Wilson Gee, a California businessman, shuttered the golf course, erected barbed-wire fences, and began looking for a buyer, telling reporters the land would never be a working golf course again. But the dynamics that bred the deadlock between the struggling golf course's owner and its aggrieved neighbors are mirrored in communities across the country. More than 800 golf courses have closed nationwide in the last decade, as operators grapple with declining interest in the sport and a glut of competition. "This used to be one of the nicest golf courses in Reno-Sparks," he said. In July, a Maricopa County judge declared that deed restrictions required the "operation of a golf course" on the property.

Source: New Zealand Herald August 16, 2016 04:07 UTC