Southcenter Golf closes to make room for development

Southcenter in Tukwila has been a fixture for golfers for nearly 15 years. Located virtually next to the Southcenter Mall, Southcenter Golf was a place that offers a covered driving range, pro shop and a place to practice the short game.

But a new development that has been in the works for seven years is finally going ahead. The land, owned by the Segale Family, will be called Tukwila South and will incorporate 500 acres into offices, condos, restaurants, stores and more.

Jim Bennett, who has run Southcenter Golf since it opened in 1996, says the project will give Tukwila a new look but he’s sad to see his business close.

“We’ve had a good run and helped a lot of people with their golf,” said Bennett. “A lot of people will miss this place because of the great location.”

The Segales first envisioned Tukwila South back in 2004 and started to put the wheels in motion. Bennett knew the development was coming, but had hoped for some more time to get the final plans done for Southcenter Golf. The range closed for business May 31.

“We knew at some point we would be closing,” said Bennett. “So it wasn’t a surprise at all to us.”

The big project that helped expedite the closing of Southcenter Golf was the fact the city of Tukwila needs the land to help improve the road in front of the driving range. The new road will be four lanes and straightened out from one major arterial to another. Southcenter Golf had always been a popular spot for golfers from around the south end of Seattle, who came looking to hit balls, get lessons from Bennett and practice their short games.

Bennett now must figured out what to do with his inventory as well as trying to take care of the poles, netting and everything else that went into the makeup of Southcenter Golf.

“We have to move fast, but we will make it happen,” said Bennett. “Hopefully we can take what we have here and maybe make it a go somewhere else.”

The Tukwila South project is expected to be a monster of a development, with 10 million square feet of development planned for the area.

The development could be a boon to lure businesses to the south end of town and the city of Tukwila.