INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - Riverside Golf Course at 35th Street and White River Parkway opened in 1900. It's the city's oldest municipal golf course, in play for nearly 119 years, but not for much longer. It's set to close at the end of the season.
As the tombstone-shaped signs around the clubhouse say, "R.I.P, A place where many learned the game. You will be missed!!" But the Tuesday Tee Timers, a group of women who have played Riverside just about every Tuesday for nine years, are not resting easy.
Asked about the upcoming closure, Mary Mauser said, "I'm totally opposed to it. I don't think there's any legitimate reason why they should be closing...that's crazy, stupid, dumb."
Nancy Heiser, a fellow Tee Timer, agreed, "we need to keep the course. It's reasonably priced, easy to get to, easy to play."
Indy Parks announced the closing in May, saying interest in golf is down and so is revenue at most of its 13 courses.
Tuesday morning saw a back-up at the first tee.
"The person in charge (of Indy Parks) thinks no one plays golf. I hate to tell you this, but retirees play golf," Mauser said. "You want revenue, let us keep playing golf and you'll get the revenue you need."
Anita Stokes, another Tee Timer, said, "It's not all revenue, otherwise they'd keep (Riverside) open and close (nearby) Coffin (Golf Club). No one likes to play Coffin anyway."
Mark Nance, director of golf at both Coffin and Riverside, said Coffin does draw fewer people.
"Probably today it won't have half as many players as Riverside," he said.
Indy Parks' 20-year master plan calls for upgrades to Coffin and transforming the 110-acre Riverside Golf Course into an adventure park with trails, zip lines, a nature center and other amenities.
Democratic City-County Councilor Monroe Gray said he's "totally opposed...I don't think there's any legitimate reason why (the golf course) should be closing," adding, "we got a thousand master park plans laying up in the parks office."
Gray, who plays Riverside several times a week, said he's heard from a lot of upset people.
"It should come before the council and we should have input," he said, while acknowledging it's a decision left to the park board.
Nance, who has worked at Riverside in some capacity since 1993, said he's still hoping for the golfer's equivalent of a hole-in-one.
"Nothing's done 'til it's final," he said. "I don't think there's anything written in stone. Hopefully, we'll have an opportunity to save it."
But as the Tee Timers know, time is running out.
Mauser said appealing the park board won't do any good "Unless (Mayor) Hogsett and whoever's in charge pay attention to what the people are saying."
Seconds later, she raised her voice as if speaking to the mayor and said, "So, Mayor Hogsett, I voted for you. Do something about this. Keep the golf course! There's no need to get rid of it."
But the director of Indy Parks and the park board have made it clear they feel otherwise. And as teed off as people are, unless the board reverses course, Nance said he will likely have to close Riverside for good sometime in October, leaving the Tuesday Tee Timers in search of tee times elsewhere.
The city's master plan also includes closing South Grove Golf Course, but there has been no decision on when.