Stonington — Elmridge Golf Course is considering a plan to downsize its layout from 27 to 18 holes and use land from four of the former holes to construct a solar energy facility.

Course owner Alan Rustici, who announced the plans Wednesday on the course’s Facebook page, stressed Wednesday afternoon that the plans are tentative at this point and talks are continuing with Greenskies Renewable Energy, the solar energy firm that would lease the land for the project.

Rustici also stressed that no work would take place this year and all 27 holes would remain open to golfers. All tournaments and outings also will take place as planned.

Rustici said he also plans to have meetings with his neighbors, who were notified of the plans last week, and his customers, once the COVID-19 pandemic eases.

“Negotiations are continuing and we’ll present more information to the public as soon as it becomes available,” he told The Day.

Rustici said he had been considering reducing the number of holes from 27 to 18 over the past five years, as there has been downward trend in golf participation across the country since the 1990s. In the Facebook post, he wrote there are days when there are many available tee times and open golf holes.

“It is mainly for this reason that consideration is being given to return the golf course to its 18-hole configuration. This will hopefully allow us to better match the size and operating expenses of our facility to the current mark for golf,” he wrote.

During an interview Wednesday, Rustici said his belief is that the course has been over capacity for quite some time, and that the solar opportunity “seemed like a good fit.”

Asked about the reasons for the decrease in participation, Rustici said it’s “largely a cultural shift.”

“People playing golf have played their whole lives but are aging out. Younger people are not taking up golf like their parents did,” he said.

Among the reasons cited by various surveys and studies is that the length of rounds can be 4 hours or longer, the cost of greens fees and equipment and the soaring popularity of video games and so-called e-sports among younger people. The National Golf Foundation’s 2019 industry overview, while painting an optimistic picture of golf participation, also reported that almost 200 18-hole equivalent courses closed in 2018 while just 12.5 opened.

Elmridge opened in 1967 with nine holes, expanded for a short time to 15 and then became an 18-hole layout in 1971. Twenty years later, an additional nine holes were added to meet the growing demand for the sport. The course’s 27-hole layout is the only one in the region and allows it to host large groups, tournaments and outings. Each of the three nine holes were designated red, white or blue.

Rustici wrote that reconfiguring the course to 18 holes offers the opportunity to use the excess land for a solar energy facility. The proposed new layout would involve placing solar equipment on red holes 6 and 8, and on portions of red hole 9 and white hole 1. He also posted the new 18-hole routing on the Facebook post.

Rustici wrote that there was irony in his announcement, as the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced the closure of Massachusetts courses and placed severe restrictions on those in neighboring Rhode Island, has resulted in many out-of-state golfers visiting Connecticut courses such as Elmridge. He said if the increased play was going to be the norm, he would be seeking to develop a 36-hole course but he expects the “long term downward trend in golf to continue once the present conditions surrounding COVID-19 are resolved.”

j.wojtas@theday.com