The Week That Was, june 29, 2014

     In June’s Pellucid Perspective, Jim Koppenhaver weighs in on the economic health of the U.S. golf business. His conclusion: While the industry’s condition continues to deteriorate, it still has enough vim and vigor to avoid kicking the bucket anytime soon. “Lacking any change or catalyst to better align our sport to the changing consumer preferences as it relates to recreational time, difficulty, and expense,” Koppenhaver concludes, “golf will drift down to some natural support level and stabilize.” The key issue, of course, is where exactly that “natural support level” is, and Koppenhaver admits that he doesn’t know. It should be noted, however, that he believes the business will “drift down” to it, not rise up to it.

     Discovery Land Company has set out to build what will likely be its eighth Tom Fazio-designed golf course, this one in Nevada. The 18-hole private track will be the centerpiece of a 555-acre community in Summerlin, a 22,500-acre spread outside Las Vegas. Howard Hughes Company, Summerlin’s developer, believes the to-be-named subdivision will provide “an unparalleled luxury living experience” and attract “discerning home buyers from all over the country.” Summerlin is already home to nine golf properties -- among them TPC Las Vegas, TPC Summerlin, and Bear’s Best Las Vegas -- but it appears that none of them feature the luxurious housing that DLC’s community will offer. “Nothing like this yet exists in Las Vegas,” DLC’s Michael Meldman said in a press release, “so we are particularly pleased to partner with the Howard Hughes Corporation in bringing this unparalleled resort-style living opportunity to the area.” DLC has built or purchased Fazio-designed courses in California, Arizona, Hawaii, Texas, Montana, Idaho, and North Carolina, and it hopes to build another one in New York.

     Elected officials in suburban Liverpool, England are on the verge of revealing the identity of the “internationally renowned” developer they’ve chosen to build “an American-style golf course” in the shadow of Royal Liverpool Golf Club. The to-be-named group has agreed to create “an internationally acclaimed golf resort” that can stand shoulder to shoulder with venues such as the K Club in Ireland, Celtic Manor in Wales, and Gleneagles in Scotland. It'll take shape on 285 acres in Hoylake, and it’ll feature a “signature” golf course, a luxury hotel, meeting space, a spa, and some houses. A spokesperson for Wirral Council, which accepted proposals from the private sector last year, told the Wirral Globe that the contest’s winner must remain under wraps because “some details are still being worked.” The council expects to do the unveiling in late August or early September.

     Some information in the preceding post first appeared in the November 2013 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.

     Integrity Golf Company has set its sights on buying a golf property it recently began operating in Greensboro, North Carolina. “We’re buyers of golf courses,” noted Gene Garrote, the company’s CEO, in a conversation with the Triad Business Journal. Specifically, Integrity is laying a foundation for the eventual purchase of Forest Oaks Country Club, once the home of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship. The club used to be private, but Integrity has opened it to public play in an effort to identify prospective future members. “The signups for membership have been very positive,” Garrote said. “We feel very positive about the future of the club.” Forest Oaks is currently owned by Tadashi Hattori’s Nisshin Corporation. Nisshin also owns Hunters Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, a property likewise managed by Integrity.

     KemperSports has been hired to operate its first private club in New Jersey, Apple Ridge Country Club in Mahwah. The club, which opened in 1966, features an 18-hole golf course that was designed by Hal C. Purdy -- “one of the elite golf course architects of his time,” according to the press release that announced the contract. KemperSports has set out to increase the club’s membership by delivering “the best possible member experience.”

     John Ashworth, the golf apparel manufacturer, has finally won the right to revitalize a decrepit, financially stressed golf course in Oceanside, California. Ashworth has agreed to invest at least $3.6 million into Center City Golf Course, an 18-hole, executive-length track known locally as Goat Hill. He’s enlisted Tom Doak to oversee the course’s makeover and add a six-hole layout for children. Ashworth’s Goat Hill Partners LLC, which has been negotiating with the city for two years, will begin operating the course next week. “It’s been a long time coming,” he told the San Diego Union-Tribune, “and now the work starts.” The contract gives Ashworth just a two-year lease, but it includes options for 50 years worth of extensions.