Pecan Valley set to close on Sunday Future is unclear for the historic golf course on S.E. Side.

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The Pecan Valley Golf Club, a historic course on the Southeast Side that's hosted several major championships, is closing its doors permanently on Sunday.

Foresight Golf, a Boerne-based company that runs several courses in the area — including the nearby Republic Golf Club — manages Pecan Valley. Officials from the company didn't return calls seeking comment Monday and Tuesday.

But an employee answering phone calls at the course confirmed Tuesday that Pecan Valley is set to close Sunday. The news has rippled through the golf community in San Antonio in recent days, and enthusiasts are lamenting the loss.

“This is really a tragic loss to the golf community because it's kind of an anchor of all the public golf facilities in San Antonio with the history and the legend of Pecan Valley,” said Chip Puhl, a former San Antonio Light golf columnist and golf pro. “We just can't replace a golf course like that. To see that it's just shut down in less than a week is devastating. It's like a kick in the stomach to all of us golfers.”

Originally designed in the early 1960s, the course hosted the PGA Championship in 1968 and the Texas Open in 1967, '69 and '70, according to the club's website.

The course also was selected for the United States Golf Association's 2001 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

City officials only learned Monday about the impending closure of the historic Pecan Valley Golf Club. City officials only learned Monday about the impending closure of the historic Pecan Valley Golf Club. Photo: WILLIAM LUTHER, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Photo: WILLIAM LUTHER, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Pecan Valley set to close on Sunday 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Councilwoman Jennifer Ramos, whose District 3 encompasses the course, said she was approached by a local developer and a representative from Foresight about a plan to build multifamily housing on the property with a small nine-hole course for disabled veterans.

But the plan, she said, failed to gain support from nearby neighborhoods. The councilwoman said Monday she hadn't heard anything else about the plans.

“Pecan Valley has such a rich history, right off the cuff, I didn't think they'd have a lot of support,” she said. “Nobody liked the idea. Since that point, I haven't heard anything about it.”

Deputy City Manager Pat DiGiovanni confirmed Tuesday that no plans have been submitted to the city for redeveloping the area. He said city officials had just learned of the course's imminent closure on Monday and were trying to gather more information.

The shuttering of the course potentially could affect golf in the area, DiGiovanni said, adding that it “would be a shame to lose that asset to the community.”

There have yet to be any discussions among city staff or the City Council about whether it would make sense for San Antonio to attempt to thwart the closure.

“At this point, we just don't have enough information,” he said. “So there's no interest at this point.”

Puhl and other golfers, however, have been busy trying to devise a plan to save the course. He said he hopes that the course's owner — Pennsylvania-based Royal Golf Development Inc., according to public records — would give Puhl and others the chance to purchase the course.

Puhl said his email inbox was jammed Tuesday with inquires from golfers asking what they could do to help save the course.

“There's an overwhelming amount of support for Pecan Valley,” he said. “Everybody is asking, ‘What do we have to do? We'll do whatever we can to save a historic venue for the good of the game and the good of San Antonio.'”

Puhl said he expects the course will be jam-packed this weekend.

“We're going to gather out there Sunday,” he said. “Many of us are going to play — walk the course, have a burger and a beer and reminisce.”