Tag: Kentucky golf

Residents were stunned to hear a Kentucky golf course inside a state park might close

The course is in danger of being shuttered, something residents in the area were surprised to hear.

Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park Golf Course is located inside the state park of the same name about 90 minutes northwest of Nashville in a remote and wooded part of Kentucky.

The golf course’s original nine was designed by prolific architect Larry Packard, who had a hand in some 600 different courses during his career. A second nine was added in 2003 and winds along a small valley that carves through wooded hills.

But the course is in danger of being shuttered, something residents in the area were surprised to hear when a local politician mentioned it on a rural Kentucky radio talk show.

More: Golfweek’s list of the best public, private golf courses in KY

According to a story at the Madisonville (Ky.) Messenger, Christian County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam said the state is considering closing the course, noting that maintenance costs per round played average somewhere near $100.

“Here is what Commissioner Russ Meyer informed us: ‘Pennyrile Forest State Park’s golf course is the most costly course to maintain while it generates the least amount of revenue,’ ” Gilliam said. “ ‘With the significantly lower rounds of play, it simply is cost prohibitive to keep in operation.’ ”

According to a story at WEHT in Henderson, the decision has yet to be made, but losses are mounting.

A spokesperson with the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet explains since the golf course was built in a floodplain, it suffers from significant damage during rain events, washing out the cart path, damaging bridges and causing other damage, leading to long closures and expensive repairs to make the course safe and playable. With these challenges, the course is the least played and lowest quality among the Kentucky State Parks golf courses, requiring at least $2 to $3 million to be brought up to standards, yet persistent issues would remain.

Cabinet officials say Parks officials have not made a final decision on the Pennyrile golf course, and all options are being explored. Commissioner Meyer told local leaders he wanted to continue talking to them about future options and opportunities. Kentucky State Parks says it remains dedicated to its mission of making Kentucky’s parks a vibrant and welcoming space for all to enjoy.

According to officials, of the 5,862 “stay and play” rounds of golf played at all Kentucky state park courses in the 2023 fiscal year, just 13 of those were at Pennyrile. The golf course has just one full-time employee who, if the course were closed, would be moved into a similar role at the state park or another park course. The course brings in the least revenue and has the highest cost per round among the Kentucky Department of Parks courses.

The nation’s fifth-oldest municipal golf course might be eliminated for ‘diverse and active parkland’

Founded in 1895, four years after Frederick Law Olmsted established Cherokee Park, it’s the oldest of the city’s 10 public courses.

According to a report in the Louisville Courier-Journal, Cherokee Golf Course, located in one of the city’s most iconic parks, could be eliminated and turned into “diverse and active parkland” under a local conservancy’s proposal.

Some are saying the two can co-exist, but the 9-hole course, according to a release earlier this month from the city’s park department, “is the only course without a lease agreement with a PGA professional or nonprofit organization.”

“Attempts to bid out the management of the course did not yield any viable options,” the Metro Parks release added. “During that process, Parks and Recreation received a proposal from the Olmsted Parks Conservancy to enhance Cherokee Park by making improvements and investments to revitalize the golf course property into active and diverse parkland.”

The interest from Olmsted Parks Conservancy stretches to at least 2019, when the nonprofit that supports Louisville’s 17 Olmsted-designed parks pitched a plan amid citywide budget cuts to turn Cherokee Golf Course from a “financial liability to a treasured park space.”

Founded in 1895, four years after famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and the city established Cherokee Park, the golf course is the fifth-oldest municipal golf course in the country and the oldest of the city’s 10 public courses.

It is one of three public courses in Louisville featuring nine holes instead of 18 holes.

To read more of the story from the Courier-Journal, click here. 

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Kentucky golfer Cullan Brown, 20, dies from bone cancer

Kentucky golfer Cullan Brown has been battling bone cancer but died Tuesday at the age of 20.

Kentucky golfer Cullan Brown died Tuesday, less than one year after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer in his left thigh. He was 20.

“Our hearts are simply devastated over the loss of our brother Cullan,” said Kentucky head coach Brian Craig in a release. “I have personally never known a more special or amazing young man. He was simply the most gifted person I have ever coached. He could literally do anything with excellence, but his greatest gift was the way he loved the Lord and loved people. That is a tremendous legacy to leave behind and one that will last forever within our UK golf family.”

Only weeks after Brown made the cut at the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship, finishing 10 under, the team announced that he would be stepping away from the 2019-20 season to start chemotherapy.

Brown, a native of Eddyville, Kentucky, made seven starts for the Wildcats and garnered four top-20 finishes. His opening 64 at the Mason Rudolph tied for the lowest 18-hole score in the Craig era. His 54-hole total of 206 tied for the best mark of the season.

Brown devoured books, particularly Westerns, reading as many as four each tournament trip. An excellent cook, the Wildcats looked forward to his homecooked meals on the road. In high school, the brisket he made for an FFA fundraiser was so popular that he started selling his own seasoning.

“Everybody in western Kentucky has some Cullan rub,” laughed LPGA player Emma Talley, one of Brown’s closet friends.

Talley and Brown grew up 10 minutes apart in western Kentucky. Eddyville has one blinking light, Talley said, while her native Princeton has four stoplights. She referred to Brown as “the mayor” because his infectious personality made him one of the area’s most cherished figures.

“He’s the most beloved kid I’ve ever had,” Craig once told Golfweek, “times 20 probably.”

When Brown got sick, teammate Jay Kirchdorfer started GoFundMe page to help ease the family’s financial concerns. Donations surpassed $25,000 in six days. It’s now over $56,000. Both the Kentucky men’s and women’s teams had the hashtag #B4B – “Birdies for Brownies” stitched onto their clothing last season to honor Brown.

Craig told Golfweek that he’d never recruited anyone harder, driving four hours – one way – just to watch a one-hour lesson.

“I cannot properly put into words how much I loved Cullan and love his family,” Craig said. “Our entire team has been blessed to have had him as a member of our family even though it was cut way too short. For as long as I coach at the University of Kentucky, I will make sure our young men know of Cullan’s legacy and impact on every one of us. May God comfort and bless the Browns during this difficult time.”

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