The Detroit News has an article on how the economic slump in Michigan is affecting the area’s golf courses. Michigan has more public golf courses than any state in the country, and the inhabitants are golf-mad. But as the domestic auto industry continues to slide, people just aren’t playing as much as they used to.
And there’s another angle that I’d never thought of. Many courses survived on profits from corporate outings and the like—things that are going by the wayside as corporations cut their budgets.
I know of one course that I liked to play that has closed … its making way for a housing development. And I expect to see many more, as the sale of the land will reap an owner far more profit than a marginal course ever could.
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Truly sad. I started playing weekly or more last year and the public course closest to my work (about 5 miles), was sold to my company which is right now plowing it under for a distribution center.
Our execs are heartless! My office overlooks TPC Southwind and I watch people playing all day long and then the company closes the closest course I can afford to play!
BTW- 800 courses in Michigan. Holy Jeez!