Those who were looking for another Ames golf course to help improve their handicap will have to wait a little longer than expected.

Coldwater Golf Links, a new course under construction on South 16th Street in Ames, has pushed its opening date from spring to summer, at least for the course itself.

“The club house and practice range will open up May 1,” club manager George Volger said.

The rest of the course, 18 holes of a Scottish-style links layout, will open up during the months of June and July.

Volger said the back nine should be open June 1 and the front nine on July 1.

“We didn’t get seed planted on three holes on the front nine until October, so that is the reason for that nine not opening as quickly,” Volger said.

Coldwater will be a 7,007-yard par 71 course that runs along Squaw Creek and will feature two substantial lakes with not many trees.

Volger is happy and confident with how the course is coming along. The warm weather of late has excited both him and course superintendent Brian Maloy, as it has enabled them to begin watering the course slightly ahead of schedule.

The course was designed by Tripp Davis and Associates and has been part of a planning project that has spanned five years. Nieber Golf of Colorado Springs, Colo., handled the construction for the course, while local businesses were called upon for plumbing and the purchase and building of materials such as lumber and concrete.

Those closely involved with Coldwater are hoping the course will become a staple in the Ames community for events such as tournaments and social outings.

Coldwater joins Veenker Memorial and Ames Golf and Country Club as the premier 18-hole courses in Ames. John Newton, golf course manager and superintendent at Veenker, told the Daily in June that he is concerned about the addition of another golf course in Ames. He said he wasn’t sure if there are enough golfers in the area to keep attendance levels consistent.

“Hopefully, we can attract as many good players as we can here,” Newton said.

“I think it’s going to be difficult. We will lose some, we hope we don’t lose fifty percent.”

Besides being a links-style course, Coldwater will also differ from Veenker in that it will have bent grass, a style of grass found on any top-notch golf course around the country.