NATCHEZ — Duncan Park recently signed a new three-year lease with Yamaha Motor Corporation for all new golf carts.

The 50 Yamaha golf carts, Duncan Park Golf Course superintendent Greg Brooking said, are a win-win situation for golfers and the City of Natchez.

“The leases came in and they were under what they have been in the past two years,” Brooking said. “We reduced the amount of the carts by $20,000 over a three-year period.

“The city saves $7,000 a year, and that money we don’t spend I’m sure the city will put to things we need.”

Ward 5 alderman for the City of Natchez and chair of the recreation committee Mark Fortenbery said Yamaha is one of the top carts as far as to ride.

“This lease was cheaper than the lease we had, so that’s a plus, and the money that we save would hopefully be put back into the course,” Fortenbery said.

The budget for golf carts is $50,000 per lease, and Brooking said they would only use $43,000.

The carts are also fuel efficient, which means the city will save money on gas.

As for the golfers, Brooking said the new golf carts make for a more comfortable trip around the course.

“They are wider for more room between riders, and they ride smoother,” he said.

Brooking said the park is very much on its way to being the most beautiful recreational golf course in Mississippi, and with a little time and care, park goers will be able to reap the benefits.

Brooking took over as course superintendent a year ago with colorful visions in mind.

“I grew in the 60s in this park playing golf, and it was nothing to see trees everywhere,” Brooking said. “When I was a kid, all of the fairways had trees. All our trees (today) are old and dying. One day, it will be like a forest filled with cypress trees, pine trees and red oaks.”

Brooking doesn’t see the park’s amount of old trees and grassless patches, he sees the future. And according to Brooking, the future starts now.

“We will have planted 300 trees this year alone,” he said. “We will plant nearly 300 azaleas this year. We spent less than $1,000 on the plants itself. We brought in about 30 different varieties of camelias.”

Newly planted trees include cypress and red oaks.

And though the process will take years, Brooking, also a licensed landscaper, said it would be worth the wait.

“The sooner you plant them, the sooner you have them,” he said. “A lot of people don’t plant trees, because they say it takes too long (to grow), but if no one ever plants them, you will never have trees. You plant them for the future.

“This isn’t for me, it is for Natchez in the long run. We’re increasing the value of the city’s public property.”

Brooking said he has had a lot of help with the vegetation maintenance around the park.

Members of the Master Gardner’s Club have also lent a helping hand, but Master Gardener Creda Stewart said they had their own motive to help out.

“When (Master Gardener treasurer) Bill McGehee passed away not too long ago, he used to go out and spend tons of time at Duncan Park. So during our last monthly meeting, we decided we would volunteer in his name and trim the plants and get things picked up, which is what he really wanted to do.”