In the case of Acacia CC in the Cleveland Ohio area, the course is being returned to a city park or "reservation".
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/05/cleveland_metroparks_acacia_a_former.htmlAn excerpt from the article by James Ewinger of "The Plain Dealer" , May 20, 2013 >
" LYNDHURST, Ohio --The Cleveland Metroparks will attempt what few have undertaken before as the park system converts the former Acacia Country Club into its newest reservation.
Strictly speaking, it already is the 17th park in the Emerald Necklace and is open to the public. The loose plan is to erase all traces of golf and turn the land back to a heavily forested state. Actually, that’s more than a plan, it’s an obligation (see deed with restrictions in the document viewer below).
The Conservation Fund, a Virginia-based private nonprofit conservation group, paid more than $14 million for the club last year and deeded it over to the Metroparks in December, under several restrictions including a requirement that it will never be used for golf and will return to nature instead.
Matt Sexton, a Shaker Heights native and a senior vice president with the Conservation Fund, said the organization began working to acquire the course a year ago. “We approached the Metroparks to see what their interest would be in owning and managing the property. The purpose of conveying it to the Metroparks was to turn it back into a preserve and a park.” "