The evidence is overwhelming.  Golf, once a booming sport, is dying.  Over 800 courses around the country have closed in the last decade.  Ever since Tiger Woods fell from grace, the willingness of the general public to spend thousands of dollars on clubs, lessons, and green fees has waned.  Not to mention the amount of time it takes to play a round; in today's I-want-it-and-I-want-it-now world, four hours seems like an eternity. With the disparities in today's incomes, golf will once again be relegated to a pastime for rich people and may become as quaint as polo.

In the last couple of years two of the areas oldest and prettiest country clubs have closed.  Palmetto Country Club in Benton closed its doors in January of 2015; it's now been purchased by Willis-Knighton and will become a retirement community.

The over 100-year-old Shreveport Country Club closed in October of last year; now a company called New Day Recovery is asking for a zoning change to allow them to build a rehab clinic and short-term living facility.  Another 117 acres would be turned into a residential area.  Current area residents are understandably concerned about the rezoning because of what it might mean for their property values. The Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission will consider the request in their Wednesday meeting.

 

 

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