Larch Tree Golf Course, CLOSED 2012

Detailed description of Larch Tree Golf Course, CLOSED 2012

Larch Tree Golf Course is a Public 18 hole golf course located in Trotwood, Ohio.

The Larch Tree golf course first opened for play in 1971. The course was designed by Jack Kidwell and Mike Hurdson.

Par for the course is 72. From the back tees the course plays to 6982 yards. From the forward tees the course measures 5176 yards. The longest hole on the course is # 6, a par-5 that plays to 578 yards. The shortest hole on the course is # 2, a par-3 that plays to 174 yards from the back tees.

Watch out for # 12, a 397 yard par-4 challenge and the #1 handicap hole on the course. The easiest hole at Larch Tree Golf Course is # 8, a 175 yard par-3.

Larch Tree Golf Course is built on 180 acres, some of which are wooded. Five of the 18 holes are tree-lined. There is little water. Fairways are wide, greens are large. Practice facilities include a full length driving range, large practice green and two chipping greens. Always, "high and dry", and with "superb greens", the course is always open for play.

Blue tees: par-72, 6,982 yards, 71.5/107

White tees: par-72, 6,664 yards, 70.0/105

Gold tees: par-72, 5,356 yards, 69.8/102

Red tees(W): par-74, 5,176 yards, 69.1/100

Reportedly, Five Rivers MetroParks purchased the land for $1 million for conservation purposes.

The History of a Golf course..........

Larch Tree opened in 1973 as a country club for a group of investors who described themselves as “average Joes” tired of waiting for tee times at public courses. The investors thought they could break even with a membership of 350 and believed they could attract 500. After membership never got above 294, the lender foreclosed in 1980 and the club went out of business.

Montgomery County leased and operated Larch Tree as a public course for five years with Mike Riley, its former greens superintendent, serving as manager. When the county decided to get out of the golf business, Riley bought the course and operated it successfully for many years by concentrating on group outings.

Mike sold the course to Richard Leconte of Cleveland in 1998. The course fell into disrepair over the next decade, and Leconte turned it over to Eaton National Bank and Trust Co. after the 2008 season.

Mike came back on the scene and leased the course from the bank in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Mike said, "In the middle of the last summer I recognized that it wasn’t going anywhere. I used to do 226 outings; I think last year I had 38. It was time for the course to shut down. Maybe it will benefit some of the other courses, but I doubt it.”

Mike informed the bank after the 2011 season that he would no longer be interested in operating the course.

The course closed in 2012

It was at that point that the bank decided they needed to clean their books of the property and put it on the market.

Reportedly, Five Rivers MetroParks purchased the land for $1 million for conservation purposes.