Thanks to veteran Aquila Golf employee Justin Pierson, the fat lady never got a chance to sing a swan song on the closing of Bayou Din Golf Club.

Ten days before the venerable course’s scheduled Nov. 27 shutdown, Pierson reached an agreement with owner George Brown III to purchase the 58-year-old layout’s original 18 holes.

Pierson, meanwhile, had no intent on saving the Links 9. Brown retains that piece of property and intends to sell it in tracts of 40, 25 and 20 acres for real estate development. The old course will be open under Pierson’s leadership next Monday.

“It just hit me one day to ask George and his investors for a number,” said Pierson, a 37-year old Hamshire-Fannett graduate, and Bayou Din’s long-time director of operations. “After that, everything just started falling into place. Bayou Din is special to me and I did not want to see it close.”

Neither Brown nor Pierson disclosed a sale price. Pierson said his only partner in the deal is his wife. They intend to keep changes to a minimum, at least for the time being, although head pro John Allen will have to be replaced after moving on to another job.

“Everything fee-wise, including the cost of yearly memberships, is going to stay the same through next spring,” Pierson said. “It would not be good business to jump in and raise prices. With winter coming, it’s not the best time to be buying a golf course. I am praying for a warm, dry winter and a good spring.”

Brown said he was elated that the golf course, which had been in his family since it opened in 1958, will remain open. He revealed that one other person had inquired about purchasing the course but had backed off about the time Pierson expressed interest.

“I can’t think of anyone better than Justin to be taking over Bayou Din,” Brown said. “I was mildly surprised when he approached me, but the more we talked the more sense it made. He knows where every sprinkler head out there is, and he knows how to manage people.”

CHIP SHOTS

Typical of the way things have gone for Port Neches-Groves ex Chris Stroud recently, his best PGA Tour showing in over a year was somewhat bittersweet.

The good news was that rounds of 69-67-68-66 earned Stroud a tie for 13th and a check for $99,750 in the RSM Classic at Sea Island, Ga.

The bad news is it could be two months or more before he can get into another PGA event. Part of that is the full tour shutting down until the Jan. 12-15 Sony Open in Honolulu. It is highly unlikely, however, that Stroud will get into that event and it’s possible he won’t be able to return until the Feb. 9-12 Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Ironically, if Chris had gone one shot lower than his 12-under 270 at Sea Island he’d have finished tied for 10th and automatically gotten into the Sony. He missed birdie putts inside 10 feet on the final three holes. …

If you missed the golf column last week, it was because the author took a mini-vacation to Myrtle Beach. As a result, there is much ground to cover while playing catch up with two weeks of results. …

Sam Loyacano of Port Neches scored his first ever hole in one last Wednesday at Babe Zaharias. Playing the second hole from 125 yards, Loyacano used a 7-iron. Charlie Scott was the witness.

Larry Thompson of Port Arthur was on fire in the Senior 50 Plus Game at Babe Zaharias on Monday. Thompson rolled in eight birdies on the way to a best-ever round of 66 that was three shots lower than his age. …

There was a tie for first in the Port Neches-Groves golf team fundraiser at Zaharias. Posting rounds of 14-under-par 58 was the team of Jerry Honza, Andrew “Doc” Sigur and Donnie Little and the Feemster threesome of Cody, Tyler and Timothy.  Closest-to-the-pin winners were Kevin Parsley (No. 2), Tyler Feemster (No. 7), Josh Elmore (No. 12) and Donnie Little (No. 15).

In the Monday Senior 50 Plus Game at Zaharias, played in a best 2-ball format, the team of Bob West, Larry Johnson, Billy Thillet and Paul Duplantis won the front in minus 4. On the back, Thompson’s birdie barrage helped his team of Bob Byerly, Gerald Huebel, Bob Frazier and Gene Noble with with minus-8. …

The Super Saturday 2-ball game at The Babe saw the team of Cap Hollier, Gene Jones, John Jessen and Don Duplan win the front in plus 4. On the back, the foursome of Javier Torres, Rick Pritchett, Ed Holley and Jerry May won with plus-3.

In the Friday Game at Zaharias, also played in a 2-ball format, the team of Gary Whitfill, Gene Rountree, Wes McDonald and Gene Hardy won the front with minus-4. Minus-3 won the back for the foursome of Hollier, Harrell Guidry, Brian Mirabella and Brad Royer.

The Thursday Senior 55 Plus Game at Zaharias was played in a flighted, stroke-play, full handicap format. Adam Noel walked off with First Flight, shooting a 62 to best Hollier and Joe Gongora by 8 strokes.

Don MacNeil captured Second Flight with a 68, edging Johnson and Huebel by a stroke. Gary Anderson shot 64 to win Third Flight, beating May and Jim Cooper by six strokes.

Fourth Flight went to Harold Wilkinson with a 70, nudging Robert Lynch by one shot and Ron Overstreet by two. Closest-to-the-pin winners were Hollier (No. 2), Noel (No. 7), Cooper (No. 12) and Brian Mirabella (No. 15).

The Babe Zaharias DogFight on Nov. 16 was won with 20 points by the team of Jim Jordan, Charlie Leard, Cooper and Jess McPhillips. Closest to the hole winners were Raymond Darbonne (No. 2), MacNeil (No. 7), Bill Jones (No. 12) and Pritchett (No. 15). …

The Monday, Nov. 14 Senior 50 Plus Game at Zaharias saw the team of Sharpe, Larry Stansbury, Ron Mistrot and Hardy win the front in minus 5. On the back, the foursome of Richard Briggs, Thompson, Pritchett and Jerry May took the top prize at minus-7. …

In the Nov. 12 Super Saturday Game at The Babe, the team of Noel, Earl Richard, Ed Holley and Lynch claimed the front in minus 2. On the back, teams captained by Noel and James Shipley tied at minus-1.

The Friday, Nov. 12 2-ball at Zaharias saw the team of Tom LeTourneau, John Williams, Troy Boudreaux and Ralph Childress capture the front in minus 5. On the back, teams captained by Sharpe and Wactor tied at minus-3.

Playing a Select Drive, 3-ball format, the team of Noel, Cole Lee, Jobie Irvine and Gary Anderson grabbed the front in minus 1. On the back, the foursome of West, Larry Foster, Frazier and Noble won with even par. Closest-to-the-pin winners were Bob Barnes (No. 2), Noble (No. 7), Noel (No. 12) and Dillard Darbonne (No. 15).

The foursome of Jeff Lane, Mistrot, Leard and Bob Moore won the Nov. 9 DogFight with 17 points. Teams captained by Cricket Owen and LeTourneau tied for second with 15 points.

Closest-to-the-hole winners were Whitfill (No. 2), Richard (No. 7), Lane (No. 12) and Duplan (No. 15).

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