Business Insider reveals that over 800 golf courses have closed within the last decade. Golf-industry researcher Pellucid shows that the number of regular golfers has fallen from 30 million to 20.9 million between 2002 and 2016. Unfortunately, as the previous generation ages, millennials aren’t replacing them on the course.
According to The Washington Post, Sports and Fitness Industry Association data shows there’s been a 35% decline in those playing golf between the ages of 18 and 30. Business Insider reveals that over 800 golf courses have closed within the last decade.
Unfortunately, the Grand Strand lost two more popular choices to lead our annual list of the most notable permanent course closures. The par-6 closing hole at Farmstead lets you hit shots in both South and North Carolina. Courtesy of Farmstead Golf Links
Not everyone in the golf industry opposes the state’s water conservation plan. Chip Howard, an agronomist and golf industry consultant, said that with a few exceptions, “I find this plan to be fair and equitable among golf courses.”
But another group of closures has sprung up in the last four years. Wicked Stick Golf Links , a John Daly Signature Course, closed in September 2015 after about 20 years in business. It succeeded the demises of three other, older layouts: Cypress Bay Golf Club in North Myrtle Beach, Heron Point Golf Club in Murrells Inlet and the 27-hole Waterway Hills Golf Links, long known for the iconic tramway which conveyed golfers from the parking lot across the Intracoastal Waterway to the clubhouse for nearly a half-century. More recently, Island Green Golf Club , Black Bear Golf Club and Brierwood Golf Club have also shut their doors. The Grand Strand's southernmost course, Wedgefield Plantation, also closed recently, but in the last few weeks it was bought by a couple who intend to reopen it. Another course, Heather Glen Golf Links in Little River, may be redeveloped as early as early 2018.
Located a few miles west of the city of Tyler, Twin Lakes went out of business at the end of July. The course was less than 20 years old, and was beloved of the locals for the quality of the layout and the relatively inexpensive green fees. It was a picturesque course, too, with a run of holes set around a lake. The owner, South African native and tree farmer Deon Dekkers, decided to put the land to other uses after tornadoes ravage part of the property earlier this year.
Wynn Golf Club, right on the Strip in Las Vegas and one of the most expensive golf courses you can play, will be closing for good sometime in the next few months. Gone will be the compact, 6,400-yard Tom Fazio-designed par-70 course in the shadow of the Wynn Las Vegas casino and hotel.
But another appeal by Clublink will be made to the town in a few weeks, so the course may not yet be totally safe.
Ah, local politics. Ocean Breeze, a 27-hole layout that closed in mid-2016, cits at the center of some big plans the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District has. Earlier this year, the District agreed to pay Ocean Breeze owner Lennar Homes LLC $24 million for the defunct course and adjacent hotel structure. Likewise, it plans to rehab Ocean Breeze into a spiffy new municipal golf facility - at an estimated cost of $10 to $12 million - and sell its existing muni course for as much as $70 million to one of a few developers, who will then turn the property a few miles west of town into a housing development. But while plans to sell the muni are proceeding, the Ocean Breeze purchase isn't 100% final. Again I say: ah, local politics.
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Business Insider reveals that over 800 golf courses have closed within the last decade. Golf-industry researcher Pellucid shows that the number of regular golfers has fallen from 30 million to 20.9 million between 2002 and 2016.
Many of these areas are zoned as commercial to accommodate clubhouses, restaurants, and bars that often accompany golf courses. Because these zoning restrictions can be hard to change, many instead work within the current limitations and build shopping centers, office space, or industrial parks instead.
According to golf course architect William Amick, the average course requires 140 to 180 acres of land. When those courses close, the land becomes available for a number of new projects.
The golf course, once abundant across American suburbs, represented status and exclusivity for those who could afford to play the game. Even in areas with more modest income, golf was often seen as a way for the business elite to mix and mingle.
Plus, golf courses are normally in wealthier areas, which means these new homes will include access to quality schools and workplaces. But many who already live in those neighborhoods aren’t keen on the idea of building more homes or apartments. They would rather see the land become into parks or reservation areas.
Buschatzke began with an overview of Arizona’s worsening water challenges, including the declining reservoirs of the Colorado River, which store water that flows through the Central Arizona Project Canal to desert cities from Scottsdale to Tucson.
Buschatzke replied that he and his staff “recognize the need to have a program that allows the golf industry to continue to move forward.” He said they’ll continue to accept comments about any of the proposals.
One subject that came up only once during the meeting was climate change, when Buschatzke briefly uttered the words and referred to the “long-term effects finally hitting us from the drier future.”
California Assemblymember Cristina Garcia is proposing legislation that would change the status of many municipal golf courses in the state, opening the land for residential housing. Garcia's bill , AB 672, targets municipal golf courses in high-density and park-poor areas and says municipal golf courses could be rezoned into housing developments ...
AB 672 is not one of them. It ignores locals control, threatens important programs and opened the door for future tax increases," Mayes said in a statement. Kessler said of the more than 1,100 golf courses in California, approximately 70% are public and 22% are municipal, meaning they are owned by either a city or a county.
Golf clubs, golf facilities – both indoor and outdoor – and driving ranges will be required to close during this full lockdown.
The UK Government has announced a complete lockdown of England with immediate effect. This means everyone must work from home where possible, except for critical workers, and it will supersede all local restrictions currently in place. Golf clubs, golf facilities – both indoor and outdoor – and driving ranges will be required to close ...