Rounds of golf played at BREC’s six golf courses have decreased by nearly 7% through the first eight months of the year when compared to rounds played in 2018.
A total of 76,644 rounds of golf, according to a BREC report, have been played at its courses through August, down more than 5,000 rounds from the 82,077 rounds that had been played during the same period last year.
Santa Maria, the park system’s busiest course, saw a 7% drop through August, tallying 23,650 rounds. Beaver Creek saw the steepest decline, with some 17% fewer rounds being played at the Zachary course.
The bright spot is City Park, where rounds played were up 23% and is the only course to see higher levels of play. Through August, 8,182 rounds were played at City Park, compared to the 6,665 played through August 2018.
The Dumas course in Baker, which BREC is targeting for closure, saw a 7% drop in rounds, while nearby J.S. Clark, a 9-hole tract, saw a 6% decline. Webb also had a 6% drop, seeing more than 1,200 fewer rounds played during the period than last year.
The declines come as BREC plans to consolidate the 27 holes between Dumas and Clark to a revamped 9 holes as part of its large-scale renovation of the Baton Rouge Zoo and Greenwood Park.
