News 12 at 6 o'clock, March 15, 2010

AUGUSTA---Augusta is planning to seal a multi-million dollar deal with the state of Georgia. Six legends of golf have been moved out of storage and into a new home.

We're talking about those 6 statues that have been locked away in storage for years after state funding dried up for the Golf Hall of Fame.

"I'm just excited to have them here in Augusta," said Augusta Museum of History director Nancy Glaser.

6 of golf's greatest players are now getting back in the swing of things.
"It was just a shame that they were sitting in storage collecting dust," said museum of history board member Mike Downing.

Downing and his local company volunteered to help move the 1,000 pound life-size statues.

"No pressure at all," laughed Downing. "I got the best guys in the business over there working on it."

"We could not have done it without that kind of a team behind this," said Nancy. "Our operations budget has been cut. There is no way that we could have done it."

Downing says it would generally cost about $2,200 to relocate the statues. He donated the service.

Raymond, Ben, the Golden Bear, Arnie, and Lord Byron's statues are each worth more than $70,000.

"My hats off to them," said Augusta mayor Deke Copenhaver. "They have done a wonderful job to get them back on public display."
Now the question becomes what will come of the statues original home...the state owned Golf Hall of Fame.

"If nothing else," said Copenhaver. "Lets just go to the free market and test the waters on this thing."

"I am confident that we are going to do something," said Sen. Hardie Davis.

The 17 acre lot now sits in downtown Augusta growing weeds.
"My job is to simply secure through legislation this property," said Davis. "I anticipate it will happen."

The gardens have been closed for close to 3 years. If all goes according to plan the state will loan the statues to the museum for the next 15 years. The statues are part of a larger new golf exhibit that opens to the public Friday.

Time is running out for the city to secure the Golf and Gardens property. The city will have to come up with a plan to get the property before the legislative session ends March 29, 2010.