CLEARWATER -- A Clearwater golf course and event center is changing hands.

Eagle Trace Golf & Event Center is in the process of switching to Driftwood Golf and Fitness. Wayne Murphy is one of the co-owners of the club. He says one of the big changes is adding a fitness center.

"Nowadays golf and fitness go hand-in-hand along with entertainment. So we took a look at how we could best use the facility and the fitness center seemed to fit in, along with the residents that live here and the people that might want to have a smaller boutique type of fitness center."

Other than creating the fitness center, Murphy says they are also making some changes to the golf course.

"Our superintendent has returned from last year. He and I have sat down and talked about how we can improve the course and make it more friendly to the common golfer and yet make it challenging for the people who want to come here to play tournament golf. We want people to come out and have a great experience with the golf course."

Driftwood Golf and Fitness will still have a bar and grill area as well as a pool. Murphy says in the past the pool has always been a major attraction.

"The fact that we have a pool is another aspect of the facility that we really like. We have a lot of people that buy passes or memberships to use the pool throughout the year."

The event center will still be a featured part of the facility too.

"Of course we have the banquet facility itself that can seat over 200 people so we do have plans for using that space maybe a little more frequently than it was used in the past. Having more of our events that we sponsor here at Driftwood."

With the new ownership, Murphy says most of the existing staff has stayed on the team and they are also looking for more help. If you're interested in applying stop by the facility.

Driftwood Golf and Fitness will be having an open house this Sunday from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Murphy says you'll be able to get a tour of the facility and they'll be showing the final round of the Masters Tournament.

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