Gone + Remembered: the courses that shut their gates
When a course closes, its history usually goes with it — the founders, the architect, the round that meant something. We keep a record here so it doesn’t disappear.
Apollo Beach Golf & Sea Club opened in 1962 as a public 18-hole course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., described as one of only two of his signature courses on Florida's west coast. It played par 72 at about 7,033 yards, with water on all 18 holes and a routing that worked around the area's mangrove marshes and lagoons. The course closed on December 31, 2020.
Via Wikipedia
Baymeadows Golf Club opened in May 1968 as the centerpiece of a roughly 500-acre master-planned residential community in Jacksonville, designed by Desmond Muirhead with Gene Sarazen consulting. It began as a private club with about 750 members and hosted USGA and Greater Jacksonville Open qualifying, later operating as a public course. D.R. Horton bought it in 2005 and closed it, and the land was redeveloped for housing and mixed use; the course is gone.
Via The Jaxson
Baypointe Golf Course in Seminole was a semi-private executive course (18 holes, par 61, about 3,167 yards) listed as established in 1986. The course closed in 2016, and in January 2020 the Pinellas County Commission voted to buy roughly 40 acres of the former course to be reworked as a stormwater and flood-control project and conservation area with a walking path.
Via Tampa Bay Times
Belle Terre opened in late 1995 as a 27-hole public facility: an 18-hole Championship course designed by Rees Jones, Inc. with Steve Weisser, plus a par-58 executive course, weaving through Myrtle Beach woodlands, water and wetlands. The courses have since closed -- a Myrtle Beach Golf Trips piece says to make way for Highway 31 -- and the land was redeveloped.
Via Rees Jones, Inc.
Black Bear Golf Club in Longs was a Tom Jackson design that opened in 1989 as Myrtle West Golf Club, renamed Black Bear when new ownership took over in 2000. The parkland layout along Highway 9 worked around about 23 finger lakes, had no housing along the holes, and featured a signature covered bridge. A Chinese ownership group acquired it around 2015, and it was reported closed and for sale from August 2016, with no confirmed reopening since.
Charlotte Harbor National Golf Club, originally Bobcat Trail Golf Club, opened in 1998 on Bobcat Trail in North Port and was long considered one of Sarasota County's best courses. It was designed by former PGA champion Bob Tway with architect Lee Singletary -- a par-71 layout of about 6,806 yards. GolfPass reports the course closed in 2021, with plans to redevelop the land as residential.
Via GolfPass
Conway Golf & Country Club was a semi-private nine-hole course in Conway, described as the third-oldest course in Horry County behind Pine Lakes and The Dunes (sources disagree on its start, 1937 vs 1952). As membership and play declined, the club closed in 2018, and the land was sold to Beverly Home Builders and redeveloped as a residential community of about 198 homes.
Cotton Creek Golf Club was a standalone public 18-hole course south of Tulsa in Mounds, Oklahoma, at 2333 W. 181st St. S. -- not part of any City of Tulsa municipal facility. Listings indicate it was built around 1997; the architect is not documented in available sources. Current listings report the course is closed for business.
Via GolfPass
Cypress Bay opened in 1972 as a 6,500-yard Russell Breeden design in Little River. The property changed hands several times; a 2006 redevelopment plan never came to fruition after the housing crash. In December 2013 it was reported sold to homebuilder Mungo Homes and that it would remain open only until March 1, 2014, making it the first full 18-hole Myrtle Beach-area course to close for planned redevelopment since 2007.
Eastwood Golf Club opened in 1989 in east Orlando as a daily-fee public course designed by the Clifton, Ezell & Clifton Design Group. It earned four stars from Golf Digest's Best Places To Play and was voted Orlando's Favorite Public Course by Orlando Magazine. Its owners announced in early 2020 that they would close it permanently in August 2020, citing rising maintenance costs against falling revenue; a residential subdivision was then proposed for the property.
Heather Glen Golf Links in Little River opened in 1987 with a Willard Byrd routing, and Clyde Johnston added nine more holes in 1990 for a 27-hole layout played as three 18-hole combinations. Golf Digest named it America's No. 1 New Public Course in 1987 and listed it among its Top 50 Public Courses in 1990. The Scottish-style links, with pot bunkers and fairway swales, closed in November 2017.
Hillsboro Pines was an 18-hole executive course in Deerfield Beach, opened in 1975 to a Joe Lee design and previously known as Century Village Golf Course. The flat, par-62-to-64 layout played roughly 4,100 yards with water on six holes. Directories list the course as closed in April 2013.
Via ForeTee
Hombre Golf Club in Panama City Beach opened in December 1989 under owner Wes Burnham, credited as its designer. The original Bad and Ugly nines were joined by the Good nine in 2001 for 27 holes. It hosted the Ben Hogan (later Nike) Tour's Panama City Beach Classic from 1990 to 1994. Hurricane Michael damaged it in October 2018, and it closed permanently rather than reopen.
Via WJHG
Hunter's Creek Golf Club opened in 1986 as a public course in the Hunter's Creek community of south Orlando, designed by Lloyd Clifton. At 7,432 yards it was billed as the longest course in Florida, was rated among Golf Digest's top 75 public courses, and was a founding member of the Orlando Golf Trail. Park Square Homes bought the 188-acre property for $2.6 million in August 2020; the course closed in 2021 and remains closed.
Indian Wells Golf Club near Surfside Beach opened in 1984 as a Gene Hamm design with a classic northeastern feel; Hamm led a major redesign in 2003, and the club was named 2004 Golf Course of the Year by the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association. Owner Founders Group International closed it in December 2019 and has sought to build hundreds of homes on the land; the course is no longer playable.
Indigo Lakes Golf Club in Daytona Beach opened in 1976 as a Lloyd Clifton design, a par-72 tree-lined layout with several small lakes. It drew national attention in the early 1990s, hosting LPGA Q-School events from 1991 to 1993, the 1994 LPGA Sprint Championship and a 1999 Hooters Tour event. The course closed as a golf business in mid-2018 amid redevelopment plans.
Via Where2Golf
Keys Gate Golf Club opened in 1990 on SE Palm Drive in Homestead as an 18-hole, par-72 public course of about 6,505 yards. GolfPass reviews from 2014 describe declining conditions, and the course closed for business around 2014-2015.
Via GolfPass
Kissimmee Golf Club grew from back-nine holes built in the early 1940s into a full 18-hole course officially established in 1962, credited to architects Bill Bulmer and Reed Berlinsky. It played par 72 at about 6,500 yards, with greens and tees upgraded in 1998, and was known for one of the largest grass driving ranges in the country. Sources report the course closed in 2018.
Via GolfPass
Mirror Lakes originally opened in 1958 as part of the Admiral Lehigh Resort in Lehigh Acres, and was re-founded in 1970. It grew into a long par-73 layout of about 7,202 yards, with a 707-yard par-6 11th as its signature, and over the years hosted PGA, state and junior tournaments. The course closed in 2018 after a final Kiwanis Orange Ball Classic.
Oakwood Golf Club in Lake Wales opened in 1993 as an 18-hole, par-72 Karl Litten design on roughly 160 acres. The course closed in 2020 and was auctioned in February 2021; in 2023 the property was part of a redevelopment proposal that would merge it with the neighboring Lake Wales Country Club course into a single course surrounded by housing and a hotel.
Palma Sola Golf Club was a semi-private, 18-hole, par-72 public-access course in Bradenton that opened around 1968. After nearly 36 years it closed in 2004, and its clubhouse was demolished in September 2004 to make way for the Palma Sola Trace residential community. It should not be confused with the 1924 Palma Sola Country Club, which was renamed Bradenton Country Club and still operates.
Via GolfPass
Pebble Creek Golf Club was a public golf course in the New Tampa area, dating to 1967. The 18-hole layout served the surrounding Pebble Creek community for decades before closing on July 31, 2021. Since then the property has been the subject of contested litigation and redevelopment proposals to convert the land into residential housing.
Via Tampa Bay Times
Pinecrest Golf Course in Largo opened in 1968 as a semi-private executive course -- a par-55 layout of about 2,235 yards built for quick, affordable rounds. Privately held rather than city-run, it later closed, after which the City of Largo approved buying the 26.7-acre site for stormwater retention, with county restrictions keeping it as green space.
Via City of Largo
Plant City Golf Club was a public (semi-private) 18-hole course in Plant City, east of Tampa, with roots dating to 1932. One of the area's older golf facilities, it operated for decades before closing in the mid-2000s. Limited verifiable records survive regarding its founding and original design.
Via GolfPass
Possum Trot opened in 1968 as a 6,966-yard, par-72 Russell Breeden design, billed as the friendliest course on the Grand Strand. The property was held by a family trust and operated by The Glens Group under a long-term lease. That lease expired September 30, 2019 and was not renewed, and the course closed; later reporting describes proposals to build homes on the roughly 174-acre site.
Rainbow Springs Golf & Country Club in Dunnellon opened in 1979 with a Joe Lee design, a par-72 layout of about 6,690 yards known for rolling, tree-lined terrain and no water hazards. Owners who bought it in 2008 closed it on New Year's Eve 2014 after failing to find a buyer; directories list it as closed, with no reopening found.
Via GolfPass
River Bend Golf Club in Ormond Beach opened around 1990-91 on land along the historic Tomoka River, a Lloyd Clifton design with no residential home sites. The 172-acre property is owned by the City of Ormond Beach and was run by a private lessee. The course closed in December 2020 when its last operator filed for bankruptcy; residents petitioned the city in 2025 to reopen it.
Riviera Golf Club in East Naples was a public 18-hole par-62 executive course designed by Myron Gifford and opened in 1971. Maintenance reportedly stopped by 2022 and the course closed in March 2023. The owner proposed building homes, but in 2025 a Collier circuit judge ruled the property must remain a golf course until at least 2030 in a suit brought by the Riviera Golf Estates homeowners association.
Rock Springs Ridge opened in 1997, winding through the 1,320-home Rock Springs Ridge community in Apopka, with a design credited to Clifton, Ezell & Clifton. The Golf Group bought the property in 2005, and the course permanently closed in 2014 amid financial difficulties. The homeowners association has since agreed a lease-to-own purchase of the land, with reported plans to restore the course.
Via The Apopka Chief
Rolling Hills Golf Course in Norwalk was built in 1960 on rolling terrain, with Garrett D. Gill and Paul Miller credited as architects. The facility included a nine-hole executive layout and a separate par-3 nine reportedly added in 1963. GolfPass currently flags the course as closed for business, and sources disagree on its current operating status.
Via AllSquare Golf
Scissortail Golf Club opened in 2006 on a Randy Heckenkemper design, part of a developer's larger community plan near Claremore. Privately owned, it changed hands several times and was acquired by Spirit Bank of Tulsa in 2011. Averaging about 15,000 rounds a year, it closed on March 22, 2016 after its superintendent and general manager left and the bank chose not to replace him. It is no longer operating.
Via Golf Oklahoma
Selma Valley Golf Course, at 12389 E Rose Ave in Selma, was a public 18-hole Bob Baldock design most commonly listed as opening in 1963 (one source gives 1958). It played about 5,391 yards to a par of 69-70, with bentgrass greens and Bermuda fairways. Reviews around 2010-2011 describe declining maintenance, and a 2025 Yelp listing marks the course as closed; no news coverage of the closure was found.
Via GolfLink
Seven Hills Golfers Club in Spring Hill opened in 1989 as an 18-hole, par-72 links-style layout designed by Denis Griffiths. After a period of decline it closed for business in 2020. BayNews9 reported in 2024 that the idle ~149-acre property was being marketed for a retirement-home and apartment development requiring rezoning, which drew strong resident opposition; the course is no longer playable.
Via GolfPass
Sherwood Park Golf Course in Delray Beach opened in 1959 (one source gives 1961) on a Bill Amick design, as a par-62, 3,733-yard executive layout operated on a semi-private basis. GolfPass records that the course closed for business in 2018.
Via GolfPass
CityGolf Boston is a downtown indoor golf facility founded in 1997 — not a traditional course. Its simulator bays, PGA instruction, and leagues let players work on their game and play 50-plus virtual courses year-round in the heart of the city.
The Claw opened in 1967 as the public golf course of the University of South Florida in Tampa, designed by architect William F. Mitchell. University-owned, it was home to the USF Bulls golf teams and a recreational course for students and the community; its name came from a claw-shaped tree limb on the par-5 14th. After years of financial losses and disrepair, USF closed the course in September 2023.
Via Tampa Bay Times
The Country Club at Deer Run in Casselberry was redesigned by Ron Garl around 2002-03. In 2002 Robert Dello Russo's University Golf Club Inc. bought it as the first of several distressed courses it acquired. The course closed in May 2019 after losing money. Seminole County bought the property in December 2021 and is converting it to a passive park, with the clubhouse becoming a community center; it no longer plays as golf.
The Majors Golf Club at Bayside Lakes in Palm Bay was an Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay design that opened around 1999, a 7,352-yard par-72 semi-private layout. It closed in 2022 after financial struggles and sat dormant; in 2026 the Palm Bay City Council voted to negotiate buying about 135 acres for a regional park and stormwater use rather than see it redeveloped as housing.
Via Spectrum News 13
The oldest course in Naples began when Cincinnati developer Allen R. Joslin bought about 200 beachfront acres in 1930 and hired T. E. Fredericks, who had worked under Donald Ross; the course and clubhouse opened in 1931. The Watkins family bought the hotel and course in 1946, and Jack Nicklaus and John Sanford redesigned it in 2016. The resort closed in May 2021 for a full redevelopment, and Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, opened in November 2025.
The Tides Golf Club in Seminole was an 18-hole, par-72 layout of about 6,329 yards designed by David Gill, opened in the early 1970s. New owners bought it in November 2016 hoping to keep it public, but after Hurricane Irma and falling play it closed on July 1, 2018. Neighbors had organized 'Save The Tides' in 2013 and persuaded the county to keep the roughly 100-acre site's open-space zoning.
Via Bay News 9
The Woods Golf Club in Coweta was designed by Jeff Hughes and opened around 1990 (sources conflict between 1990 and 1991), with the back nine reportedly added in 1996. It operated as a public course under private ownership. Owner Tommy Thompson closed it in January 2020 after heavy 2019 rain cut rounds from 16,782 in 2018 to 12,719. It is no longer operating.
Via Golf Oklahoma
Turtle Creek Golf Club in Rockledge, a heavily wooded Old Florida-style layout with streams and lakes, opened in 1973 and is credited to architect Robert Renault. Privately owned but open to the public, it closed on May 31, 2025 after about 52 years; the roughly 119-acre site is slated to become The Reserve at Turtle Creek, a 294-lot subdivision.
Via Florida Today
This City of West Palm Beach municipal course opened July 2, 1947, designed by renowned architect Dick Wilson as a rolling, essentially waterless 18-hole layout. It soon hosted the West Palm Beach Open Invitational, a yearly PGA tournament. The city funded a 2009 renovation led by Mark McCumber, but the aging course closed in 2018 and was later rebuilt into The Park West Palm.
Wicked Stick Golf Links in Surfside Beach opened in 1995 as a public course designed by Clyde Johnston with John Daly, billed as the only John Daly signature course on the East Coast. It was patterned after Scottish links, with dunes-like mounds, sand waste areas, pot bunkers and water. The course closed on September 15, 2015, and the property was sold for residential and commercial development.
Via MyHorryNews
