You can't blame those playing Leilehua Golf Course like there's no tomorrow. They're hearing rumors that the Army will eventually shut down the course to make room for military housing.

If that sounds like deja vu all over again, it is. I used the same words five years ago when rumors first circulated that the site of the Army's other 18-hole golf course, Kalakaua, was going to be used for housing. The rumors became a reality. Kalakaua's gone. Now, will Leilehua face the same fate?

"There are a lot of rumors that Leilehua is closing, but they're just rumors," said Mike Iyoki, director of golf for the U.S. Army Hawai'i, which also operates the nine-hole Walter Nagorski Golf Course at Fort Shafter. "But I can guarantee you, no one knows for sure what will happen or will say anything on what is planned except that there is a plan to replace Kalakaua Golf Course."

Whether that means Leilehua will be closed after Kalakaua's replacement is built remains to be seen. That's about five years down the road but, interestingly, it fits the rumor circulating that, "Leilehua will be closed five years from now." Also, it fits the time frame of the Army Hawai'i Family Housing LLC's initial $2.33 billion, 10-year development period that began in 2005 when Kalakaua was closed to make room for the housing project.

In that regard, the Army and its developing partner purchased nearly 2,000 acres once leased by Del Monte near Schofield Barracks from Campbell Estate for "future needs," (read more military housing and the promised golf course to replace Kalakaua). No price was given, but according to CB Richard Ellis, which brokered the deal, Campbell Estate also sold a smaller parcel of land (594 acres) on the Diamond Head side of Kunia Road for $11.2 million.

Currently zoned for agriculture use, both parcels require approval by the State Land Use Commission for zoning changes. But with a diminishing agricultural future and the Army's clout, it's doubtful that a request for a zoning change would be turned down.

It's definitely down the road, maybe five years, but it does appear that the Army will build a golf course to replace Kalakaua, a historic layout that had opened for 18-hole play in 1922. It was named after King David Kalakaua, who once had his ranch house and royal hunting preserve where Schofield Barracks is now.

When Kalakaua closed five years ago, it ended a colorful chapter in local golf. It once hosted the Hawaiian Open (before it became a PGA Tour event) with Jimmy Ukauka winning just months before bombs fell on nearby Wheeler Field the Sunday World War II began at Pearl Harbor. The late Barrett Melvin, a member of the Hawai'i Golf Hall of Fame, recalled P-40s landing on the fairway of a par-5 hole with golfers having to stop play and yield the right of way.

Along with Leilehua as an alternate site, Kalakaua hosted the Army Open, a major 72-hole tournament won by many of Hawai'i's leading Hall of Fame golfers — Ukauka, Ted Makalena, Paul Scodeller, Masa Kaya, Lance Suzuki, Larry Stubblefield and Allan Yamamoto. Recalls Kaya, who was stationed at Schofield during the war, "At one time (Kalakaua) was the best course in Hawai'i (because) they had these Italian prisoners of war maintaining the golf course."

Kalakaua's closing had been disappointing but understandable. Military housing is more of a priority and the golf course, after all, had been inside the gates of Schofield Barracks.

Leilehua, though, is off base, so its closing wouldn't be so much for security reasons, making it unfortunate for local golfers. Opened for 18 holes of play in 1950, Leilehua is one of the most scenic courses on O'ahu with views of the Wai'anae Range forming a magnificent backdrop. The more densely tree-lined back nine and cooling winds provide a great contrast to so many of our courses here. Of course, that might be the main reason why it could be coveted as an ideal site for more upscale military housing. After all, isn't, "location, location, location," the main selling point when it comes to real estate?

"It would be a shame if they closed Leilehua, too," said Brandan Kop, who won the Army Invitational seven times, the last in 2007 when Leilehua was the only venue. His previous victories came when both courses were used.

Leilehua is the considerably longer of the two, but Kop found Kalakaua fun but more difficult at first, he said. "Leilehua is made for a draw, Kalakaua for a fade, and I draw the ball," said Kop, who actually had a lower scoring average at the shorter course. But Kop became a better golfer, he said, by learning how to play Kalakaua. "To win, you have to learn to play both shots."

Here's hoping the rumor about Leilehua closing doesn't become a reality. The Army deserves having a great course to brag about.