Phil Mickelson has successfully lobbied to put his name on a high-profile golf club in Alberta, Canada. Mickelson National Golf Club of Canada will be the featured attraction of Harmony, a plus-size community in suburban Calgary. Barry Ehlert of Windmill Golf Group, the club’s developer, told the Calgary Sun that he expects the course “to stand alone as one of the premier, best golf courses in the country.” Formerly known as Legacy Club and Copithorne Club, Mickelson National has been in the works for seven years. The design contract originally belonged to Billy Casper and Stephen Ames, who were supplanted after Mickelson approached Windmill and expressed an interest in the venture. Windmill hasn’t revealed why it cut ties with its original design team.
A Chinese entity has purchased a pair of Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses in suburban San Jose, California. The LLC, linked to Beijing-based Sumavision Technologies Company, Ltd., reportedly paid $16 million for Coyote Creek Golf Club, which opened its Tournament course in 1999 and its Valley course three years later. Silicon Valley Business reports that Sumavision bought Coyote Creek from Shatto Corporation, which bought it from Castle & Cooke in 2008. Sumavision is led by Haitao Zheng, who recently complained of having “too much money in pocket.”
Because he closed and essentially abandoned his golf course in suburban Phoenix, Arizona, Wilson Gee may have to cough up $1.6 million. Gee closed his Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course last year, and shortly thereafter he agreed to sell it to Pulte Homes. Now, thanks to a little-known, never-before-used Maricopa County statute, he may need to repay 10 years’ worth of tax benefits (plus interest and a penalty) that his property received. The local tax assessor plans to send the bill to Gee in the fall of 2015. To be sure, there’s no guarantee that the county can make its case stick, and if you listen closely, you can already hear lawyers ringing up billable hours.
Troon Golf always brags about the premier venues in its portfolio, but the company also manages more pedestrian properties. Just recently, for example, it signed a contract to manage eight of the nine Ault Clark-designed golf courses at Hot Springs Village, a retirement community in Arkansas. In a press release, Hot Springs Village said it chose Troon Golf because it aims to become both “a leading tourism destination and a great place to live, work, and play.”
Traditionalists may scoff, but golf properties from coast to coast are beginning to test off-beat golf concepts. A case in point: Over the next two months, nine golf properties affiliated with Omni Hotels & Resorts will stage tournaments and other events using 15-inch cups. “We believe the program helps create engagement to the game by a resort guest or member that might not otherwise choose to play golf, while offering something a little different for the golf purists,” said an Omni spokesperson. The properties participating in the exercise include the Interlocken Hotel in Colorado, the La Costa Resort & Spa in California, and the Grove Park Inn in North Carolina.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Friday, September 26, 2014
Transactions, september 26, 2014
One of California’s most popular four-season resorts has contracted to buy a pair of its smaller competitors, one of which has a golf course. Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, a 3,500-acre spread outside Mammoth Lakes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, has reportedly offered $38 million for the family-focused Big Bear Mountain and Snow Summit resorts located near Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains. The Big Bear Mountain property includes a nine-hole golf course that’s been around since 1948. Mammoth Mountain, a vacation spot majority owned by Starwood Capital Corporation, has a course of its own -- the state’s highest layout, in fact -- to lure summertime visitors. The resort’s Sierra Star Golf Course, an 18-hole, Cal Olson-designed track, opened in 1999.
An investment group based in Denver, Colorado has acquired a Dick Nugent-designed golf course and other property on Hawaii’s Big Island. Resource Land Holdings reportedly purchased 900 acres, a tract that includes Makalei Golf Club, from Gramercy Capital Corporation, which had foreclosed on the property in 2008. The sales price wasn’t been announced, but Gramercy put Makalei on the market last year for $14 million. The club, which opened in 1992, describes itself as “breathtakingly beautiful,” with “one of the most unique golf courses in the world.” It was created by a Japanese firm owned by the brother of Tommy Nakajima, a well-known Japanese professional golfer, and over the years it’s had several owners. It’s been operated in recent years by Touchstone Golf, which RLH plans to retain.
A nearly 90-year-old private club in Chicagoland has been spared from the threat of development. Itasca Country Club, a facility established in 1925, has been sold to a group of local investors who’ve pledged to maintain its history and traditions. “We see this acquisition as a new beginning for the club,” one of the new owners said. “We plan to innovate and make Itasca Country Club a destination for exceptional golf, dining, community gatherings, and events.” The club, formerly owned by its members, features a James Foulis-designed golf course.
After seeing play erode for more than a decade, a golf complex in Memphis, Tennessee is seeking to grow by acquisition. Windyke Country Club, a 54-hole facility within city limits, has acquired Plantation Golf Course, an 18-hole venue in nearby Olive Branch, Mississippi. “If we’re going to stay in this industry long term,” one of the new owners told the Memphis Business Journal, “we need to expand our operations.” According to the Journal, the number of rounds played at Windyke has fallen by roughly one-third since the turn of the century. By buying Plantation, the club believes it can generate new revenues without significantly adding to its expenses.
Harder Hall Golf Club, built in the early 1950s as an amenity for a grand, resort-style hotel in Sebring, Florida, has a new owner. It’s become part of a small golf portfolio that belongs to Jason Laman, who paid an undisclosed price for Harder Hall and its 18-hole, Dick Wilson-designed golf course. “I think it’s going to work out to where we can run it at a low cost,” he told Highlands Today. Laman owns another course in Sebring, Golf Hammock Golf & Country Club, as well as Bluffs Golf Course in nearby Zolfo Springs. The Harder Hall hotel, once a destination for snowbirds from northern climes, has been abandoned since the 1980s.
In Lumberton, North Carolina, the golf pro at Cliffwood Golf Course thinks it’s a good time to become a golf-course owner. Mike Hendren and his father, who’ve been managing golf properties for more than two decades, have purchased Cliffwood, which features an 18-hole, 23-year-old golf course. “It a great little course,” Hendren told the Fayetteville Observer. “It’s been overlooked for years.” The 18-hole track was designed by Clifford Bullard, whose heirs were the sellers. The Hendrens have given Cliffwood a new name: Carolina Plantation Golf Club.
Draper Valley Golf Club, a 22-year-old venue outside Roanoke, Virginia, has been purchased by a group that includes two of its former employees. One of the former employees told the Southwest Times that the club was available because some of its owners had passed away and the survivors “felt they needed to get out of the golf business and take it easy.” The club, which was established in 1992, says its golf course was “designed by Mother Nature.” Other sources say it was Harold Louden.
According to a press release lacking important details, an unnamed entity has acquired a private club in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. The property in question is Columbia Hills Country Club, which appears to share an address with Columbia Hills Golf & Swim Club. The golf and swim club opened in the late 1920s and features a course designed by Harold Paddock. The press release doesn’t disclose the price paid for the property, but the club was on the market for $1.85 million. The new owner apparently wishes to keep both the club and his identity private.
An investment group based in Denver, Colorado has acquired a Dick Nugent-designed golf course and other property on Hawaii’s Big Island. Resource Land Holdings reportedly purchased 900 acres, a tract that includes Makalei Golf Club, from Gramercy Capital Corporation, which had foreclosed on the property in 2008. The sales price wasn’t been announced, but Gramercy put Makalei on the market last year for $14 million. The club, which opened in 1992, describes itself as “breathtakingly beautiful,” with “one of the most unique golf courses in the world.” It was created by a Japanese firm owned by the brother of Tommy Nakajima, a well-known Japanese professional golfer, and over the years it’s had several owners. It’s been operated in recent years by Touchstone Golf, which RLH plans to retain.
A nearly 90-year-old private club in Chicagoland has been spared from the threat of development. Itasca Country Club, a facility established in 1925, has been sold to a group of local investors who’ve pledged to maintain its history and traditions. “We see this acquisition as a new beginning for the club,” one of the new owners said. “We plan to innovate and make Itasca Country Club a destination for exceptional golf, dining, community gatherings, and events.” The club, formerly owned by its members, features a James Foulis-designed golf course.
After seeing play erode for more than a decade, a golf complex in Memphis, Tennessee is seeking to grow by acquisition. Windyke Country Club, a 54-hole facility within city limits, has acquired Plantation Golf Course, an 18-hole venue in nearby Olive Branch, Mississippi. “If we’re going to stay in this industry long term,” one of the new owners told the Memphis Business Journal, “we need to expand our operations.” According to the Journal, the number of rounds played at Windyke has fallen by roughly one-third since the turn of the century. By buying Plantation, the club believes it can generate new revenues without significantly adding to its expenses.
Harder Hall Golf Club, built in the early 1950s as an amenity for a grand, resort-style hotel in Sebring, Florida, has a new owner. It’s become part of a small golf portfolio that belongs to Jason Laman, who paid an undisclosed price for Harder Hall and its 18-hole, Dick Wilson-designed golf course. “I think it’s going to work out to where we can run it at a low cost,” he told Highlands Today. Laman owns another course in Sebring, Golf Hammock Golf & Country Club, as well as Bluffs Golf Course in nearby Zolfo Springs. The Harder Hall hotel, once a destination for snowbirds from northern climes, has been abandoned since the 1980s.
In Lumberton, North Carolina, the golf pro at Cliffwood Golf Course thinks it’s a good time to become a golf-course owner. Mike Hendren and his father, who’ve been managing golf properties for more than two decades, have purchased Cliffwood, which features an 18-hole, 23-year-old golf course. “It a great little course,” Hendren told the Fayetteville Observer. “It’s been overlooked for years.” The 18-hole track was designed by Clifford Bullard, whose heirs were the sellers. The Hendrens have given Cliffwood a new name: Carolina Plantation Golf Club.
Draper Valley Golf Club, a 22-year-old venue outside Roanoke, Virginia, has been purchased by a group that includes two of its former employees. One of the former employees told the Southwest Times that the club was available because some of its owners had passed away and the survivors “felt they needed to get out of the golf business and take it easy.” The club, which was established in 1992, says its golf course was “designed by Mother Nature.” Other sources say it was Harold Louden.
According to a press release lacking important details, an unnamed entity has acquired a private club in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. The property in question is Columbia Hills Country Club, which appears to share an address with Columbia Hills Golf & Swim Club. The golf and swim club opened in the late 1920s and features a course designed by Harold Paddock. The press release doesn’t disclose the price paid for the property, but the club was on the market for $1.85 million. The new owner apparently wishes to keep both the club and his identity private.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
The Week That Was, september 21, 2014
Just months after announcing that his first course in the Middle East would be his last, Donald Trump has accepted an offer he apparently couldn’t refuse. Trump has been hired to oversee the construction of Damac Properties’ forthcoming golf club at the ultra-posh Akoya Oxygen community in Dubai. Trump World Golf Club Dubai, already under construction in Dubailand, will feature an 18-hole, tournament-worthy golf course that’s been designed by an as-yet unidentified “world-renowned golf professional.” The course is scheduled to debut sometime in 2017. Akoya Oxygen is said to be just a short drive from Damac’s Akoya community, where Trump is building a Gil Hanse-designed golf course that’s expected to open next summer. In June, Trump indicated that he had no Middle Eastern golf ambitions beyond Hanse’s course. “I only do something if I can top it,” he explained, “and I’m not going to be able to top this golf course in the Middle East.” Maybe he’s changed his mind.
On the same day that the people of Scotland voted to maintain a status quo, the members of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club voted overwhelmingly to break with 260 years’ worth of discriminatory tradition. Bowing to pressure from one of the golf industry’s corporate benefactors, the all-male club has, as expected, chosen to end its gender bias and open its doors to women. “This is a very important and positive day in the history of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club,” said Peter Dawson, the club’s secretary, in a comment published by the New York Times. “I think it is a very positive message for the game of golf.” Nobody with a stake in our industry would disagree. The club’s vote is largely symbolic, of course, but symbols carry great weight in modern, fast-paced societies. These days they’re especially important to golf, which desperately needs to overcome the widespread perception that the sport is reserved pretty much exclusively for rich white men. As the National Football League will soon discover, embracing the wrong social message can have damaging economic consequences. The Royal & Ancient’s vote is a proud achievement for golf, a true watershed moment. Let’s hope there are more like it in the future.
As a result of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club’s decision, the clock has begun to tick on the other all-male clubs in the rotation for the Open Championship: Muirfield, Royal St. George’s, and Royal Troon. In the coming months, the members of these clubs will be forced to measure the glory of the past against the promise of the future. The members will decide what matters most to them, for they’ll choose between maintaining their traditions and hosting golf’s most historic, most prestigious professional tournament. It’s important to note that these three clubs have a right to exist and to set their own membership policies, exclusionary or not. But a club’s values are an expression of its character, and hosting the Open is a privilege that can no longer go to venues whose retrograde policies ultimately marginalize our industry. There’s way too much money at stake.
The world’s financially besieged course owners and operators can sleep better tonight, because Jon McCarthy of the Toronto Sun has declared that “the game of golf will be fine.” So stop worrying, eh? McCarthy didn’t predict exactly when our industry would get closer to fine, but he’s absolutely sure it’ll eventually happen because it has a “secret weapon,” namely “the people it attracts.” And when McCarthy says “people,” he isn’t talking about the regular Joes who line up for tee times at your local muni. He’s talking about the “captains of industry and world leaders” who join private clubs, where they mingle with other “doers, not watchers.” It pains me to say it, but he’s talking about “people who prefer to look for answers, not handouts.” Rarely do so few words offend so many. If anyone is looking for evidence of why golf seems exclusionary and unwelcoming to so many people, McCarthy’s essay is it.
“Not enough members” was the hashtag John Daly used to announce some sad news: “Have to shut doors and sell my golf course.” He was referring to Lion’s Den Golf Club, the venue where he learned to play golf. Daly bought the 18-hole course, in suburban Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2005. He expects to turn off the lights on Wednesday.
On the same day that the people of Scotland voted to maintain a status quo, the members of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club voted overwhelmingly to break with 260 years’ worth of discriminatory tradition. Bowing to pressure from one of the golf industry’s corporate benefactors, the all-male club has, as expected, chosen to end its gender bias and open its doors to women. “This is a very important and positive day in the history of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club,” said Peter Dawson, the club’s secretary, in a comment published by the New York Times. “I think it is a very positive message for the game of golf.” Nobody with a stake in our industry would disagree. The club’s vote is largely symbolic, of course, but symbols carry great weight in modern, fast-paced societies. These days they’re especially important to golf, which desperately needs to overcome the widespread perception that the sport is reserved pretty much exclusively for rich white men. As the National Football League will soon discover, embracing the wrong social message can have damaging economic consequences. The Royal & Ancient’s vote is a proud achievement for golf, a true watershed moment. Let’s hope there are more like it in the future.
As a result of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club’s decision, the clock has begun to tick on the other all-male clubs in the rotation for the Open Championship: Muirfield, Royal St. George’s, and Royal Troon. In the coming months, the members of these clubs will be forced to measure the glory of the past against the promise of the future. The members will decide what matters most to them, for they’ll choose between maintaining their traditions and hosting golf’s most historic, most prestigious professional tournament. It’s important to note that these three clubs have a right to exist and to set their own membership policies, exclusionary or not. But a club’s values are an expression of its character, and hosting the Open is a privilege that can no longer go to venues whose retrograde policies ultimately marginalize our industry. There’s way too much money at stake.
The world’s financially besieged course owners and operators can sleep better tonight, because Jon McCarthy of the Toronto Sun has declared that “the game of golf will be fine.” So stop worrying, eh? McCarthy didn’t predict exactly when our industry would get closer to fine, but he’s absolutely sure it’ll eventually happen because it has a “secret weapon,” namely “the people it attracts.” And when McCarthy says “people,” he isn’t talking about the regular Joes who line up for tee times at your local muni. He’s talking about the “captains of industry and world leaders” who join private clubs, where they mingle with other “doers, not watchers.” It pains me to say it, but he’s talking about “people who prefer to look for answers, not handouts.” Rarely do so few words offend so many. If anyone is looking for evidence of why golf seems exclusionary and unwelcoming to so many people, McCarthy’s essay is it.
“Not enough members” was the hashtag John Daly used to announce some sad news: “Have to shut doors and sell my golf course.” He was referring to Lion’s Den Golf Club, the venue where he learned to play golf. Daly bought the 18-hole course, in suburban Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2005. He expects to turn off the lights on Wednesday.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Vital Signs, september 19, 2014
For many of the Powers That Be in golf, residential development is the lover they simply can’t live without. A case in point: Tim Finchem, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, who likes to see golf courses -- in particular, the tour’s Tournament Players Club courses -- snuggle up with McMansions. In his recent “state of the tour” address, Finchem suggested that the golf business would be better off if it could once again cozy up with the likes of Toll Brothers and Lennar. “It would be great to have the housing industry back and vibrant, creating new neighborhoods and new communities that choose golf, as they did for decades,” Finchem declared, apparently forgetting that the marriage of convenience between golf and housing is ultimately a fatal attraction. What residential developers produce, typically, are courses that are too long, too expensive, ridiculously routed, and no fun to play. Is that the bed Finchem wants golf to sleep in? Jeez, with an attitude like that, you’d think he sits on the board of KB Homes or something.
Jack Nicklaus’ design firm may not employ as many associates as it once did, but the price of a Nicklaus “signature” layout remains the industry’s gold standard. Nicklaus’ design fee “can be upward of $2 million,” says Sports Illustrated, an amount that proves good times have indeed returned to the top of the golf market. The magazine also reports that Nicklaus’ apparel business, a joint venture with Perry Ellis, generates more than $250 million in annual sales, and that Nicklaus’ wines, which are produced with Terlato Wines International, have sold roughly 10,000 cases annually since 2010. When one considers the revenues that the Nicklaus empire generates from licensing fees, it’s easy to understand why Forbes estimates Nicklaus’ personal net worth to be more than $250 million.
If you’re like most people in the golf business, you’ve grown weary of watching the parade of mostly ineffective grow-the-game strategies that have marched down your street in recent years. Another one is headed your way, however, and it comes with a twist: It doesn’t intend to associate itself with or rely on assistance from any of golf’s institutional powers. “We can leave our dependency on growing the game to the governing bodies, or we can get involved and personally make a difference,” says Mike Orloff, the Australian who created Grow the Game Central. Orloff’s idea is to effect change from the bottom up by encouraging golfers, golf facilities, and golf-related businesses to participate actively in promoting the sport and supporting its growth. Grow the Game Central is most likely doomed to failure, of course, but it’s about time that the grass roots took matters into its own hands. After all, it’s become abundantly clear that the handsomely paid people at places like the United States Golf Association, the World Golf Foundation, and the National Golf Foundation don’t know how to fix what ails us.
Jack Nicklaus’ design firm may not employ as many associates as it once did, but the price of a Nicklaus “signature” layout remains the industry’s gold standard. Nicklaus’ design fee “can be upward of $2 million,” says Sports Illustrated, an amount that proves good times have indeed returned to the top of the golf market. The magazine also reports that Nicklaus’ apparel business, a joint venture with Perry Ellis, generates more than $250 million in annual sales, and that Nicklaus’ wines, which are produced with Terlato Wines International, have sold roughly 10,000 cases annually since 2010. When one considers the revenues that the Nicklaus empire generates from licensing fees, it’s easy to understand why Forbes estimates Nicklaus’ personal net worth to be more than $250 million.
If you’re like most people in the golf business, you’ve grown weary of watching the parade of mostly ineffective grow-the-game strategies that have marched down your street in recent years. Another one is headed your way, however, and it comes with a twist: It doesn’t intend to associate itself with or rely on assistance from any of golf’s institutional powers. “We can leave our dependency on growing the game to the governing bodies, or we can get involved and personally make a difference,” says Mike Orloff, the Australian who created Grow the Game Central. Orloff’s idea is to effect change from the bottom up by encouraging golfers, golf facilities, and golf-related businesses to participate actively in promoting the sport and supporting its growth. Grow the Game Central is most likely doomed to failure, of course, but it’s about time that the grass roots took matters into its own hands. After all, it’s become abundantly clear that the handsomely paid people at places like the United States Golf Association, the World Golf Foundation, and the National Golf Foundation don’t know how to fix what ails us.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
The Week That Was, september 14, 2014
The Trump-branded golf resort in Puerto Rico continues to have what it describes as “financial difficulties,” and a bankruptcy proceeding may be on the horizon. Trump International Golf Club Puerto Rico failed to make a payment of nearly $120,000 to its bond holders last month, technically putting it in default, but it’s been having trouble paying its construction loan since 2012, if not before. The golf venue, originally known as Coco Beach Golf & Country Club, features a 36-hole, Tom Kite-designed golf complex, and it’s an important marketing cog for Puerto Rico’s tourism industry. The Trump Organization lists the resort community on its website, as if it were the property owner, when in fact it only licenses the Trump name to the property. Trump isn’t liable for any of the resort’s debt, but it won’t look good if one of the best names in the golf business winds up in bankruptcy court.
It appears that Joe Ogilvie underestimated his chances of winning support for a tournament-worthy golf course in Austin, Texas. The proposed layout, Decker Lake Golf Course, has passed its first hurdle, and the city council could vote on it as early as next month. Ogilvie, a former professional golfer who lives in Austin, is leading a partnership that wants to build an 18-hole, Coore & Crenshaw-designed golf course -- along with a second 18 in the future -- on 735 acres of city-owned property in Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park. Ogilvie recently gave Decker Lake just “a 10 to 15 percent chance of happening,” but if the council gives him the green light in October, construction would probably begin in 2016.
As reported months ago by Golf Business News, Chanchai Ruayrungruang, one of the world’s richest people, has become the new owner of Wentworth Club, one of England’s premier golf venues. The Thai-Chinese entrepreneur’s Reignwood International reportedly paid Richard Caring £135 million (about $219.6 million) for Wentworth, which features two Harry Colt-designed courses (plus a third 18-hole track and a nine-hole layout) and serves as the headquarters of the PGA European Tour. The 90-year-old club has hosted a pair of Ryder Cup championships and a slew of the tour’s European PGA championships. Caring, who reportedly paid £130 million ($211.4 million) for the club in 2004, told the Guardian that he’s received many offers for the property over the years but was looking for “an owner with integrity,” “an understanding of the special place [Wentworth] holds in so many people’s hearts,” and the willingness to improve “what is already a masterpiece.” Ruayrungruang made part of his vast fortune -- he’s worth $2 billion, according to Forbes -- by selling Red Bull, and he recently bought a stake in Vita Coco, the coconut-water company. GBN identified Ruayrungruang as the prospective buyer of Wentworth in March, before Great Britain’s far larger news organizations did.
The purchase of Wentworth Club was only one of two golf transactions that occupied Chanchai Ruayrungruang’s time this week. A Ruayrungruang-controlled investment group has acquired Morgan Stanley’s interest in 1,103 acres at the Princeville Resort in Hawaii, reportedly for $343 million. The property features a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed golf course that’s considered to be among the state’s best. Princeville, a 9,000-acre spread on the North Shore of Kauai, was purchased by Jeff Stone and Morgan Stanley in 2005. Ruayrungruang now owns golf properties on three continents. His tony Pine Valley Golf Club, in metropolitan Beijing, China, features a trio of 18-hole, Jack Nicklaus “signature” courses, and it offers its privileged members a polo club, private jet service, and what it calls “the perfect luxury lifestyle.”
National Golf Management, a company that operates in just two states, has added a 24th property to its slow-growing portfolio: TPC Myrtle Beach, a 15-year-old facility in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. The property, which features an 18-hole, Tom Fazio-designed course, is owned by a pair of local businessmen. NGM is the largest owner/manager of golf properties on the Grand Strand, but its national ambitions haven’t yet gotten off the drawing board. According to the Myrtle Beach Sun-News, TPC Myrtle Beach is the first property that NGM has added to its collection since it was established in 2012.
The only Arnold Palmer-designed golf course in Oregon has a new owner. CLV Properties, a firm based in Rancho Santa Fe, California, has reportedly paid just over $3 million for Running Y Ranch, a 3,600-acre spread in Klamath Falls. CLV is controlled by William Lynch, an Iowa native who says that Oregon is “beautiful country” that “kind of reminds me of Iowa.” Palmer’s 18-hole course opened in 1997. It was developed by Jeld-Wen, a window-manufacturing company that took a flyer into golf development. In 2010, Jeld-Wen sold Running Y and two other golf resorts to a partnership led by Northview Hotel Group. At the time, a partner in Northview said that he was looking forward to operating the properties “for generations to come.”
It appears that Joe Ogilvie underestimated his chances of winning support for a tournament-worthy golf course in Austin, Texas. The proposed layout, Decker Lake Golf Course, has passed its first hurdle, and the city council could vote on it as early as next month. Ogilvie, a former professional golfer who lives in Austin, is leading a partnership that wants to build an 18-hole, Coore & Crenshaw-designed golf course -- along with a second 18 in the future -- on 735 acres of city-owned property in Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park. Ogilvie recently gave Decker Lake just “a 10 to 15 percent chance of happening,” but if the council gives him the green light in October, construction would probably begin in 2016.
As reported months ago by Golf Business News, Chanchai Ruayrungruang, one of the world’s richest people, has become the new owner of Wentworth Club, one of England’s premier golf venues. The Thai-Chinese entrepreneur’s Reignwood International reportedly paid Richard Caring £135 million (about $219.6 million) for Wentworth, which features two Harry Colt-designed courses (plus a third 18-hole track and a nine-hole layout) and serves as the headquarters of the PGA European Tour. The 90-year-old club has hosted a pair of Ryder Cup championships and a slew of the tour’s European PGA championships. Caring, who reportedly paid £130 million ($211.4 million) for the club in 2004, told the Guardian that he’s received many offers for the property over the years but was looking for “an owner with integrity,” “an understanding of the special place [Wentworth] holds in so many people’s hearts,” and the willingness to improve “what is already a masterpiece.” Ruayrungruang made part of his vast fortune -- he’s worth $2 billion, according to Forbes -- by selling Red Bull, and he recently bought a stake in Vita Coco, the coconut-water company. GBN identified Ruayrungruang as the prospective buyer of Wentworth in March, before Great Britain’s far larger news organizations did.
The purchase of Wentworth Club was only one of two golf transactions that occupied Chanchai Ruayrungruang’s time this week. A Ruayrungruang-controlled investment group has acquired Morgan Stanley’s interest in 1,103 acres at the Princeville Resort in Hawaii, reportedly for $343 million. The property features a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed golf course that’s considered to be among the state’s best. Princeville, a 9,000-acre spread on the North Shore of Kauai, was purchased by Jeff Stone and Morgan Stanley in 2005. Ruayrungruang now owns golf properties on three continents. His tony Pine Valley Golf Club, in metropolitan Beijing, China, features a trio of 18-hole, Jack Nicklaus “signature” courses, and it offers its privileged members a polo club, private jet service, and what it calls “the perfect luxury lifestyle.”
National Golf Management, a company that operates in just two states, has added a 24th property to its slow-growing portfolio: TPC Myrtle Beach, a 15-year-old facility in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. The property, which features an 18-hole, Tom Fazio-designed course, is owned by a pair of local businessmen. NGM is the largest owner/manager of golf properties on the Grand Strand, but its national ambitions haven’t yet gotten off the drawing board. According to the Myrtle Beach Sun-News, TPC Myrtle Beach is the first property that NGM has added to its collection since it was established in 2012.
The only Arnold Palmer-designed golf course in Oregon has a new owner. CLV Properties, a firm based in Rancho Santa Fe, California, has reportedly paid just over $3 million for Running Y Ranch, a 3,600-acre spread in Klamath Falls. CLV is controlled by William Lynch, an Iowa native who says that Oregon is “beautiful country” that “kind of reminds me of Iowa.” Palmer’s 18-hole course opened in 1997. It was developed by Jeld-Wen, a window-manufacturing company that took a flyer into golf development. In 2010, Jeld-Wen sold Running Y and two other golf resorts to a partnership led by Northview Hotel Group. At the time, a partner in Northview said that he was looking forward to operating the properties “for generations to come.”
Friday, September 12, 2014
The Pipeline, september 12, 2014
Can the Caribbean’s most impoverished nation transform itself into a vacation hot spot? Given Haiti’s history and the current state of its economic affairs, it’s a goal that won’t easily be achieved. But tourism officials have spent years trying to persuade international investors to fund a variety of projects, including a pair of waterfront resorts along the nation’s southern coast. According to Reuters, one will take shape on Ile-à-Vache, a 17-square-mile island southeast of Les Cayes. The other, Côtes-de-Fer, will be located on a two-mile stretch of the mainland roughly 10 miles west of Bainet. Golf courses will be part of both resorts, along with vacation villas, hotel rooms, places to eat and drink, entertainment venues, and shopping areas. Last year, Haiti attracted just 420,000 tourists, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization, most of them vacationers on cruise ships who didn’t stray far from their boats. The nation’s travel numbers pale in comparison to those recorded by the Dominican Republic (4.7 million), Cuba (2.85 million), and Jamaica (2 million).
At long last, it’s actually happening: The first U.S. golf course designed by Tiger Woods is under construction. The championship-worthy track, along with an accompanying Woods-designed “short” course, will be the featured attraction of Bluejack National, a private club in Montgomery, Texas. Both courses are scheduled to open next year, with the 18-hole layout to debut in the fall. “The opportunity is here to create a golf course unlike any other in the Houston area,” Woods said in a press release when he won the commission, “and our goal is for it to be among the best in the nation.” Without question, Woods and his supporting cast will make Bluejack National all it can be, as millions of dollars’ worth of future design contracts are riding on the outcome. And while they sweat blood, the developers will mostly be keeping their eyes on the pace of house sales.
Government officials in Australia have agreed to write a $3 million check to spark the construction of another build-it-and-they-will-come course on the island of Tasmania. The 18-hole track will be the centerpiece of Solis, a dormant community in Orford that was originally supposed to have a slick, Greg Norman-designed golf course, along with a slew of houses, “eco-tourism” cabins, a shopping area, and a day spa. Several years ago Greg Ramsay, the Tasmanian who conceived the first course at Barnbougle Dunes, was enlisted to revive Solis. He hasn’t yet set a groundbreaking for the community’s golf course, but it appears that he’s found a designer: Mike Nuzzo, the world’s most famous unknown architect. Nuzzo’s claim to fame is Wolf Point, a rarely played 18-hole track that a rich Texan built for his own personal use. Nuzzo has been trying for years to capitalize on Wolf Point’s critical raves, and now he’ll get his chance.
Some information in the preceding post was gathered from a story in the June 2012 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
One of Turkey’s biggest business groups aims to create a world-class golf venue in one of the nation’s prime vacation spots. Doğuş Grubu has set out to transform Vita Park Golf Resort, a property it purchased last year, into a high-profile destination that will raise Turkey’s golf reputation and attract golfers from all over Europe and Asia. As part of its plan, the firm has enlisted Dave Sampson of European Golf Design to create a pair of 18-hole layouts at Vita Park -- a player-friendly track for vacationers and a tournament-caliber track where national and international professional events can be staged. Sampson plans to remodel and overhaul Vita Park’s existing 18-hole course and to create a new course on property that reportedly resembles “some of Arizona’s dramatic courses.” Vita Park spreads across 2,000 acres in Milas, a city 30 miles northeast of Bodrum. For what it’s worth, Lonely Planet describes Bodrum as “the Monte Carlo of the Aegean.”
The original version of the preceding post first appeared in June 2014 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
As political tensions in Egypt begin to ease, new life is being injected into real estate ventures that have been moving at a glacial pace. A case in point: Uptown Cairo, a “lifestyle” community in a close-in suburb of Cairo. Though sales have been slowed by economic uncertainty, houses continue to emerge in the 1,186-acre community, and its town center is scheduled to open in 2016. It seems only a matter of time before construction resumes on its Peter Harradine-designed golf course, where ground was first broken in 2008. Uptown Cairo is being developed by Emaar Misr, a subsidiary of Dubai-based Emaar Properties, one of the Middle East’s most prominent developers. Emaar Misr has modeled Uptown Cairo after Emaar Properties’ golf communities in Dubai, Arabian Ranches and the Montgomerie.
Tourism officials in Maharashtra, India have set out to create a gigantic tourist attraction that will include a golf course, or maybe a golf complex. If approved by state planners and elected officials, the to-be-named mega-project will take shape on more than 5,000 acres in Choukul, a hill station just east of Sawantwadi. The project is still in the conceptual phase, but the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation believes it’ll include several resort-style hotels, a Formula One race track, and other attractions. DNA, an Indian news service, says the proposed course “may be the largest in India,” which suggests that it’ll probably have more than 18 holes.
The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the April 2014 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
Anxious city officials in New Orleans, Louisiana are hoping to break ground on a long-awaited 18-hole golf course in City Park next month. The Rees Jones-designed, championship-quality track will take shape on property once occupied by the park’s East and West courses. Those courses, along with two others that once lured golfers to the park, were destroyed nearly a decade ago, when Hurricane Katrina blew through town. “It’s been a long time coming,” an unnamed observer told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “We remain cautiously optimistic. But we reserve the right to be ecstatic at a later time.” If the course can be grassed by next spring or early summer, it could open in 2016. It would complement the park’s North course, which was reopened in 2009.
At long last, it’s actually happening: The first U.S. golf course designed by Tiger Woods is under construction. The championship-worthy track, along with an accompanying Woods-designed “short” course, will be the featured attraction of Bluejack National, a private club in Montgomery, Texas. Both courses are scheduled to open next year, with the 18-hole layout to debut in the fall. “The opportunity is here to create a golf course unlike any other in the Houston area,” Woods said in a press release when he won the commission, “and our goal is for it to be among the best in the nation.” Without question, Woods and his supporting cast will make Bluejack National all it can be, as millions of dollars’ worth of future design contracts are riding on the outcome. And while they sweat blood, the developers will mostly be keeping their eyes on the pace of house sales.
Government officials in Australia have agreed to write a $3 million check to spark the construction of another build-it-and-they-will-come course on the island of Tasmania. The 18-hole track will be the centerpiece of Solis, a dormant community in Orford that was originally supposed to have a slick, Greg Norman-designed golf course, along with a slew of houses, “eco-tourism” cabins, a shopping area, and a day spa. Several years ago Greg Ramsay, the Tasmanian who conceived the first course at Barnbougle Dunes, was enlisted to revive Solis. He hasn’t yet set a groundbreaking for the community’s golf course, but it appears that he’s found a designer: Mike Nuzzo, the world’s most famous unknown architect. Nuzzo’s claim to fame is Wolf Point, a rarely played 18-hole track that a rich Texan built for his own personal use. Nuzzo has been trying for years to capitalize on Wolf Point’s critical raves, and now he’ll get his chance.
Some information in the preceding post was gathered from a story in the June 2012 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
One of Turkey’s biggest business groups aims to create a world-class golf venue in one of the nation’s prime vacation spots. Doğuş Grubu has set out to transform Vita Park Golf Resort, a property it purchased last year, into a high-profile destination that will raise Turkey’s golf reputation and attract golfers from all over Europe and Asia. As part of its plan, the firm has enlisted Dave Sampson of European Golf Design to create a pair of 18-hole layouts at Vita Park -- a player-friendly track for vacationers and a tournament-caliber track where national and international professional events can be staged. Sampson plans to remodel and overhaul Vita Park’s existing 18-hole course and to create a new course on property that reportedly resembles “some of Arizona’s dramatic courses.” Vita Park spreads across 2,000 acres in Milas, a city 30 miles northeast of Bodrum. For what it’s worth, Lonely Planet describes Bodrum as “the Monte Carlo of the Aegean.”
The original version of the preceding post first appeared in June 2014 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
As political tensions in Egypt begin to ease, new life is being injected into real estate ventures that have been moving at a glacial pace. A case in point: Uptown Cairo, a “lifestyle” community in a close-in suburb of Cairo. Though sales have been slowed by economic uncertainty, houses continue to emerge in the 1,186-acre community, and its town center is scheduled to open in 2016. It seems only a matter of time before construction resumes on its Peter Harradine-designed golf course, where ground was first broken in 2008. Uptown Cairo is being developed by Emaar Misr, a subsidiary of Dubai-based Emaar Properties, one of the Middle East’s most prominent developers. Emaar Misr has modeled Uptown Cairo after Emaar Properties’ golf communities in Dubai, Arabian Ranches and the Montgomerie.
Tourism officials in Maharashtra, India have set out to create a gigantic tourist attraction that will include a golf course, or maybe a golf complex. If approved by state planners and elected officials, the to-be-named mega-project will take shape on more than 5,000 acres in Choukul, a hill station just east of Sawantwadi. The project is still in the conceptual phase, but the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation believes it’ll include several resort-style hotels, a Formula One race track, and other attractions. DNA, an Indian news service, says the proposed course “may be the largest in India,” which suggests that it’ll probably have more than 18 holes.
The original version of the preceding post first appeared in the April 2014 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
Anxious city officials in New Orleans, Louisiana are hoping to break ground on a long-awaited 18-hole golf course in City Park next month. The Rees Jones-designed, championship-quality track will take shape on property once occupied by the park’s East and West courses. Those courses, along with two others that once lured golfers to the park, were destroyed nearly a decade ago, when Hurricane Katrina blew through town. “It’s been a long time coming,” an unnamed observer told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “We remain cautiously optimistic. But we reserve the right to be ecstatic at a later time.” If the course can be grassed by next spring or early summer, it could open in 2016. It would complement the park’s North course, which was reopened in 2009.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
The Week That Was, september 7, 2014
Seven nations have put themselves into the running to host the Ryder Cup matches of 2022. The self-nominators -- Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey -- can reconsider until February 16, 2015, the date when the official bids are due. Ryder Cup Europe expects to name a winner in the fall of next year.
California’s unrelenting drought is threatening the future of a John Harbottle-designed golf complex in the Silicon Valley. Cinnabar Hills Golf Club, a public venue in San Jose, has just one source for water, and its provider, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, is running perilously dry. To survive, Cinnabar Hills appears to have only one option, and it’s an expensive one: It needs to build a 5.5-mile pipeline to a supply of recycled water.
Troon Golf has secured its fourth management contract in Dubai, where splendor in the grass is a coveted expression of the luxe life. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based firm been selected to usher in what it calls “an exciting new era for golf” at Arabian Ranches Golf Club, the 10-year-old centerpiece of a richly appointed community developed by affiliates of Emaar Properties. The club features an 18-hole course that wears the “signature” of Ian Baker-Finch, although much of the handwriting was done by Nicklaus Design. The pact is Troon’s second with Emaar, which turned over Montgomerie Dubai when it opened in 2001. Although the opportunities are relatively few and far between, Troon has been delivering the goods to Middle Eastern luxury golf properties for years. Its portfolio includes two other courses in Dubai (including the Els Club), two in Abu Dhabi (including Saadiyat Beach Golf Club), and one in Bahrain.
One of Australia’s premier golf properties has been sold out of receivership. HGC Properties, which is believed to be controlled by a Chinese group, reportedly paid $17.8 million ($16.7 million in U.S. currency) for Heritage Golf & Country Club, a 36-hole venue in suburban Melbourne. The club had been owned by a pair of quarreling Chinese investors who’d taken their ownership disputes to court, apparently unaware of what the consequences might be. Golf Digest ranks Heritage’s St. John course, Jack Nicklaus “signature” track, at #62 in Australia, and its Tony Cashmore-designed Henley course at #94. Golf Industry Central reports that the club, unlike many in metropolitan Melbourne, has “a strong established membership base.” It attracted roughly 47,500 rounds last year, not to mention the Victorian PGA Championship.
Arnold Palmer Golf Management has signed a five-year contract to operate Florida State University’s financially troubled golf course. Don Veller Seminole Golf Course, a 52-year-old venue, has reportedly lost $3.5 million over the past 10 years, which is right about how long it’s been since the track was redesigned by Robert C. Walker. APGM, a company owned by Century Golf Partners, believes the key to improving the track’s bottom line is to keep greens fees affordable. “Our philosophy is about growing the tee sheet and memberships,” a spokesman for Century Golf told the Tallahassee Democrat. “The more you maximize round count, the more people you get through the door, the more retail you do, the more food and beverage you sell.” In exchange for the concession, APGM has agreed to pay the university 2 percent of the course’s gross revenues.
An abandoned, state-owned golf course in Manchester, Tennessee may soon be revived by private-sector developers. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tink Driver and Pete Jackson are negotiating to buy the 140 acres formerly occupied by Old Stone Fort Golf Course, a venue that’s been closed since 2011. If they reach an agreement, the partners plan to reopen Old Stone Fort as a nine-hole track that appeals especially to women, children, seniors, and beginners. To fund the reconstruction, they figure to do some ancillary development, including meeting space and accommodations for overnight visitors.
California’s unrelenting drought is threatening the future of a John Harbottle-designed golf complex in the Silicon Valley. Cinnabar Hills Golf Club, a public venue in San Jose, has just one source for water, and its provider, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, is running perilously dry. To survive, Cinnabar Hills appears to have only one option, and it’s an expensive one: It needs to build a 5.5-mile pipeline to a supply of recycled water.
Troon Golf has secured its fourth management contract in Dubai, where splendor in the grass is a coveted expression of the luxe life. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based firm been selected to usher in what it calls “an exciting new era for golf” at Arabian Ranches Golf Club, the 10-year-old centerpiece of a richly appointed community developed by affiliates of Emaar Properties. The club features an 18-hole course that wears the “signature” of Ian Baker-Finch, although much of the handwriting was done by Nicklaus Design. The pact is Troon’s second with Emaar, which turned over Montgomerie Dubai when it opened in 2001. Although the opportunities are relatively few and far between, Troon has been delivering the goods to Middle Eastern luxury golf properties for years. Its portfolio includes two other courses in Dubai (including the Els Club), two in Abu Dhabi (including Saadiyat Beach Golf Club), and one in Bahrain.
One of Australia’s premier golf properties has been sold out of receivership. HGC Properties, which is believed to be controlled by a Chinese group, reportedly paid $17.8 million ($16.7 million in U.S. currency) for Heritage Golf & Country Club, a 36-hole venue in suburban Melbourne. The club had been owned by a pair of quarreling Chinese investors who’d taken their ownership disputes to court, apparently unaware of what the consequences might be. Golf Digest ranks Heritage’s St. John course, Jack Nicklaus “signature” track, at #62 in Australia, and its Tony Cashmore-designed Henley course at #94. Golf Industry Central reports that the club, unlike many in metropolitan Melbourne, has “a strong established membership base.” It attracted roughly 47,500 rounds last year, not to mention the Victorian PGA Championship.
Arnold Palmer Golf Management has signed a five-year contract to operate Florida State University’s financially troubled golf course. Don Veller Seminole Golf Course, a 52-year-old venue, has reportedly lost $3.5 million over the past 10 years, which is right about how long it’s been since the track was redesigned by Robert C. Walker. APGM, a company owned by Century Golf Partners, believes the key to improving the track’s bottom line is to keep greens fees affordable. “Our philosophy is about growing the tee sheet and memberships,” a spokesman for Century Golf told the Tallahassee Democrat. “The more you maximize round count, the more people you get through the door, the more retail you do, the more food and beverage you sell.” In exchange for the concession, APGM has agreed to pay the university 2 percent of the course’s gross revenues.
An abandoned, state-owned golf course in Manchester, Tennessee may soon be revived by private-sector developers. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tink Driver and Pete Jackson are negotiating to buy the 140 acres formerly occupied by Old Stone Fort Golf Course, a venue that’s been closed since 2011. If they reach an agreement, the partners plan to reopen Old Stone Fort as a nine-hole track that appeals especially to women, children, seniors, and beginners. To fund the reconstruction, they figure to do some ancillary development, including meeting space and accommodations for overnight visitors.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Desolation Row, september 5, 2014
Deltona Corporation has closed El Diablo Golf & Country Club, blaming its demise on “challenging market conditions” and “a devastating clubhouse fire” that occurred earlier this year. El Diablo, in Citrus Springs, Florida, featured a well-regarded, Jim Fazio-designed golf course that opened in 1998. The Citrus County Chronicle reports that the club’s members are “devastated” over the loss of their 18-hole course, in part because they believe that Deltona received an insurance payment that might have covered repairs at the clubhouse. While it’s true that residential developers often work in mysterious ways, Deltona may have simply seized an opportunity to cut its losses, as all but 65 of the club’s members have departed.
Last month, the owners of a popular wedding venue in Bakersfield, California purchased and closed Sycamore Canyon Golf Course. John and Jeff Haddad plan to add waterfalls, pretty flowers, and almond trees to the 18-hole, 25-year-old track, to create nice backgrounds for memorable wedding pictures. “It’s going to be a beautiful place,” John Haddad told KERO-TV. The Haddads’ other wedding venue, JEH Ranch on the Kern River, apparently has more bookings than it can handle.
The lights have gone out at Fort Myers Beach Golf Club, and they’ll be turned on again only if a membership drive is successful. “It all boils down to support,” Chip Durpo, the owner of the club in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, told WINK-TV. “The ball is in the community’s hands.” The ball doesn’t appear to have much bounce left in it, as the 38-year-old club reportedly has only about 35 members.
Next week, after 50 years as a going concern, a nine-hole golf course in Durand, Michigan will close its doors for the last time. “We waited as long as we could, hoping the economy would come back, but I just don’t see it,” Ed French, the owner of Chippewa Hills Country Club, told the Owosso Argus-Press. “People are going to buy food and gas before they play golf.” French has reportedly agreed to sell his 97-acre property to a farmer.
A golf complex in Kokomo, Indiana has parted with its original nine holes, which had become a financial drain. Chippendale Golf Course will henceforth operate as an 18-hole layout, a number that current owner Jim Humphrey believes is enough to satisfy demand. Chippendale’s Vintage 9 now belongs to Chris Fry, who’s growing fruits and vegetables on the 43-acre parcel. “If we were getting enough play to warrant having it open, we would’ve kept it open,” Humphrey said in a comment published by the Fairfield Citizen. “It just wasn’t there.” Humphrey’s late father, Bill, designed and built the Vintage 9 in 1970 and the 18 holes that followed in the late 1980s.
A nine-hole golf course in Clear Lake, Iowa has been living on borrowed time, and the time has run out. Jane Pedelty wanted to close Arrowhead Golf Course last year but reportedly changed her mind when her customers protested. This year, the Minnesota resident won’t be swayed. The course closes at the end of the golf season.
A little more than three months from now, on New Year’s Eve, the final rounds will likely be played at Marcus Pointe Golf Club in Pensacola, Florida. The 18-hole, Earl Stone-designed track opened in 1990, as the centerpiece of a golf community developed by Neal Nash. In recent years, Nash and the community’s home owners invested in the course, regrassing its greens and making other capital improvements, but it was all for naught. Improved conditions didn’t attract more play. Nash has listed the 120-acre layout for sale.
Later this year, when the winter winds begin to blow out of Manitoba, the final rounds will be played at a nine-hole municipal golf course in Edina, Minnesota. Fred Richards Executive Golf Course, which opened in the mid 1990s, will close whenever the season ends, despite pleas to spare its fate from local golfers. Edina isn’t doing away with golf completely, however. The city also owns Braemar Golf Course, a facility with 27 regulation-length holes and a nine-hole executive-length track. It’s worth mentioning that Braemar’s nine-hole course will be shrunk to a par-3 layout.
The city of Massillon, Ohio has decided not to sell its golf complex, but it’s going to close nine of its holes. On the chopping block is the North nine (or maybe the South nine) at the Legends of Massillion. The holes will, for the time being at least, be maintained as open space. By operating the Legends as an 18-hole facility, the city expects to save between $50,000 and $100,000 annually, according to a report in the Canton Repository. Earlier this year a development group wanted to buy the entire 275-acre Legends property, which is said to be carrying $5.4 million in debt, but the group pulled its offer before the city could sign on the dotted line. If a similar opportunity comes its way again, Massillon may jump at the chance to rid itself of a financial burden.
Last month, the owners of a popular wedding venue in Bakersfield, California purchased and closed Sycamore Canyon Golf Course. John and Jeff Haddad plan to add waterfalls, pretty flowers, and almond trees to the 18-hole, 25-year-old track, to create nice backgrounds for memorable wedding pictures. “It’s going to be a beautiful place,” John Haddad told KERO-TV. The Haddads’ other wedding venue, JEH Ranch on the Kern River, apparently has more bookings than it can handle.
The lights have gone out at Fort Myers Beach Golf Club, and they’ll be turned on again only if a membership drive is successful. “It all boils down to support,” Chip Durpo, the owner of the club in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, told WINK-TV. “The ball is in the community’s hands.” The ball doesn’t appear to have much bounce left in it, as the 38-year-old club reportedly has only about 35 members.
Next week, after 50 years as a going concern, a nine-hole golf course in Durand, Michigan will close its doors for the last time. “We waited as long as we could, hoping the economy would come back, but I just don’t see it,” Ed French, the owner of Chippewa Hills Country Club, told the Owosso Argus-Press. “People are going to buy food and gas before they play golf.” French has reportedly agreed to sell his 97-acre property to a farmer.
A golf complex in Kokomo, Indiana has parted with its original nine holes, which had become a financial drain. Chippendale Golf Course will henceforth operate as an 18-hole layout, a number that current owner Jim Humphrey believes is enough to satisfy demand. Chippendale’s Vintage 9 now belongs to Chris Fry, who’s growing fruits and vegetables on the 43-acre parcel. “If we were getting enough play to warrant having it open, we would’ve kept it open,” Humphrey said in a comment published by the Fairfield Citizen. “It just wasn’t there.” Humphrey’s late father, Bill, designed and built the Vintage 9 in 1970 and the 18 holes that followed in the late 1980s.
A nine-hole golf course in Clear Lake, Iowa has been living on borrowed time, and the time has run out. Jane Pedelty wanted to close Arrowhead Golf Course last year but reportedly changed her mind when her customers protested. This year, the Minnesota resident won’t be swayed. The course closes at the end of the golf season.
A little more than three months from now, on New Year’s Eve, the final rounds will likely be played at Marcus Pointe Golf Club in Pensacola, Florida. The 18-hole, Earl Stone-designed track opened in 1990, as the centerpiece of a golf community developed by Neal Nash. In recent years, Nash and the community’s home owners invested in the course, regrassing its greens and making other capital improvements, but it was all for naught. Improved conditions didn’t attract more play. Nash has listed the 120-acre layout for sale.
Later this year, when the winter winds begin to blow out of Manitoba, the final rounds will be played at a nine-hole municipal golf course in Edina, Minnesota. Fred Richards Executive Golf Course, which opened in the mid 1990s, will close whenever the season ends, despite pleas to spare its fate from local golfers. Edina isn’t doing away with golf completely, however. The city also owns Braemar Golf Course, a facility with 27 regulation-length holes and a nine-hole executive-length track. It’s worth mentioning that Braemar’s nine-hole course will be shrunk to a par-3 layout.
The city of Massillon, Ohio has decided not to sell its golf complex, but it’s going to close nine of its holes. On the chopping block is the North nine (or maybe the South nine) at the Legends of Massillion. The holes will, for the time being at least, be maintained as open space. By operating the Legends as an 18-hole facility, the city expects to save between $50,000 and $100,000 annually, according to a report in the Canton Repository. Earlier this year a development group wanted to buy the entire 275-acre Legends property, which is said to be carrying $5.4 million in debt, but the group pulled its offer before the city could sign on the dotted line. If a similar opportunity comes its way again, Massillon may jump at the chance to rid itself of a financial burden.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
