, you can begin to see just how big it is going to be. We need everything out here to be as first class as The Clubhouse is going to be."
       Right now, the miniature golf course Twin Falls is undergoing a facelift which is expected to take another week or so. "We are renovating the water features, painting, and doing some landscape work," he said. "You will definitely see a difference when you come out here."
       Bob Horvath of Horvath Miniature Golf is overseeing work on the golf course. Horvath has constructed and performed maintenance on miniature golf courses all over the country and in Canada as well.
       "What's interesting about Twin Falls is just how large it is, and the features that it has," Horvath said. "They just don't build them like this anymore with topography like this one. There are changes in elevations, and the holes don't run along side of one another. This is a wonderful course."
       Van Tassell said the flow of the complex will change when The Clubhouse opens, prompting much of the work that is now underway.
       "First, Twin Falls will be run out of The Clubhouse as will the batting cages," he said. "So, we are going to have a transition area between the two that will appear seamless. We are even putting an outside deck on the side of The Clubhouse that will be between it and those two features."
       Van Tassell said the golf shop at the golf range will undergo changes as well. "At this time, the golf shop has a very small retail section, but we are going to expand that, and update the facility," he said. "The golf range will continue to be run out of the golf shop adjacent to it."
       The Clubhouse is located on the south side of the property which fronts Old Register Road just outside of the Statesboro Bypass. The multi-million dollar facility will have 24 state-of-the art bowling lanes, an additional private bowling area with four lanes, a 3,000-square-foot laser tag area, a full service restaurant, snack bar, arcade gaming area, video gaming area, and a conference room. There will even be a large water feature on the left as you enter the facility.
       Local general contractor Lavender and Associates is in charge of the construction.
       "I am really honored that we are part of this project," said John Lavender, owner of Lavender and Associates. "The residents of Statesboro have said for some time that they really want more family entertainment options, including bowling. This will be an excellent compliment to what is already here, and hopefully bring people here from the surrounding communities."
       Lavender said project is very important to a number of people in the local construction industry. "This is probably the largest commercial construction job in this area at this time," he said. "There are a lot of government driven projects such as schools, but this is all being funded privately. It is employing local electricians, heating and air conditioning installers, concrete companies, and the like. It has provided some much needed work to many people."
       With the addition of The Clubhouse, Hackers will have four separate entertainment areas covering 30 acres. Van Tassell said there are additional plans in the works.
       "We had a vision for what this complex could become when we started," he said. "We hope to add another feature in two to three years. We are looking at a couple of things, but most likely it will be an electric go-cart track. If the carts are electric, then you don't have the noise or the emissions. Golf and noise just don't go together."
       Van Tassell said they have already booked a number of meetings for the new facility, and a list of people who would like to have a birthday party there is growing. "We have had a tremendous amount of interest, and I am just thrilled that we are already booking events," he said. "We want The Clubhouse and Hackers to be a family destination just like Splash in the Boro."
       Van Tassell said the projections are that 250,000 people per year will come to The Clubhouse.