Gone but not forgotten: a tribute to closed courses

[James the Hogan Fan]

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.

[Mitch Jordan]

We've had a number close here in the Myrtle Beach area. Marsh Harbor and Ocean Harbor are the two I miss the most.

[ThisColman]

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.

 

[farmer]

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.

[ThinkingPlus]

Santa Clara closed? The course with 14 doglegs. Sad.

Bluebonnet - Navasota, TX

Sycamore Canyon - Arvin, CA

Waco Valley Rose - Wasco, CA (was sold and I don't think it re-opened)

Horse Thief Country Club - Tehachapi, CA

 

[LeoLeo99]

I played Heather Glen when it first opened in Myrtle Beach. They had a Scottish guy in a kilt working the desk in the pro shop. It was my favorite course that we played that week out of many. Always wanted to go back there.

[jjr]

Pecan Valley, San Antonio,TX

[Gnucastle]

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).

 

 

[James the Hogan Fan]

Not to be too big of a downer, but the ranch course is now closed as well... They're both gone. Though the website optimistically says temporarily... I've never heard of a course coming back from a temporary closure.

[cacophony82]

RIP the Pit in Pinehurst, NC - Kinda a budget Tobacco rd built by Dan Maples

[darpar1]

Kokopelli just outside of Hurricane Ut. closed a few years ago due to bad management and not the best location.....BUT a new track just opened in Hurricane called Copper Rock and it's a pretty awesome layout!

[Stroke&Distance]

RIP Aetna Springs 2x. First version, a cheap dog track affordable for a college kid with a mixed iron set. The second a masterful Tom Doak redesign, just a beautiful course.

[Gnucastle]

Yah I saw that last night after i posted this. Bummer for all the folks who bought homes in Diablo Grande for the golf courses.

[golfandfishing]

RIP to Wolf Run in Zionsville, IN.

[caniac6]

I liked that course. Pinehurst bought the property, but I don't know what they are going to do with it.

[QuigleyDU]

Rip Reno, NV

northgate

brookside

wild creek

di’andrea

Rose wood lakes.

[shotmark]

Over the pond here in the UK, South Leeds GC closed just before Christmas. Although not the longest at around 5700 yards it was an Alister Mackenzie course. I was a member here for 25 years from 1976 so very sad to see it go.

[James the Hogan Fan]

Was Brookside the 9 holer by the airport? I don't recall what course that was by the airport, I played it all of 10 years ago.

[stevopagolf]

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......

[QuigleyDU]

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

[braincramp52]

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.

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

[BIG STU]

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.

[BIG STU]

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

[sittingbull]

Wicked Stixs. Myrtle Beach use to play that every year on our trips. Loved. The par 5 markers that said ==to far just hit it ==

[James the Hogan Fan]

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)

[Medson]

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. :)

[BIG STU]

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

[RainShadow]

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

[cardoustie]

The course my house backs onto

[MaxBuck]

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.