Another Storied Course Closes - Texas' Pecan Valley

The 9th at Pecan Valley.   For the fifth consecutive year, American golf course closures outnumbered new course openings.  The courses are not necessarily the unheralded nondescript ones closing either.  San Antonio's Pecan Valley is the latest relatively famous course to close.  Built in 1963 by Press Maxwell, the course has been long considered an excellent public course and underwent considerable renovations in 1998.  In fact, Pecan Valley is the first major championship site to close in the United States since Pomonok Country Club in Queens, New York, site of the 1939 PGA Championship, was sold in 1949. It surprised people when Pecan Valley was chosen in 1968 to host the PGA Championship.  Whether it was of major championship caliber is debatable, but it was certainly a better than average course with some of the oldest trees in Texas on the property that defined the challenge making it a shot-maker's course.  It was no wonder when two excellent ball-strikers contended there.  Julius Boros edged out Arnold Palmer in a thrilling finish to win and become the oldest major championship winner at the age of 48.  Palmer was always known for his heroics and a plaque marks the spot on the 18th hole where Palmer hit a screaming 3-wood onto the long par-four green only to miss a 12 foot putt.  Moments later, Boros responded wedging close enough to secure a par and the victory. Pecan Valley also hosted the 1967 , 1969, and 1970 Texas Opens in addition to the USGA's Public Links Championship in 2001. According to documents, no plans for redevelopment have been submitted for the property, but the layout is a popular one and it is hoped that someone may take over control and re-open it at some point. There is local support to reopen the layout.  A local stockbroker Chip Puhl, a former golf pro and USGA volunteer, is spearheading a plan to purchase the course and turn it over to the city as a municipal layout. He plans to follow the foundation model, which helped save East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. We're in this fight until the very end, until we win this battle or there is nothing left to fight for, Puhl said.  Puhl plans to create a new organization called the San Antonio Municipal Golf Foundation to raise money to purchase the course and turn it over to the city. Puhl said he hoped to raise $2.5 million and already has pledges from some wealthy local citizens.  The problem is that the golf course owner may not be a willing seller.  They may get more money for the property by converting it to housing. Pecan Valley's owner is Foresight Golf Management which also operates a successful and highly acclaimed public course just three miles away, The Republic, which it has actively marketed as a replacement for Pecan Valley.  In talking points passed out to Pecan Valley employees last week, Foresight said closing Pecan Valley was not an easy decision but the course was too difficult for the average golfer and was not financially viable. Ed Miller, CEO of Foresight, said he doubted the course would reopen under new management.  I talked to a few people about it, but mainly I've tried to talk them out of it, Miller said. We probably wouldn't rule out any alternative, but I don't think golf is the best alternative for that property.  Miller confirmed previous reports that Foresight had gone to the city last fall with a proposal for multi-family housing and a nine-hole course at Pecan Valley.  Is golf the best and highest use of the Pecan Valley property?  Time will tell, but for now there is no more golf at Pecan Valley.    

Bill Clinton stamps his imprint on Humana Challenge

If Bill Clinton ever tires of having the best job in the world, he might want to consider running for office. The avid golfer and uber-popular former denizen of the Oval Office, who teed it up Saturday as Greg Norman’s amateur partner in the third round of the Humana Challenge, has charmed players, wives, celebrities, fans, and media types all week in his dual roles as savior of the tournament formerly known as the Bob Hope Classic and one-man PR machine for healthy living. The PGA Tour announced last April that it had inked an eight-year deal with new title sponsor Humana and the William J. Clinton Foundation to honor Hope with a new backer, name, format, and focus on healthy lifestyle practices. The 65-year-old 42nd president, who has shed 25 pounds and become a vegetarian after undergoing heart surgery, has done far more than lend his name and throw some of his Clinton Foundation money at the event. Clinton has hosted a full-day health summit highlighting his long-term commitment to building the tournament and improving Americans’ health, chatted up participants and spectators, and created so much buzz with his charismatic accessibility that observers believe some of golf’s bigger names may be sorry they chose to stay away. I think the players aren’t here this week, through word of mouth, are going to think that they missed a really cool event, Golf Digest’s Ron Sirak told The Golf Club Radio Show’s Danielle Tucker Saturday after Clinton spent Thursday walking the range and shaking the hands of each player and caddie. It’s going to be word of mouth that spreads next week at the Torrey Pines [Farmers Insurance Open] tournament, players who were here are going to be talking to players who weren’t here about the event, Sirak said. Players who weren’t here are going to overhear discussions among players who were here about, ‘wow, it was really cool on Thursday night at the party when the president came over.' Second-round co-leader Ben Crane was likely to be one of those golfers spreading the word after Clinton expressed such interest in an organization near and dear to him and his wife. Heather Crane, a board member of Love 146, which works on eliminating child sex trafficking, thanked Clinton and his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for their concern for the issue. [Heather] really appreciates [the Clinton] family's work on sex trafficking, Crane told reporters after firing a 9-under on Friday at PGA West.That was really fun to engage with him on that. And that was something that my wife and I are very passionate about helping the kids out and growing the awareness. Meanwhile, it was slow going out on the course for the former president and his playing partner. After Clinton almost drilled a few fans -- who were following the president’s foursome in droves -- with shanks on the second hole at Palmer Course at PGA West, according to reports, he and Norman had made it through nine holes in almost three hours. Good thing Luke Donald, who’s not too fond of slow play on tour, was nowhere to be seen. As for tourney leader, Mark Wilson, he got off to a sizzling par, birdie, birdie, eagle start at La Quinta Country Club to get to 21-under through 15 holes that came to a screeching halt when officials suspended play because of strong winds at La Quinta. But the two-time 2011 winner held a slight lead over Crane, who made back-to-back birdies on La Quinta’s fifth and sixth and was at three shots back through 12. Meanwhile, Robert Garrigus had his tiny putter working overtime as he was working on the day’s low round. Garrigus was 9-under through 13 at PGA West and had climbed into a tie for third place at 16-under.  

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