If Willy Loman, Arthur Miller’s failing salesman in his award winning drama, Death of a Salesman, was a golfer today he would have surely identified with today’s difficult golf market.
On September 30th, Charles Bayley, a friend of mine, and I played Centre Hills Golf Course for the last time. The course closed forever at sunset on September 30, 2013. Charles was my Green Committee Chairman on July 9, 1988 which was the day 25 years ago when the City of Aurora celebrated the opening of Centre Hills Golf Course. This nine-hole, stand-alone, par-3 course was built in a drainage way with construction costs donated in part by a developer.
Financially a stand-alone, nine-hole, par-3 is a hard sell. But in 1988 golfers were lining up in the dark on weekends for a tee time. The Aurora population was growing rapidly. The community needed more golf and a nine-hole, par 3 course was a great place for juniors to learn the game and seniors to spend time in their golden years. This course was also a place where regular players could work on their game at the lighted driving range, practice putting and hone their short game skills on the par-3 holes.
Initially things went pretty well at Centre Hills. In the early 1990s the course played around 42,000 nine-hole rounds annually and each year routinely made a little money. The course was located on East Toll Gate Creek which provided the irrigation water plus additional water was provided by the High Line Canal.
However, over time, things changed in the world of golf and at Centre Hills. The city added three 18-hole golf courses by the year 2000. Interest in golf went from the National Golf Foundation touting the need to open a new course every day for the next 10 years to saying that golf is overbuilt and several thousand courses need to close. Play declined at Centre Hills from 42,000 rounds in the early 1990s to slightly over 18,000 in 2012. The course, even though the budget had been significantly reduced, lost about $50,000 in 2012.
Irrigation water for the golf course also became an issue. The water quality in East Toll Gate Creek was contaminated with chemicals and salt from roads, homeowners and an air force base up stream. Poor water had a negative impact on the soil’s ability to grow grass. Due to the drought in 2002 the city pushed water conservation and the runoff water flow in East Toll Gate Creek diminished significantly. The High Line Canal did not flow east of Denver anymore so that water source went away. Non-potable reuse water was not an option due to state restrictions on allowing reuse water in the East Toll Gate Creek drainage way. Centre Hills was left with supplementing runoff water with expensive potable water in order to irrigate the course.
By early 2013 Centre Hills found itself with an insufficient supply of runoff water, poor quality soil and significant difficulties growing acceptable turf. Potable water was too expensive and the city was reluctant to utilize valuable drinking water to water a golf course. The decrease in demand for this type facility resulted in a projected 2013 negative bottom line. As a result the city decided to close the golf course the end of September this year and eventually use this land for something else, yet to be determined.
In the end, Centre Hills became the golf equivalent of Willy Loman, in Miller’s drama, “Death of a Salesman.” In the play, Loman was a failing salesman who could not accept the reality that his dreams were no match for the realities of his ordinary life. Like Loman, Centre Hills has had to face the disappointment of its realities. Its days are over. The good times of players learning the game and honing their skills at a little par-3 along the banks of East Toll Gate Creek in Aurora, Colorado are now gone forever.
I have to admit, I am saddened by the loss of Centre Hills but its time had probably come and gone. This situation does, however, make me wonder, which course in Colorado will be next to face the reality of; faded dreams, dwindling demand, and eventual demise?
Golf and life, for that matter, can be heartbreakingly difficult in today’s world. All we can do is try our best every day, cherish the moments we have and be glad each morning when we see the sunrise; at least that’s my opinion.
Sincerely, Dennis
Dennis Lyon CGCS
GCSAA Past President
