Swing away, fellas.
The Texas Rangers are getting their name on a golf course.
Pending a Tuesday night vote from the Arlington City Council, the Chester W. Ditto Golf Course will be re-branded as Texas Rangers Golf Club, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The concept is still in its planning stages – no foul poles or bullpens yet – but if the vote passes, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department will begin developing brand concepts for the course and clubhouse.
Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams hopes attaching the Rangers name to the newly renovated course, which is in the midst of an $18.3 million upgrade, will provide a boost to the area and turn it into a golf destination for the public. City officials said in a report that the branding would “extend hotel stays, attract student athletes to UTA, attract higher quality housing developments in North Arlington and be an overall positive impact to the Entertainment District.” The course is one of four public options in Arlington.
Although the course will be the only MLB-branded one in the country, the concept is not new to the region: the Dallas Cowboys have lent their name to Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine, Texas., billed as “the first and only NFL-themed Golf Club in the world.”
Rangers spokesman John Blake declared the branding a “great cross-promotional opportunity” for the golf club and the MLB club, but added that the team would wait to discuss specifics until the city council’s vote.
The course’s renovation isn’t the only ball field construction the Rangers have in mind: the team is in the midst of building a $1.1 billion baseball stadium, Globe Life Field, which is slated to open for the 2020 season.
