Bendelow

The benefits of being on the National Register of Historic places are mainly recognition and prestige. City Park was one of the first--if not THE first-municipal golf courses listed.
However, being on the list does not guarantee the course can't be destroyed by substantially changing its character. That is why we have to work to preserve it.

You may or may not be aware that City Park Golf Course is on the National Register of Historic Places. If the course is substantially altered, as it would be with a three-hole pitch and putt instead of nine holes, it would be removed from the list.

Thanks for your support!

Thank you for your timely response and action.

At a special meeting on Thursday, October 9, BREC Commissioners will consider approving a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement to conduct a planning process that will result in rolling City Park into a Lakes Conservancy tied to the ongoing Lakes Project.

The proposal, backed by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, presents the benefits of a CEA-directed master plan for City-Brooks Park and the University Lakes system. Those two different projects were not presented as connected in any planning session for the new BREC Master Plan -- Imagine Your Parks 3 – that will guide the park system for the next 10 years.

This appears to be an attempt to alter BREC's most recent master plan after the fact. And the Civic Collaboration Foundation is asking BREC for $300,000 to conduct their master planning, should this proposal be approved.

Think of what that $300,000 might be like if spent on improvements to City Park.

What this means to golfers is that the historical nine-hole golf course will either be eliminated or reduced to three holes for pitch and putt.

The 140-acre City Park, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2028, has NOTHING to do with the Lakes Project, and must not be allowed to be rolled up into a conservancy that no one voted for and only a handful of people are pushing. Please email BREC commissioners prior to the meeting at commissioners@brec.org to voice your opinion.

A few non-profits and business organizations.

Yes, it is what it is all about. Plus, punishing BREC for not bending to their wishes about City Park and public golf courses in general. BREC has already reduced the number of courses from seven to five, but that is not enough for them.

State Rep. Dixon McMakin, sponsor of these two bills aimed at upending BREC, has said they will improve efficiency and bring about cost savings.

HB 86 eliminates the current BREC commissioner structure and places BREC under the control of the mayors of Baton Rouge, Baker, Zachary, Central and St. George, and, by extension, their city councils. What happens when those parties start vying for resources and squabbling over annual budget allocations, perhaps tapping BREC dedicated funds to shore up their own budgets?

The City-Parish already has a $40 million deficit and wants to tap dedicated tax funds to close the gap. What will happen to our parks system if BREC is brought under local management?

Moreover, HB 87 dissolves BREC as a state entity, which has been in place since 1946 because Baton Rouge was not funding its park system. How does it benefit the people of EBR Parish to return to that situation?

These bills are part of a surreptitious campaign to eliminate the nine-hole golf course and turn City Park, Baton Rouge’s first park, into an amusement venue with kiddie rides, an amphitheater, paddleboat rentals, restaurants, and a running track. City Park will NEVER be able to support all the hardscape and concrete called for by the marauders so-called “vision,” and the additional traffic/parking load will be horrendous.

Having lost at the ballot box, the marauders are trying to upend BREC and get control of the park by means of legislation and a “conservancy” tied to the Lakes Project, which has nothing to do with City Park except its proximity to the south end of the park.

Last year, City Park Golf Course supported more than 26,000 rounds, nearing the capacity of 30,000 rounds established for it by the National Golf Foundation in 2014.

If the course is reconfigured or disappears entirely, Baton Rouge proper will have only one public golf course remaining—Webb Park—which already has more than 50,000 rounds played yearly. This is counter to national trends in golf. In an era where course contractions outpace openings, the municipal golf supply has increased by 140 courses since 2004, according to Golf Industry Magazine (March, 2025)

Stop the marauders! Call or write your representatives and senators and tell them to kill HB 86 and HB 87.

Atlanta's Bobby Jones course in the heart of the city is a great turnaround story.

I really think we should stop comparing Historic City Park Golf Course to Audubon Park. When I lived in NOLA in the 70s and 80s, it was much worse than City Park ever was. City Park can be truly great. Let's work to make it that way. Respond to BREC's "Imagine Your Parks" survey on their web site and make your views known.