Tucson's most historic golf venue was not about to let a little frost spoil the day. Shaking off a mid-January chill, the 76-year-old Trini Alvarez-El Rio Golf Course was at its finest Thursday morning as dignitaries and architects of its restoration gathered for the official dedication. In planning the $2.9 million revamping, local designer Ken Kavanaugh pored over aerial photos and walked the links with West Side golfers who have played the course for some 60 years. "This is Tucson's museum of golf," Kavanaugh said. "I stress that it is a restoration, not a redesign." It is obvious that Kavanaugh's leg work and vision paid off in returning the lush, 18-hole layout to its roots. El Rio hosted the Tucson Open from 1945 to 1962, featuring golf royalty such as Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and even golf's first female in a men's event, Babe Zaharius. "The first thing people will notice is the bunkers - they're deeper and there's more of them," Kavanaugh explained. "And we've recreated the original greens, and added about 150 yards for today's technology." El Rio - located at 1400 W. Speedway - will also be home to the World Golf Foundation's 185th First Tee program, a short, three-hole layout built over the previous driving range. Junior tees and a junior practice area were also added to the course, which had been closed for eight months. Construction of a learning center is scheduled to begin in May adjacent to the First Tee. It will be a place where youth can learn life skills in addition to golf, according to PGA Tour architect Brandon Johnson. "The First Tee puts golf where it really isn't in communities that don't have access to golf," Johnson said. "History is sort of coming full circle with the past elegance of the course blended with community opportunities for our youth our future." Overall improvements included a new irrigation system and re-grassing the entire course. The City of Tucson provided $1.24 million in funding for the project; the rest was split between the Tucson Conquistadores ($841,000), the First Tee program of the World Golf Foundation ($650,000 in-kind) and PGA Tour Design Services ($150,000 in-kind). The course re-opens for public play today but will be closed briefly in May or June for re-grassing.