Plans for an 18 hole golf course in Niverville have been scaled back to a nine hole course.

That according to Len Peters of Sunrise Estates, the development company that owns the land. He says for the time being the land that was designated for the back nine holes will remain vacant, but in all likelihood, it will eventually become a single family residential development. He notes it is a tough time in the golf industry throughout the province and the country.

“Golf courses are closing, developers are buying golf courses and closing them down and turning them into development,” notes Peters. “This is just a way that we are going to try and have a long term sustainable golf course in Niverville. Nobody wins if we build a full 18 hole golf course that isn't able to stay open.”

Peters says they requested that council rezone the current front nine holes at Old Drovers Run from single family residential to parks and open space to make sure it stayes a golf course.

“We felt that is was important that the people that currently live in the development who have bought land with golf course promise were going to feel secure that that land wasn't also going to be re-designated as residential. We are hoping to assure current residents that houses that they currently have on open space will always remain open space.”

Niverville Mayor Myron Dyck says council gave first reading to a bylaw that would rezone the front nine holes that are currently playable.

“By changing it to open space at such a time when zoning would ever be required to change, the general public would now have the opportunity to speak to it and could take it to the municipal board.”

He notes half of the driving range was zoned as residential while the other half was zoned commercial and the bylaw would rezone it all to commercial to keep future development open.