ST. FRANCISVILLE, La. (AP) — The Bluffs Country Club, one of Louisiana’s best-known golfing venues and a nationally recognized course, has been closed by its owner, who cites the recession for the move.
Owner Jim Tanner, a Baton Rouge developer, said he had been unsuccessful in finding a buyer for the club, which also has swimming pools and a fitness center.
“However, I have had no offers from the members. Due to the current state of the economy, the lack of real estate sales and the continued overhead at the country club, I have found that it will not be possible at this time to continue operating the club,” Tanner wrote in a letter to members.
A group of residents and club members is studying whether it’s feasible to buy the club, said Kenneth Carter, a group spokesman.
Mike Babin, one of The Bluff’s original 30 founders, said he is optimistic that the members and residents of the development can buy the country club and course, but that will probably take months.
Tanner could not be located for comment Monday.
The only purchase price Tanner has mentioned is $22 million for the course, the country club, and all of The Bluffs’ undeveloped property, Babin said. Babin said that even if the club’s current membership of 200 to 250 was tripled, fees could not cover such a loan.
The development was in good financial shape just a few years ago, and experienced a boom in real estate sales following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Babin said.
The Bluffs was designed by Arnold Palmer and opened in 1988.
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