Westwood Clubhouse to receive new patio and cart path improvements

The new clubhouse at Westwood Golf Course may be open and operational, but that doesn’t mean the site is fully completed.

Newton City Council on Aug. 4 approved the addition of an exterior patio and cart path improvements in a unanimous 6-0 vote. The city received six bids from area contractors, ultimately settling on the low bid of $49,895.56 from Jerry Keenan Concrete of Newton. The project will be paid using 2025 bond proceeds.

Midstate Solutions, of Baxter, bid $51,899; A&A Concrete, LLC, of Marshalltown, bid $56,221; Central IA Excavation, of Kellogg, bid $60,044.50; Caliber Concrete, LLC, of Adair, bid $73,466.90; and TK Concrete, Inc., of Pella, bid $75,225. The city originally estimated the patio project would cost $69,621.81.

No public comments or questions were submitted to council during the public hearing for the project.

Construction of the new clubhouse was thanks to a successful bond referendum in September 2022. Plans were prepared and the bids were received in August 2023. However, due to the high prices, the initial bids were rejected by council. Staff worked on an alternative plan to construct a more affordable clubhouse.

By late June 2025, the new clubhouse opened for business and the old structure was long gone. Nick Cummins, parks operations superintendent, said the old building was never meant to be a clubhouse. By the time it was demolished, it was over 100 years old and could only ever fit about 40 people in it.

“It was never meant for commercial use,” Cummins said in a past interview with Newton News. “It’s going to be more conducive for events and large amounts of people. When you want to have meals and awards, being able to have everybody together is going to be great.”

Brad Sponseller, the golf pro and operations manager of Westwood Golf Course, had been waiting for this moment for the past 17 years or so he has worked for the city. The final building plan was worth the wait, he said. The size of the building allows the course to host more people for tournaments.

Coupled with a full bar, an updated food menu, a shop and the golf simulators, the clubhouse has never looked better. The community was able to see the finished product on June 30 during a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Greater Newton Area Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s great for people playing golf and making the turn — or even great for the guy that doesn’t golf — to come out here and enjoy some kind of food or whatever they want and enjoy the nice view,” Sponseller said. “The simulators are also going to let us be open year-round, and it’s going to add a huge revenue stream.”