3 days ago
This Texas golf course, previously owned by a PGA Tour pro, will now become an RV park
This Texas golf course, previously owned by a PGA Tour pro, will now become an RV park
Buster Cupit won twice on the PGA Tour, both times at the Oklahoma Open, the first in 1958 and then again in 1965. He finished tied for 8th at the 1958 PGA Championship and played in one Masters and two U.S. Opens.
After he retired from Tour play, Cupit retreated to Longview, Texas, where he purchased Longview Country Club and operated it for decades.
But Cupit, whose younger brother Jacky also had four Tour wins on his resume, died in 2023 and after his daughters kept the course open for two years, it was finally closed for good in May.
Now, the property is slated for a new development with 150 single-family homes and an RV park with 150 parking sites, according to Jimmy Purcell, the city commissioner for White Oak. A convenience store and gas station will also be built on the property.
According to a story at the Longview News-Journal, the property could become a major revenue driver for the city of just over 6,000 residents.
Here's more from the story:
The golf course is outside the Longview and White Oak city limits, but the city of White Oak provides water and sewer services to the property. Purcell said the sale of utilities to the homes and RV park on the property will generate good revenue for the city, but as of Tuesday night, he didn't have an estimate of how much that would be.
The company that develops the property will pay to have water and sewer infrastructure installed to serve the homes and RV park, Purcell said.
Although White Oak provides utilities to the property, it sits within the city of Longview's extraterritorial jurisdiction, which is the area immediately surrounding the city limits. Certain Longview planning and zoning regulations apply to homes and structures built within the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction. Having subdivisions and structures align with city regulations makes annexation easier in the future.
Purcell said he was doubtful that Longview city officials would be willing to allow White Oak to annex the property into its city limits in the future.
The golf course, affably known as 'Buster's,' had been owned by Longview native Buster Cupit and his family since 1964. Cupit bought the course from Longview businessman Bill Brewer, who opened it in 1960. Cupit died in July 2023 at the age of 96, and his daughters, Debi Cupit Plaxco and Werner, kept the course open for nearly two years until May 5. The day prior, Cupit family members got together to play one final game together, Werner said.
Cupit's course hosted a number of memorable moments, with perhaps the biggest coming as a welcome home celebration honoring Jacky Cupit in June of 1963 after he nearly won the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Cupit lost in an 18-hole playoff to Julius Boros.
'That day will forever live in my heart,' Jacky told the Tyler Morning Telegraph. 'For the people of Longview to honor me and our family was something else.'
As for the fate of the course, Cupit's family was happy that it can become an asset for the community.
