No Way: Historic Pecan Valley Set To Close Sunday
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Thanks to reader Tylar for the shocking news that San Antonio's Pecan Valley, former PGA Championship host, site of the 2001 U.S. Amateur Public Links and an affordable public course in a populated area, is closing Sunday.
“This is really a tragic loss to the golf community because it's kind of an anchor of all the public golf facilities in San Antonio with the history and the legend of Pecan Valley,” said Chip Puhl, a former San Antonio Light golf columnist and golf pro. “We just can't replace a golf course like that. To see that it's just shut down in less than a week is devastating. It's like a kick in the stomach to all of us golfers.”
It seems the operator, the unfortunately named Foresight Golf, pitched a revamping of the property on behalf of its owner.
Councilwoman Jennifer Ramos, whose District 3 encompasses the course, said she was approached by a local developer and a representative from Foresight about a plan to build multifamily housing on the property with a small nine-hole course for disabled veterans.
But the plan, she said, failed to gain support from nearby neighborhoods. The councilwoman said Monday she hadn't heard anything else about the plans.
“Pecan Valley has such a rich history, right off the cuff, I didn't think they'd have a lot of support,” she said. “Nobody liked the idea. Since that point, I haven't heard anything about it.”
Deputy City Manager Pat DiGiovanni confirmed Tuesday that no plans have been submitted to the city for redeveloping the area. He said city officials had just learned of the course's imminent closure on Monday and were trying to gather more information.
The course website says it's a J. Press Maxwell design from 1963 and was "restored to its legendary status with more than $5.5 million in improvements" in 1998 by Bob Cupp. It's been previously featured as one of Golf Digest's top 25 courses in the state.
