PANAMA CITY — Bay Dunes Golf Course is slated to close down in two weeks, but county officials will invite organizations or golf management companies to reopen it lease-free without having to post a bond the county was previously requiring.
Commissioners agreed to inform Holiday Golf that it was canceling their contract in two weeks. The firm, which operates a course on the beach, was planning to operate the course through March 17.
The county recently had put out a request for proposal asking anyone who was interested whether they would want to lease the property for nothing and operate the course without a county subsidy. But no one responded.
The county commission chambers were full of more than 50 golfers who showed up to plead with commissioners to keep the course open, saying it is an amenity used by seniors, juniors and military personnel, allowing them to play golf at a reasonable price.
Charles Mitchell said there are numerous studies that show that if seniors are active socially and physically it can make a huge difference in the longevity of their life.
“This is one of the few opportunities they have in the north end of Bay County to enjoy some kind of social and physical activity,” he said. “I think it would behoove the commission to take that into consideration when you think about closing the golf course.”
Bay County was planning to shut down the course in early December. Commissioners instead decided to hire Holiday Golf Course to operate the course with a county subsidy of $25,000 a month so county officials could gauge the course’s finances and have time to advertise for a private golf management company to take over the course.
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