[John Avram]

Wondering how many courses permanently closed in the last calendar year (not counting courses that are closed temporarily for renovation).  We lost one here near Boulder, Coal Creek Golf Course.  It was a victim of the torrential rains that we got back in September, and I have heard rumors that it may remain as open space now.

[Mike Nuzzo]

John
It might take a while to name each closure.
It would be easier to name the openings.

Via a recent e-mail:

The NGF preliminary numbers were 158.5 closures and 14 openings.
Below is the accompanying chart.
Which looks like a net zero over the last 13 years.



Cheers

[John Avram]

Here are the openings for 2013:
1) Streamsong Resort Blue
2) Dismal River Red
3) Max A Mandel Municipal
4) Sewailo Golf Club
5) The Cliffs at Mountain Park
6) Rock Creek Golf Club
7) The Grove
Summit Rock Golf Club
9) Fyre Lake Golf Club
10) Streamsong Resort Red
11) Sutton Bay Club, Agar
12) Mystic Creek, Resurrection
13) Kohanaiki Golf & Ocean Club
14) Potomac Shores Golf Club
15) Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point

Doing a couple of hours of research,  here is a list I put together of what closed (incomplete):

Walnut Hill   Columbus Ohio
Dogwood Hills Golf Club   South Carolina
Crooked Tree Golf Course   Mason Ohio
Escondido Country Club   San Diego
Sarasota Golf Club   Sarasota
Middle Bay Country Club   Long Island
Gleneagle Golf Club   Colorado Springs
Ballinger Lake Golf Course   Seattle
Osprey Ridge   Orlando
Dix Hills Golf Club   Long Island
Ocean Meadows Golf Club    Santa Barbara
Forbes Golf Course   Topeka
Centre Hills Golf Course    Aurora
River Ben Golf Course   Hastings MI
Centennial Country Club   Grand Rapids
Hidden Valley Golf Course    Gun Lake MI
The Range Golf Club & Sports Bar   Austin
Rogell Golf Course   Detroit
Sawmill Golf Course   Stillwater MN
Elm Creek Golf Course    Plymouth MN
Mississipi National Golf Links   Redwing MN

Most of these are older courses, a common theme seems to be that with the number of rounds down,  the land is just too valuable to remain a golf course.

[Jim Sherma]

Hershey Links - formerly known as Wren Dale - closed this year. Hurdzan and Fry from 2000.

[Keith OHalloran]

If that is a complete list of courses opened in the US, I would hate to be one of the five that didn't make Golf Digest's "top ten new courses of 2013" list!

[BHoover]

Not sure whether it should count as 2012 or 2013, but Acacia CC (Ross) near Cleveland closed for good. I believe that Bill McKinley and Joe Leenheer played one the last rounds at the club. I think the grounds are now being reverted to greenspace and public parklands. The city was opposed to the sale to a conservation group because of the potential tax $$ associated with commercial development.

[Richard Hetzel]

Thank goodnees Crooked Tree GC in Mason Ohio closed. A poor excuse for a golf course and we are all better off for it closing. I am of the opinion that "thinning out" the weak and diseased in the herd is a good thing sometimes expecially if I do not care for the course. Rogell GC (Ross) in Michigan was sold off to become a cemetery, I played it a few years back to get if crossed off the list as I knew it's days were numbered when the city sold it off to a local church. It really suffered from flooding, poor drainage and it was in a shady neighborhood. When I got out of the car, a pit bull greeting me in the lot. It took me a few minutes to decide if I really wanted to play there.

[Tim Leahy]

Wondering how many courses permanently closed in the last calendar year (not counting courses that are closed temporarily for renovation).  We lost one here near Boulder, Coal Creek Golf Course.  It was a victim of the torrential rains that we got back in September, and I have heard rumors that it may remain as open space now.

I think I played Coal Creek, was it near the freeway? Fun course.

[JWL]

Under the list of courses that supposedly opened in 2013.  It should be known that Trump Links at Ferry Point Park will not officially open until the spring of 2015.

[Brad Tufts]

Wow Osprey Ridge...didn't know that one closed.

Have a conference at Disney in March and was going to try to play there again...

[Greg Chambers]

Wondering how many courses permanently closed in the last calendar year (not counting courses that are closed temporarily for renovation).  We lost one here near Boulder, Coal Creek Golf Course.  It was a victim of the torrential rains that we got back in September, and I have heard rumors that it may remain as open space now.

I think I played Coal Creek, was it near the freeway? Fun course.

It was next to the freeway...on the way to Boulder.  It was the second course I worked at, and I'm sad to hear it may not reopen.  I had some great times there!  It was a fun course...Dick Phelps design...nothing special.  But it was a solid design, fun to play, and very maintenance friendly!  

[Bill_McBride]

Brad Tufts said, "Wow Osprey Ridge...didn't know that one closed.

Have a conference at Disney in March and was going to try to play there again..."

I thought it was the best of the Disney courses.   Bummer. 

[Rees Milikin]

I am pretty sure Sugarloaf Mtn closed in 2013

[Brad Tufts]

Brad Tufts said, "Wow Osprey Ridge...didn't know that one closed.

Have a conference at Disney in March and was going to try to play there again..."

I thought it was the best of the Disney courses.   Bummer. 

I agree Bill...that was the consensus.  I've played the new Waldorf Astoria course and it was ok, if a bit forgettable.

I guess after searching around OR is not totally dead yet.  It might re-open after a year when the Four Seasons and surrounding development are finished (the same development that killed Eagle Pines c. 2007), likely with a bunch of new holes necessitated by the construction.

So, the original configuration is NLE, but the course may reopen with some of the old holes in play eventually.

[John Avram]

Wondering how many courses permanently closed in the last calendar year (not counting courses that are closed temporarily for renovation).  We lost one here near Boulder, Coal Creek Golf Course.  It was a victim of the torrential rains that we got back in September, and I have heard rumors that it may remain as open space now.

I think I played Coal Creek, was it near the freeway? Fun course.

Yeah,  right near US-36 (The Boulder Turnpike).  It was a fun course. 

Here is some crazy video of the course during the flooding.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJVa1_Zr75M  The Boulder area got something like 14 inches of rain in 24 hours,  which is about as much as they average for a whole year.

[Matthew Rose]

Wow Osprey Ridge...didn't know that one closed.

Have a conference at Disney in March and was going to try to play there again...

Yeah, that's a bummer. I have some very good memories of that place. Shot -11 in a 3-man scramble with my brother and my dad and won his company tournament. I made a 40-foot eagle putt on #9.

[Matthew Petersen]

I played Coal Creek and Gleneagles in CO a few times. What really hurts my heart is to read that Centre Hills in Aurora closed. One of the places I learned the game.

Most of the places where I learned to play are gone now ...

[Kirk Gill]

There may be more recent news, but here's an article saying that Coal Creek may have a future.

http://www.dailycamera.com/louisville-news/ci_24454735/louisville-take-over-management-coal-creek-golf-course

Is it wrong for me, as a student of quality Golf Course Architecture, to love that downhill par-4 right next to the highway? Let me be guilty. It is the only hole on the course I can remember off the top of my head.........

[Pete Buczkowski]

Wow Osprey Ridge...didn't know that one closed.

Have a conference at Disney in March and was going to try to play there again...

Osprey did close last year but only because it will be part of the new Four Seasons property.  It is being renovated and will have a new 18th hole as the resort is built over the previous closer.  I believe the FS resort and the golf course open in July.

Sugarloaf closed in 2012 

[John Avram]

I played Coal Creek and Gleneagles in CO a few times. What really hurts my heart is to read that Centre Hills in Aurora closed. One of the places I learned the game.

Most of the places where I learned to play are gone now ...

That is the shame of it all,  the par-3 and municipal courses where lots of folks first learned the game are closing in droves,  and very few courses of these types are opening to take their place.  Kind of makes me wonder how future generations are going to learn the game.  I can certainly appreciate the economics of it all,  but it is sad...

[Matt Bosela]

The two courses at Kananaskis in Alberta closed last year due to the heavy storms/floods that ravaged the province.

At this point, it's unknown if the courses will ever re-open due to the incredible damage.

[Jim Hoak]

I assume that operating costs in general are a primary cause of closures, but I wonder how many are directly related to water costs and availability?  I know that is a major concern of the USGA, as water becomes a bigger issue in the US, and the patience of the public for use on golf courses becomes even less.

[Nick Church]

Found this unofficial blog posting regarding the plans for Osprey @ WDW:

http://www.wdwgolf.com/2013/04/22/osprey-ridge-golf-course-to-close-and-a-palm-golf-course-update/

[Joe_Tucholski]

A par 3 course just off the 405 in LA called Dominguez Hills Golf Course closed.  The course had the giant lumber jack looking guy and was across from the home of the Goodyear blimp.

[JLahrman]

Thank goodnees Crooked Tree GC in Mason Ohio closed. A poor excuse for a golf course and we are all better off for it closing. I am of the opinion that "thinning out" the weak and diseased in the herd is a good thing sometimes expecially if I do not care for the course. Rogell GC (Ross) in Michigan was sold off to become a cemetery, I played it a few years back to get if crossed off the list as I knew it's days were numbered when the city sold it off to a local church. It really suffered from flooding, poor drainage and it was in a shady neighborhood. When I got out of the car, a pit bull greeting me in the lot. It took me a few minutes to decide if I really wanted to play there.

I would not root for any golf course to close, but if one in the Cincinnati area was going to close I would second the Crooked Tree closing. I played it many times, though not in quite awhile, and there were just not many good holes there at all. #3 and #4 were OK, #13 on the back. Lots of just plain bad holes (#1, #2, #8, #9, #10, #14, #18, and I'm being kind to the others).

I do like pit bulls, however.

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