Desolation Row, january 29, 2016

     Sunol, California. Sunol Valley Golf Club, a two-course venue that aimed to offer “a country-club feel for the blue-collar worker,” ceased operations earlier this month. The Ivaldi family, which had operated Sunol Valley from the day it opened in 1968, blamed the club’s demise on the economy, a saturated local golf market, and the state’s persistent drought. “It just isn’t feasible to continue to operate a 36-hole golf course under the current circumstances,” the club’s general manager told the Contra Costa Times. Sunol Valley rang up roughly 68,000 rounds last year, about half the number it attracted in the late 1990s. The club is located 280 acres owned by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which doesn’t appear to have a jones for golf.

     Dartmouth, Massachusetts. The end of the year was the end of the line for Hawthorne Country Club. Hawthorne, which opened in 1968, was especially vulnerable, for it featured a nine-hole golf course. Its operation had “proven not to be economically viable,” according to its owner, Kevin Santos. “It was a difficult decision,” Santos told South Coast Today, “but I have to accept the reality of the business.” Santos bought the 56-acre club at an auction in 2011, reportedly for $2.5 million. Citing a local assessment, the newspaper says the property is currently worth $1.6 million.

     Hollywood, Florida. It’s not official yet, but it now appears that both of the golf courses in the Hillcrest community will be lost to residential development. Hillcrest’s nine-hole, executive-length track, supposedly an ideal site for two condo towers, was closed years ago, and in late 2015 local officials also blessed a proposal to eliminate the 18-hole course at Hillcrest Golf & Country Club. The houses can’t be built until the proposal is approved by county and state officials, but City Hall has made its opinion crystal clear. “People are asking for new homes,” a city commissioner told the Sun-Sentinel. “This really rejuvenates our whole city.” The club, which features a layout that was co-designed by Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge, opened in 1965. The course was subsequently redesigned by Joe Lee.

     Clifton Park, New York. On the last day of last year, the owner of Eagle Crest Golf Course submitted a redevelopment proposal to town officials. William Paulsen, Jr. is seeking permission to replace his 18-hole, 206-acre golf course with housing for seniors, a move he reportedly believes is necessary to protect his investment. The course was designed by Gino Turchi, its original owner, and opened in 1965. Paulsen has owned the property since 1991.

     Jacksonville, Texas. The venue that opened in 1936 as Cherokee Country Club and briefly operated as the Challenge at the Woods is no longer in business, and the Jacksonville Daily Progress reports that much of its perimeter has been “secured by a barbed-wire fence.” Glen Rhodes, reportedly a veterinarian from Louisiana, bought the venue in early 2014 and renamed it Jacksonville Country Club.. According to the newspaper, the club “faced a challenging economic environment.”

     Huntsville, Alabama. The golf course adjacent to Huntsville International Airport is about to be grounded for eternity. Sunset Landing Golf Course, a Bob Baldock design that dates from the late 1960s, will close at the end of the month, and its roughly 100 acres will eventually be used for airport expansion.

     Leesburg, Virginia. If it makes you feel any better, you can think of Goose Creek Golf Club as being only half dead. The home builder that bought Goose Creek in 2000 has, after a long battle, won permission to raze half of the club’s 18 holes and replace them with single-family houses, townhouses, a hotel, and a restaurant. As the club stood, the home builder told elected officials in fast-growing Loudoun County, it didn’t “represent a reasonably viable economic use.” Goose Creek’s William Gordon-designed course opened in 1952. The 111-acre track was redesigned by Rick Jacobson in the mid 2000s.

     Loogootee, Indiana. Speaking of courses being cut in half, a solar-energy farm is going to claim nine of the holes at Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center’s golf course. The naval center, in the southwestern part of the state, opened Eagle View Golf Course in 1966. But today, according to a spokesperson for the facility, the course is “being underutilized and is suitable for this alternative energy project.” Duke Energy hopes that the 76,000 solar panels it plants on the property will begin producing electricity before the end of this year.

     Holts Summit, Missouri. Does bad news really come in threes? Because the 17-year-old, Larry Flatt-designed course at Railwood Golf Club has also lost nine of its 18 holes. “The owner just decided that it was time to do something different with part of the property,” the club’s general manager told the Jefferson City News Tribune. I don’t know about you, but I’m betting that the “something different” involves houses.