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Gone but not forgotten: a tribute to closed courses


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When I returned to the Bay Area in December after a year away, I was alarmed to see even more courses gone.

Santa Clara Golf Club

Mare Island Golf Club

San Geronimo golf course

Deer Ridge

Van Buskirk municipal golf course

And courses I already knew about: Sunol Valley, Roddy Ranch, Shadow Lakes, Adobe Creek, The Ranch, Springtown. In Seattle, Kayak Point, The Wayne. In Finland (my current locale) the Vantaa golf club built 9 of 18 holes and lasted 1 season before shutting down.

It's too bad they have to go, but that's life sometimes. I thought I'd like to hear from others about courses closing in their own areas. It definitely stirs strange emotions when a local course goes under.

I mean this thread as somber 'last goodbye' of sorts, before they turn into overgrown weeds and condo complexes. If you've had a course close near you, give it a mention.

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Beckett Golf Club in New Jersey. Played there throughout high school and worked there for 3 years. Closed back at the end of 2018. Technically it is for sale, so it could return one day, but I'm not holding my breath. It was in bad condition for years and was not doing the business it needed to do to survive, so it was destined to be closed. I do miss it though. Here is a photo of my buddy on the par five 16th hole there.

 

0LONR64BU7VZ.jpg

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We used to take guys trips to two courses in Colorado. One was a horrible housing development decision and was never going to succeed. Now there is not a trace of a golf course, just sagebrush and rocks. One lost money for years, finally, the owner had enough and converted the course into a marijuana farm. Very nice course, although the staff was rude and unpleasant. Now, just green houses.

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Stevinson Ranch in Stevinson, CA. Growing up in the Central Valley this was the absolute mecca for us. Even when I moved out to Bay Area the 2 hour drive was well worth it. RIP Stevinson Ranch a victim of the recent California drought.

As was Diablo Grande's Legend Course. Good course brought to an early grave. RIP (they should've put a fork in the Ranch course and kept the Legends IMO).

 

 

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Rip Reno, NV

northgate

brookside

wild creek

di’andrea

Rose wood lakes.

Driver: Paradym 3D Ventus black TR 6x

3 wood: Paradym 3d Ventus black TR 7x

19 degree UW: Ventus black TR 8x

Mizuno Pro Fli Hi 4 utility Hazrdus black 90 6.5 X

5 -PW: Callaway Apex MB, KBS $ taper 130X

Wedges - Jaws raw 50, 54, 59 KBS $ taper 130x

Putter- Mutant Wilson Staff 8802 with stroke lab shaft
BALL; Chrome Soft X

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Beechtree in MD was a great Tom Doak track. Always loved my rounds there. Enjoyed Pecan Valley before it closed as well. Heather Glen was one of my first trips to Myrtle Beach.

 

I forgot El Diablo in Crystal Springs Florida. Was on my rotation when I visited my Grandparents in Florida. There, World Woods and Juliette Falls......

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That’s it. I spent a lot of summers there. $10 walk all day. It was probably more like 15 or more years ago.

Driver: Paradym 3D Ventus black TR 6x

3 wood: Paradym 3d Ventus black TR 7x

19 degree UW: Ventus black TR 8x

Mizuno Pro Fli Hi 4 utility Hazrdus black 90 6.5 X

5 -PW: Callaway Apex MB, KBS $ taper 130X

Wedges - Jaws raw 50, 54, 59 KBS $ taper 130x

Putter- Mutant Wilson Staff 8802 with stroke lab shaft
BALL; Chrome Soft X

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Blackhawk Run, Stockton IL. The course I learned how to play golf on. Loved it so much we built a house across the road from it in 1997.

AKX9C828ZOHN.jpgThis was a great long par 5 pic taken last fall after being turned in to pasture. :(

 

Ping G430 Max 10.5

Ping G430 5&7 Wood

Ping G430 19°,22° Hybrids

Callaway 2007 X-Forged 5-PW/ PXG Gen 6 XP's 7-SW

Ping Glide 58ES Wedge

Ping PLD DS72 / Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport 2.5+ 

Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving

 

 

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We just lost Indian Wells in Garden City Dec 21st--- That was my home course for 20 years and 4 ownership changes. I have to drive by it everyday. Also we lost Possum Trot in North Myrtle back in October from what I was told. One of the oldest courses here takes you back to golf in the 70s in this area.

Driver--- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha--- Speeder 565 R flex

5W  --- TM V Steel Fubuki 60r

7W --- TM V Steel UST Pro Force 65 R flex

9W--- TM V Steel Stock V Steel R flex shaft

Irons 5 thru PW TM TP CB Steel Fiber 95 R F

SW Callaway PM Grind 56* Modified Grind KBS Tour Wedge

LW Vokey SM5 L Grind 58* 04 bounce Stock Vokey Shaft

Putter Macgregor Bobby Grace Mark 4 V-Foil Broomstick

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Yep I was not in love with that course but hated to see it go.

Driver--- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha--- Speeder 565 R flex

5W  --- TM V Steel Fubuki 60r

7W --- TM V Steel UST Pro Force 65 R flex

9W--- TM V Steel Stock V Steel R flex shaft

Irons 5 thru PW TM TP CB Steel Fiber 95 R F

SW Callaway PM Grind 56* Modified Grind KBS Tour Wedge

LW Vokey SM5 L Grind 58* 04 bounce Stock Vokey Shaft

Putter Macgregor Bobby Grace Mark 4 V-Foil Broomstick

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Funny how even courses you don't like or sometimes outright hate still hurt to lose. Sunol Valley was little more than a cow pasture and I would never choose to play there unless there was nothing else. But when I heard it was closing I was playing multiple rounds, taking pictures, even got a flag. It may have been a dump but it was MY dump. (And a lot of players in the region felt the same; before the announcements you could always walk on. In the last weeks you simply couldn't get a tee time)

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Santa Clara GC was closed in Oct 2019. To be honest, I was surprised it was not closed when 49ers’ opened their Levi’s stadium. That piece of land in the heart of Silicon Valley is way too valuable to hit golf balls.

If you live in that part of San Francisco Bay Area, your only option is the about to open TopGolf facility. :)

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What is funny about that deal is literally the day after it closed the dozers were there doing their thing. Where the club house sat there is now an Aldi grocery store. The church I went to at that time ended up with all the concrete parking lot stop blocks free of charge. Actually my boss let us borrow my road tractor with the step deck and a forklift to get them. Most courses that close here sit undeveloped for years case in point Bay Tree sat closed right at 13 years before finally being developed . Robbers Roost the same amount of time. I used to play "The Stick" as we called it quite a bit because the pro then was an old Mini Tour bud. He was long gone to Florida before it closed. Lots of memories there too. One time we were playing #9 and a airplane landed in the 10th fairway with engine trouble. It was one of those beach banner planes. He made a great landing and no one was hurt and there was no damage to the course

Driver--- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha--- Speeder 565 R flex

5W  --- TM V Steel Fubuki 60r

7W --- TM V Steel UST Pro Force 65 R flex

9W--- TM V Steel Stock V Steel R flex shaft

Irons 5 thru PW TM TP CB Steel Fiber 95 R F

SW Callaway PM Grind 56* Modified Grind KBS Tour Wedge

LW Vokey SM5 L Grind 58* 04 bounce Stock Vokey Shaft

Putter Macgregor Bobby Grace Mark 4 V-Foil Broomstick

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Shame to see San Geronimo gone. Played a couple of times back in 2002 when I was on an assignment at UCSF Medical Center.

Same with Adobe Creek

Rogue ST Max LS Oban Devotion 6/03 10.5, -1* @45.25" 

Paradym 3HL  Kai’li 60 R
Ping G410 19*,  22* & 26* Riptide CB 80 5.5
Srixon ZX5 MKII 6-AW, SF i80cw R,  Or Cobra Forged Tec Black 6-GW, SF i95cw R   
PM Grind 2.0 54 and 58

Bettinardi Innovai Rev 6.0  33” 

 E.R.C. Soft TT/ Chrome Soft TT / TM Tour Response '20

 

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The course my house backs onto

Ping G400 LST 11* Ventus Black TR 5x

Ping G400 3w 15.1* Ventus Red 6x

Ping G400 7w 19.5* Blueboard Ion 63x

Ping G425 4h 22* Blueboard HY 80x

Ping i210 6i & s55 7i - PW Steelfiber 110s

Ping Glide Wrx 49*, 54*, 59*ES, Tour W 64* SF 125s

EvnRoll ER9
 

 

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The past ten years have cost central Ohio the following:

Winding Hollow CC (private)

Oakhurst CC (private)

Riviera CC (private)

Bridgeview GC (semiprivate)

Blackhawk GC (public)

Minerva Lakes GC (public - and the only course on which I've shot even par)

Raccoon International GC (public)

High Lands GC (private)

Phoenix Golf Links (public)

Shamrock GC (public)

Indian Springs GC (public)

There may be others. Frankly none of these is particularly worth mourning, except by those with their own nostalgic reasons.

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