The future of Santa Rosa’s Bennett Valley Golf Course (BVGC) remains unclear as of Tuesday night after the Santa Rosa city council voted and approved the hiring of a housing consultant for $15,000 who will conduct an analysis of the golf course and determine the possibility of redeveloping the land into either affordable housing or additional recreational space.

According to the BVGC website, the 175-acre course was established in 1969 and aims to “promote and encourage the game of golf in the Santa Rosa area”. 

In response to Covid-19 the course was temporarily closed in March until its re-opening in May and has remained open while the course restaurant, Legends Sports Grill, permanently closed in November 2020. 

In an article for The Press Democrat, Will Shmitt wrote that the city council faces pressures to find more land to develop in attempts to keep up with the city’s increasing need for affordable housing and recreational spaces. 

Along with these pressures, Schmitt also reports that the city is also concerned about the “long-term viability” of the course as golfing rates across the country have continued to declined over the last couple decades and the over $4 million debt the city carries as a result of a bond the city issued to the BVGC back in 2005 for property upgrades. 

However, members of the BVGS and local golfers argue against the closure, citing the surprising increase in the number of rounds played nationwide in the last year.

Despite most courses being closed for a majority of the year, due to COVID-19, golf courses across the country experienced a large increase in active golfers.

In an article for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Greg Robertson said, “Close to 60 million more rounds were played on courses across the United states in 2020, pushing the total to just about 500 million for the year. That represents a 14 percent increase from 2019. Just once in the past 20 years had there been an increase of more than 3 percent year over year.”  

Once golf courses around the country began opening back up, many people were excited for access to an activity that naturally offers lots of outdoor space, making social distancing much easier than with other sports.   

“Fueled by a combination of avid players, newcomers and infrequent golfers, 2020 demand for all things golf surged during the second half of the year. The 2020 spending reached near-record levels, as overall golf equipment sales eclipsed $2.81 billion, the third-highest annual total, trailing only 2008 ($2.91 billion) and 2007 ($2.87 billion).”, reports the Golf Course Industry staff in an article on their website. 

In this last year, many people have been looking for new ways to fill their time and extra opportunities  For many golf has been a healthy diversion to look forward to  

Jason Schmuhl, head professional at Windsor Golf Course, said, “This year has been an overall exciting year for the golf industry. With more free time to dedicate because of remote work [due to the pandemic] people are reigniting their love for the sport or starting to enjoy the game for the first time. I have seen more young adults enjoying the sport in the last year than I can ever recall.” 

He also added, “I think it’s a great thing for a young person to get into, or really any age. It teaches you patience and determination, as well as how to take time for yourself and relax in nature. It keeps you mentally and physically sharp.”  

On the potential redevelopment of Bennett Valley, Sonoma State University Head Men’s/Women’s Golf Coach, Val Verhunce, says that while the options for the course would not have a huge impact on the University teams, instead, they could have a larger impact on the local golfing community.

He urged that local golf courses like BVGC serve as a place of community, for older players especially, as the sport becomes a way of life to them, a way to keep them a part of society. Both before and during the pandemic, golf courses have been a place where people can gather, even those who have retired from the sport remain active members of the community.

No definitive decisions on the possible redevelopment of BVGC have been made yet and there is still a lot of information that needs to be acquired before any other decisions are made. For now the course will remain open and available for golfers young and old as a safe outdoor option during the pandemic.