Desolation Row, february 26, 2016

     Daufuskie Island, South Carolina. If local government officials don’t mind looking at more rooftops, Bloody Point Golf Club will soon be history. Brian McCarthy, who’s owned Bloody Point since 2011, has proposed to replace the layout’s greens and fairways with houses, an inn, and commercial space. “You hate to see it go, but you can’t run it if you’re not making money,” one of McCarthy’s representatives told Beaufort County’s planning commission. He added: “It’s under-performing as golf, and they’re trying to position the property in a way that can respond to today’s market.” Bloody Point’s 18-hole golf course, originally part of Daufuskie Island Resort, was co-designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and opened in 1991. It went bankrupt and was abandoned before McCarthy bought it, and he reportedly spent $2 million on upgrades that didn’t increase play. If you’re wondering if any tears are being shed, McCarthy’s proposal has been unanimously endorsed by Bloody Point’s property owners association.

     Naples, Florida. Robert Vocisano has been reading the writing on the wall, so he’s proposed an alternative use for Golden Gate Country Club, a venue he and his brother have owned since 1972. “Golf is falling off,” he told the Naples News. “Young people aren't taking to it. To spend four hours hitting a ball around is just not their thing.” Golden Gate’s 18-hole, Dick Wilson-designed course was “among the first in Collier County,” according to the newspaper, and “one of the go-to spots for golfers lacking the resources to buy into a private club.” But Vocisano says that the club nowadays loses about $600,000 a year and is, in the newspaper’s words, “unable to compete.” Vocisano does, however, believe that Golden Gate can compete as a subdivision, and he’s petitioned local planning officials to let him make the change.

     Hamilton, Ohio. Time has run out on Vista Verde Golf Course. A home builder has purchased the 103-acre property, which it believes is “a great location” for 145 single-family houses. Vista Verde’s 18-hole, Eldon Smith-designed track opened in 1988.

     Bloomington, Indiana. Presuming that Mark and Bobby Thompson kept their promise, Eagle Pointe Golf Course closed at the end of 2015. Perhaps not permanently, however. Though Eagle Pointe has reportedly been “struggling to stay open for some time,” the Thompsons believe they can sell the 18-hole, 43-year-old layout in time for a reopening this spring. The asking price: $2.5 million. “The recession has been hard on golf courses because golf is an expensive sport and it’s easy to give up when things get tight,” the president of Eagle Pointe’s “umbrella” homeowners association told the Bloomington Herald-Times. “Some have moved on to bigger and better things, and others have had less appealing things happening to them.” And though it pains me to say it, this story comes with a sad postscript: A local radio station says that the resort’s employees were notified of the course’s closing not in person or even via a phone call, but by mail. One saving grace: A letter is preferable to a text message.

     Shelburne, Vermont. Come 2018 or maybe 2019, Kwiniaska Golf Course is going to lose half of its holes. Bonnie Caldwell, responding to what the Shelburne News describes as “shifts in golf trends,” has agreed to sell nine of Kwiniaska’s holes to a residential developer who’ll eventually populate the acreage with as many as 102 housing units. Kwiniaska opened in 1964, and it was designed by A. B. Caldwell, who appears to be Caldwell’s father. As an 18-hole track, it hosted Vermont’s men’s amateur championship in 1994 and 2009.

     Bluffton, South Carolina. For the second time, United Company has set out to close and redevelop Hilton Head National Golf Club. Acting through Scratch Golf, United has requested a zoning change that, if approved, will enable it to convert the club’s 18-hole course into something more profitable. United last made such a proposal in 2013, but its request was denied. Hilton Head National, which occupies 310 acres, once had a 27-hole complex. Half of its existing layout was designed by Gary Player, half by Bobby Weed.

     Windermere, Florida. The clock is ticking on Windermere Country Club. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the club will close in April, so its owner, Canadian developer Bryan DeCunha, can replace its 18-hole, Ward Northrup-designed course with houses. Residents in the area have voiced their objections, but DeCunha is counting on support from Orange County’s elected officials. He owns a golf course in suburban Hamilton, Ontario, and he claims to have an “entrepreneurial spirit” and a “passion for the game of golf.”