LAKE BLUFF, Ill.– As we quickly approach spring, members of the community will soon dust off their clubs and head to Lake Bluff Golf Club, or so they thought. The Lake Bluff Park District has been studying the long term viability of the golf club over the past few years, recently deciding to bring in a management company to oversee the course. Billy Casper, a golf management and marketing company, signed a three year contract in 2016, hoping to market the course, and in turn increase rounds and revenue.
The Lake Bluff Park District publicly released a statement February 13th, informing the residents that they were facing a, “difficult decision of whether the Park District should continue to offer and operate the Golf Club.”
The Lake Bluff Park District is rushing to a conclusion to close down the Golf Course after concluding the 2018 season. In 2016, Billy Casper had a fantastic year, giving the park district tremendous amounts of hope for years to come. Last year, the weather did not cooperate with the course. Lake Bluff Golf Club was victim to severe flood damage, forcing the closure of the course for a week and leaving only part of the course open for the following weeks. This happened to be in July, the peak of the golf season. Since this tends to be one of the best months for revenue for golf courses in the Chicagoland area, the golf course lost a great deal of their financial stability. As Lake Bluff begins to consider closing, they need to think of the course as more than just a source of revenue. A golf club that was established in 1968, Lake Bluff hosts many charitable outings, the Lake County Amateur, and the Lake Forest High School boys golf team. A course with that kind of community impact deserves a reevaluation into whether or not it should be closed after the 2018 season.
Two public meetings have been scheduled: Monday, February 26 and Monday, March 5. They will be held in the gymnasium at the Lake Bluff Recreation Center, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. I encourage members of the community to attend and give feedback towards the Park District on the possible options moving forward.
