Golfsmith International Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy, hoping to reorganize or attract a buyer who can save the golf-gear retailer as the sport’s popularity fades in North America, Bloomberg News reported yesterday. Golfsmith listed debt and assets of as much as $500 million each in its chapter filing yesterday, and said that it would try to sell part of the chain as a going concern while shutting some stores. If that fails, the Austin, Texas-based company will liquidate, according to a resolution by Golfsmith directors included in the chapter 11 filing. The company blamed an aggressive plan that began in 2011 to open bigger stores that cost more to operate just as golf began to lose popularity.
