On a steamy, sun-kissed Thursday afternoon at Willow Pond Golf Course in Rantoul, the parking lot is full and carts are backed up at the first tee.
Inside the clubhouse, owner Kevin Applebee kicks back with friends as regulars stroll in and out, enjoying a cold one after wrapping up their round.
Business is brisk these days at Willow Pond, where Applebee invested big bucks in rebuilding the course he bought three years ago.
Elsewhere, however, it's a different story.
Just across town, Rantoul's other public course — Brookhill — has teetered on the brink of closing in recent months after losing nearly $900,000 from 2010 to 2013.