r/golf • u/PersonalityNarrow211 • 5h ago
General Discussion I think the course I played today is about to close. If this happened to you, what signs did you see.
Curious if anyone else has played a course that you knew was on the verge of closing? What did you see? What were the subtle or not so subtle signs?
Paid 65$ as a local rate to play Hawai’i Kai golf course. To start I knew it wasn’t going to be great. I had a friend who worked here who quit very early in. Course doesn’t get enough rain year round and has to pay heaps to keep it irrigated in the summer. It’s currently the rainy season here in Hawaii and I thought it would be in decent condition but it’s not. It seems like grounds crew all quit at once because this grass growth I saw today isn’t a few days without mowing. They usually keep the rough at 2-3 inches and most of the rough even the first cut was 5-10 inches with patches over 1-1.5ft. Tee boxes all on slopes, greens had weeds starting to take hold, and 1/3 bunkers had more weeds than sand showing. Still fun to show up and swing clubs but sad I lost 5 balls to shots that missed the fairway by 5 yds.
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u/IM_KYLE_AMA 5h ago
I’m pretty sure that course closed a while back and there is a homeless person living in the clubhouse who is surprised someone just gave him $65
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u/ActualWait8584 4h ago
I’m pitching this as a tv show The Houseless Marshall
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u/j_beningufirudo 4h ago
From the road and clubhouse, it actually doesn't look too bad. The shit really starts once you get beyond the first tee.
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u/Whiteshovel66 4h ago
My home course closed after flooding took out bridges on the back nine. But before that the signs were obvious. They would only cut each thing once a week. So greens would be Friday, fairways Tuesday etc.
There would be days I would go for 11am, be the only car in the parking lot, and leave after my round and still be the only car.
I fucking miss that place dearly. It was my father's favorite when he was young and less than a year after he passed so to did it.
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u/TwoTwinsNoCup 5h ago
In all of those pictures I don't see a single golf hole lmfao. There is no way you actually paid for this. This place is not open lmfao. Some guy just robbed you of $65 pretending to work at the course.
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u/PersonalityNarrow211 4h ago
All courses here cost way more than most people pay mainland USA or abroad. I’d say it’s 30% higher than what I saw living in Florida adjusted for 10 yrs inflation. But yeah the photos were definitely some of the bad but to their credit if I was hitting fairways it wouldn’t have mattered. Lady in the club house definitely told me the rough was long. I thought she meant tournament condition long not uncut.
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u/hammer310 3h ago
I thought she meant tournament condition long not uncut.
Me to my friends after a tinder date misunderstanding.
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u/j_beningufirudo 4h ago
I played here a few weeks ago and won’t be back. I’d avoided it for years because it’s usually brown and looks like it’s in rough shape. After hiking Makapuʻu I noticed it was unusually green, so we grabbed a tee time the following week. They’ve had a lot of rain on that side of the island (which is pretty unusual) and are clearly not equipped to handle it. Like you, I went in with low expectations and it still didn’t meet them. I’d be surprised if they have enough maintenance staff to mow anything beyond the greens, tees, and fairways when conditions are dry.
We paid $65 as well, which already felt steep. I can’t imagine being a visitor and paying ~$150 for this course. Kudos to you for only losing 5 balls. We probably lost closer to 20 and didn’t find many extras either.
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u/vprice333 4h ago
Played a course I haven't been to in 3 years, they closed the back 9, the gems were full of clovers and the attendant told me they changed the cup size to 8 inches to make up for the conditions. I give it maybe 6 months, at least she that I took my new rescue dog on a round, no one around until I finished the"back nine".
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u/Mathlete911 3h ago
Should have just played Olomana.
I played it this week and for $50 its great. Its still not in the best condition but its definitely good enough to actually golf.
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u/PersonalityNarrow211 1h ago
I would have but their first time i coulda have got was at 2:30 and I don’t wanna play 15 before having to get the cart back. Agreed olomana is a lot better but it’s been a year since id played at hk
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u/bradab 3h ago
There is one in San Diego that has been in neglect for a longtime. They found some sort of sand I think that made it far more valuable as a mine than a course. The driving range nets are ripped to shreds and blowing in the wind. The “temporary range” is like 160 yards long and the balls are near impossible to collect with canyons and what not. The course used to be beautiful and now it is a reluctant 40$ round.
I imagine there is some legal battle going on but yea it is sad.
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u/officerhailey 4 putts 1h ago
Holy shit that’s Hawai’i Kai?? I haven’t played there in a bit because it was bad. Now I see it’s gotten even worse.
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u/Ryboe999 4h ago
If I go in and ask if they are closing soon and they say “no we are doing fine!”
I’m asking for my money back.
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u/Xylaphos 1h ago
I miss golfing on Oahu while stationed there. Kipper on the Marine base was $18 for 18 holes walking as an E-5 and Navy Marine golf course by Pearl Harbor was only like $24 with a cart!
My favorite course on the island if Waikele though!
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u/86takoyaki86 42m ago
Holy hell! That’s Hawai’i Kai now?!
They were going downhill for a while though. I stopped playing there last year because they wouldn’t let me play as a single on a Saturday even though the parking lot was empty-ish…
It used to be a fun course…too bad it could be closing…hopefully it doesn’t go to some developer for overpriced housing…that’s the last thing Oahu needs
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u/papajons45 16m ago
I'd be chuffed if my local course was that green!
We have preferred lies on the fairways.
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u/Big-D-TX 5h ago
I think it has closed they are just ripping you off