A 60-day experiment in letting the public use Chastain Park Golf Course as parkland has ended with golf-only use.
After city golf courses shuttered early in the pandemic, the public took to the fairways for social distancing and outdoor enjoyment. The golf courses reopened in June, but the city began an experiment in keep the Chastain and Candler Park courses available as public green space one day a week. A July online meeting got mixed feedback about Chastain’s uses.
On Aug. 18, the city returned the courses to golf-only use, citing financial challenges, damage to the course, public use on the wrong days and legal concerns, according to Jim Elgar, an aide to City Councilmember J.P. Matzigkeit.