Playing a Sentimental Golf Favorite One Last Time

The curved pine on hole nine at Modesto Muni Golf Course. Photo: Steve Newvine

When City leaders made the final decision to close Modesto Muni Golf Course, the timeline had the final days coming in December. COVID 19 restrictions moved up the closing date to the spring of 2020.

The course shutdown as part of the health department’s ruling in March. When other venues began to reopen in May, Muni remained closed.

“The City knew the end was coming, so it made little sense to reopen just for a few months,” John Griston of First Tee of the Central Valley told me in August.

The closed sign was displayed at the beginning of the COVID crisis at Modesto Muni Golf Course and the facility never reopened. Photo: Steve Newvine.

Fortunately, a little voice spoke to me in January telling me in effect, “You better get out there now.”

I discovered Modesto Muni in 2007 on my way back to my home in Merced from a meeting in the Bay Area. It was late afternoon, and traffic was jammed on Highway 99 at Modesto in Stanislaus County.

I pulled off the highway to get gas, and practically stumbled into the nine-hole course. As it was late in the afternoon so I reasoned with myself to play a round of golf and maybe the traffic would be easier in another hour or so.

That routine would be repeated many times as I would head back from the Bay Area from my twice-monthly meetings, reach Modesto around four o’clock, and head into the pro shop to pay for another round. Up until recent years, the course offered a six-hole rate at a slightly reduced price.

I could usually get a round done in about an hour. Also throughout this period of time, I’d hear from the regulars that once again, the City was “trying to close the place”. From the City of Modesto perspective, the economics were simple. The number of paid rounds never penciled-out in those final years.

Ideas were tried to increase efficiency, and maintain Modesto’s once proud statement that it had three City-owned golf courses. The other two are Dryden and Creekside Golf Courses. Near the end, a strategic alliance with the non-profit First Tee of Central Valley was formed.

On paper, it seemed like a win-win with the non-profit running the course and the City reducing some of the overhead.

It wasn’t enough. In January 2020, the City Council made the unanimous final decision.

The City of Modesto proudly stated on the scorecard at Modesto Muni that the course was the birthplace of public golf in the City.

There are a lot of ideas on what should be done with the property. Someday, we’ll likely see some housing, maybe a park, or maybe something no one has even thought of yet.

The land was originally the City’s first airport Coffee Field. The land now adjoins Thurman Stadium, home of the Modesto Nuts baseball stadium.

A scorecard from my early days playing there included a statement that read, “The birthplace of public golf in Modesto.” Modesto Muni played a key role in my adapting to the region north of Merced. I played there with a couple of golf buddies over the years, but most of my rounds were solo.

This allowed me to try different clubs, experiment with my short game, and find the solace I have enjoyed every time I play the game. That final round for me in January was like the dozens that preceded it. There were two holes with dogleg turns that I always looked forward to taking on.

Writing about the course in 9 From 99, Experiences in California’s Central Valley in 2009, I called attention to a small convenience store across the street from the flag on number three.

It was always amusing to watch a group finishing up at that flag by dispatching one member to cross the street and pick up a snack. There were good memories from Modesto Muni, as there were good reflections from Stevenson Ranch when it closed in 2015 or the French Camp RV Park and Golf Course that dropped the last two words from its name a few years ago when it closed the course.

Here in Merced County, many golfers still remember the former Merced Hills course that closed in the early 2000s.

That closing brought about the greater good. The land became the site of the University of California at Merced. Great memories remain. New traditions begin.

As I look back to that late January day when I played what would be my last outing at Modesto Muni, I’m glad I listened to that little voice. I enjoyed the final round.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.