Stevinson Ranch Golf Club, a favorite of golfers in the Central Valley and from afar since it opened in 1995, will close its doors later this year–a victim of the four-year drought in California and reduced play.
The Stevinson Corporation’s primary business is dairy and almond farming, and the company said in announcing the move that it needs to redeploy its limited water supply in more demanding areas.
The course is located in the town of Stevinson, about 20 miles from Merced in the San Joaquin Valley.
“I have enjoyed making Stevinson Ranch a place for all levels of golfers to have fun and to enjoy playing this great game,” Managing Partner George Kelley said. “It’s been the goal of our great staff from day one to provide each customer with a truly memorable experience.
“I regret that California is going to lose a course that has become so well-known and highly regarded.”
Kelley and John Harbottle designed the highly-acclaimed course, which received a 4 1/2-star facility designation from Golf Digest.
The readers of Golf World recently voted Stevinson Ranch the fifth-highest ranked public course in the nation in the publication’s Reader’s Choice Awards.
A recent issue of Links Magazine rated Stevinson Ranch among the top 10 courses in the world worth discovering.
The course plays to 7,180 yards from the back tees, with a par of 72. Matt Hansen, who played at the University of Pacific, set the course record of 59 in 2005.
Stevinson Ranch hosted United States Golf Association and Northern California Golf Association events, and was the site of the AmateurGolf.com California Medal Play Championship.
The last day of play will be July 15, with several events planned in order to allow golfers to say goodbye to Stevinson Ranch. Those will be announced soon at www.stevinsonranch.com.
