Fresno-area golf course set to close. But for good? Valley Children’s has final say
The popular golf course just north of the River Park shopping area along Highway 41 is set to close at the end of the month.
Valley Golf Center, once known as River Park Golf Center, will be shutting down its operation July 29.
And though Valley Children’s Healthcare, which has owned the golf course property since 2017, has vowed to keep golfing, it’s unclear if there will be any disruption in the golfing accessibility and service for the public.
Valley Children’s is in the process of finding new management for the facility.
“It’s with great sadness to announce that Valley Golf Center will be closing at the end of this month,” Valley Golf Center posted on social media. “It has been an honor to provide the community with a safe and fun venue for golf. Our passion has always been about serving our community.”
Valley Golf Center is a nine-hole, par-3 course, featuring water hazards and bunkers. It has regularly been used by casual golfers, beginners and enthusiasts.
The 59-acre property, which is just south of the Valley Children’s Hospital campus, is perhaps most recognized for the 300-yard driving range and high netting visible along Highway 41 in Madera County.
The golf course has operated under the Valley Golf Center name for the past eight years. Before that, it was known as River Park Golf Center for 19 years.
Multiple messages left with Valley Golf Center owner/operator Cindy Vining were not immediately returned.
Vining, along with business partner Leila Lujan, have been running the golf course since taking over as operators in January 2018 after the owners of River Park Golf Center sold the property to Valley Children’s Healthcare.
Valley Children’s Healthcare said it was informed by Valley Golf Center’s operators that they planned to retire.
“Our goal is to keep the facility open for families and visitors to enjoy,” Valley Children’s Healthcare said in a statement. “We are grateful to the current operators for their years of dedication and service to the community and will share additional information as plans are finalized.”
When Valley Children’s purchased the 59-acre golf course in September 2017, the golfing facility was viewed as being part of its master campus site plan.
Valley Children’s campus has grown to more than 700 acres since its move from Fresno to Madera County in 1998.
The area south of Children’s Boulevard, where Valley Children’s is installing new roads, is slated for new healthcare buildings but also commercial development.
Valley Children’s spokesperson Zara Arboleda reiterated that golfing remains part of Valley Children’s plans.
“We understand it’s important to the community,” Arboleda said, “and that it’s a popular resource used by local golfers.”
Nonetheless, the uncertain future of this golf course along Highway 41 — even if temporary — further clouds the local golfing scene for the general public.
Airways Municipal Golf Course, which is owned by the City of Fresno, is already in danger of closing in the coming years. Plans to expand the Fresno Yosemite International Airport would trigger a domino effect that would eventually lead to the permanent closure of the Fresno golf course.
The Fresno golfing scene already shrunk in 2018 when the semi-private Fig Garden Golf course in northwest Fresno closed.
