The cost of living in Newport Beach, California, is significantly higher than the national average, and golf in the region is a tough financial proposition: Out of the 40-or-so courses within a 15-mile radius, most are private or cost more than $100 to play.
Now, thanks to a decision from the Newport Beach City Council, one of the few affordable golf options in the region is about to be altered and shrunk.
Newport Beach Golf Course, an 18-hole course that costs just $29 during the week, will lose some of its holes, its putting green, pro shop and even the driving range as the city approved a new surf park that will slice through the course.
The surf park will sit on 15 acres with a surf lagoon, a spa, as well as a three-story clubhouse featuring a restaurant and bar.
“I learned how to golf at this golf course,” said Erik Weigand, one of the city’s council members. “I think the golf course has seen better days … I see this entity is going to improve it.”
According to a story at the Voice of OC, many were unhappy with the decision.
“This land may be privately owned, but for decades it’s been a public treasure, a true neighborhood beacon,” said Benny Hallock, chair of the Save Newport Beach Golf Course movement, holding up a sheaf of papers he said held 68,000 comments from residents.
“This is the sound of Newport Beach speaking loud and clear.” …
It’s also unclear what the future of the 15-hole golf course will look like with the new project coming in.
Newport Beach leaders said the county government had pledged to work on keeping golf there, even with the lease for the land next to the airport expiring in 2027.
But Kevin Fitzgerald, director of public affairs for the Southern California Golf Association, said that slicing up the course opens questions on whether it could be profitable long term.
“I haven’t seen anything that assures the golf community 10 years from now we’re committed to this,” Fitzgerald said. “I don’t have anything definitive to work with.”
The wave pool project was approved by a 6-0 margin.
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