It was announced earlier this week that Laurel Greens in Knoxville will be turned into farmland. Owner Clyde Raible told the Register Mail it wasn’t feasible to operate Laurel Greens Golf Course. Raible purchased the ground in 1968 for nine holes and first opened Laurel Greens in 1971. An additional 9 holes were built in 1990, another nine holes in 1995, then another 9 holes by the late 1990s. Raible told the paper it was shortly after the fourth 9-hole addition that things started to teeter and business began to drop. Sections of the third and fourth 9-hole additions have already been used as farm ground in recent years. The announcement was first made on Thursday on Laurel Greens’ Facebook page followed by an outpour of support on social media.
