Alchemy Resorts has acquired the time-worn Aetna Springs resort, a 672-acre spread in Pope Valley, California that boasts one of America’s top-rated nine-hole golf courses. Alchemy believes the resort, despite its remote location, can become pure gold, as it’s pledged to transform the historic property into “a world-class luxury resort that showcases Napa’s food and wine combined with leading wellness programs.” Aetna Springs’ course, a 125-year-old layout that was redesigned a decade ago by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina, has been described as “fun and formidable, without being brutish.” Alchemy hasn’t specifically stated that the course will be reopened, but it’s hard to imagine Aetna Springs being restored to “its
original grandeur” without it.
Surplus Transactions – Davis Sezna is the new owner of CrossWinds Golf Course, a property in Greenville, South Carolina that Ron Whitten once called “a really fun par-3 course with enough variety to hold everyone’s interest.” The track is notable because each of its 18 holes was designed by a different architect. Sezna, a former CEO of Cliffs Communities and Heritage Golf Group, aims to play up the course’s entertainment value and might take the concept national. . . . Watermark Properties has agreed to buy Macatawa Legends Golf Club, which bills itself as the “premier destination for golf in West Michigan.” If the transaction is completed, Macatawa Legends will become Watermark’s seventh golf property. The 13-year-old club in Holland features an 18-hole, Ray Hearn-designed course, and the prospective owners expect to take it to “its greatest potential.” . . . One of the oldest golf venues in Indiana has changed hands. In August, Tommy and Jeanna Riddle paid an undisclosed price for Meshingomesia Golf & Social Club, a facility that’s operated in Marion since 1906. Bill Diddle redesigned the club’s original nine in 1927 and added a second nine in the mid or late 1950s.
Surplus Surplus Transactions – The lease on the golf course at Carnegie Abbey Club, in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, has been turned over to a group of members who are said to be “committed to restoring the club to the high standards it has historically been known for.” At a foreclosure auction, the members reportedly offered $6.7 million for the property, which features an 18-hole layout that was co-designed by a trio of British architects: Donald Steel, Tom MacKenzie, and Martin Ebert. . . . Confessing that he’s been “looking for ways to get away from the automobile repair business,” John Tenneson has purchased Clarks Grove Golf Course, a nine-hole track outside Albert Lea, Minnesota. Tenneson told the Albert Lea Tribune that the 37-year-old course was on the brink of foreclosure. . . . For $850,000, an investment group linked to Ron Perkins has acquired Springfield Golf Club, a 62-year-old venue in Springfield, Oregon. The club features an 18-hole, Sid Milligan-designed golf course whose future is uncertain, as the Eugene Register-Guard ominously notes that it’s “unclear what the buyers’ plan for the property is.”
Duly Noted – The fallout from Keith Foster’s guilty plea continues. Last week, the Middleburg, Virginia-based architect, who’s admitted to smuggling some 100 prohibited items into the United States, lost his contract with Olympia Fields Country Club, in greater Chicago, and Golden Valley Country Club, in suburban Minneapolis, is reportedly “likely moving on” as well. The status of Foster’s contracts with Omaha Country Club and Brook Hollow Golf Club are uncertain. . . . Phú Quốc Island, which has rapidly become one of Vietnam’s most popular vacation destinations, welcomed 1.96 million visitors last year, a 35 percent increase over the number from 2016, and this year it expects to receive an estimated 2.5 million. Given this traffic, it’s time to wonder when Vinpearl, which operates the only golf property on the island, will add its long-planned a 14-course golf complex. . . . GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness, which operates roughly two dozen golf courses in Kansas and South Dakota, aims to begin doing business in Arizona, California, Missouri, Texas, Utah, and, eventually, other states as well. “I think we will be a national concept,” the company’s CEO, Tom Walsh, Sr., said in a press release. Walsh believes that GreatLIFE will generate $250 million in annual revenues within five years.
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Sunday, December 30, 2018
Sunday, December 23, 2018
The Week That Was, december 23, 2018
Keith Foster, a course architect who in recent years has dedicated himself to reviving faded, Golden Age courses, faces jail time because he smuggled illegal goods into the United States. He’s pleaded guilty to breaking a federal law that prohibits the trafficking of items made from endangered species, a crime that could put him in prison for up to five years.
A neo-classicist whose work is much respected by his peers, Foster typically takes on only two or three projects a year due to, as I once described it in a story for Golf Inc, “a commitment to his craft that borders on obsession.” Over the years, he’s built a first-class reputation by completing so-called sympathetic restorations of a dozen or more courses, including those at Philadelphia Cricket Club in Philadelphia, Baltimore Country Club in Baltimore, Moraine Country Club in Dayton, Ohio, and the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
Foster recently won a commission to revitalize the Blue course at Congressional Country Club, but the contract has been withdrawn. Citing “rumors,” the Fried Egg reports that he’s also lost assignments from Omaha Country Club in Nebraska and Brook Hollow Golf Club in Dallas, Texas.
Foster usually spent his winters traveling around the world, searching for unique items that he could sell in his antiques store in Middleburg, Virginia. The U.S. Department of Justice charges that he illegally imported more than 100 prohibited items, including mounted birds of prey and products made from ivory, coral, sea turtles and crocodiles. He sold some of the items to an undercover agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The sentencing is scheduled to take place in March 2019. A press release from the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia notes that “actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties,” but the golf industry may very well give Foster what amounts to a life term.
With fewer course-design contracts coming its way, Gary Player Group is lending its name to what it hopes will be a new revenue stream. The group has established Black Knight Management, a division whose operations will apparently be overseen by staffers from two existing companies, Crown Colony Management and Links Management. Employing this curious system, Black Knight promises to “break the traditional model” with “a member-centric approach” that will “make each contracted organization flourish to its full potential.” A press release doesn’t disclose any clients.
A 600-acre estate in the southwestern corner of France is expected to become “a world-class golf destination” and a link in the fast-growing chain of European Tour Properties. Sparben Golf Resort, outside Biarritz, has been master-planned to include, among other things, several hundred houses, a resort-style hotel with a spa and a conference center, a wellness center, a “short” golf course, and a pair of 18-hole layouts, one designed by Colin Montgomerie and the other by Jean Van de Velde. Only one problem: The venture, which is for now being overseen by a local planning authority, hasn’t yet found a developer. If it’s built, Sparben will become the tour’s third property in France, joining Le Golf National in Paris and Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort in Provence. A press release doesn’t mention it, but architects from European Golf Design will probably be involved in creating the golf courses. And while we’re on the subject, Van de Velde’s golf course will be his first. He expects it to “find its place among the world’s most elite golf courses.”
Pipeline Overflow – A circuit-court judge in Nassau County, Florida has ordered the owners of the Omni resort, on Amelia Island, to rebuild and reopen the property’s Ocean Links track, which was closed and partially razed just weeks ago. The resort, part of a chain of Omni-owned properties, claims that the 18-hole Ocean Links layout was “by far the poorest quality course in Omni’s entire golf portfolio of 21 courses.” The company plans to appeal the ruling. . . . Ogilvy Clayton Cocking & Mead has completed its overhaul of Yangtze Dunes, one of the two 18-hole layouts at Lanhai International Country Club in Shanghai, China. A press release declares that the Melbourne, Australia-based design firm has created “the first proper links track on the Asian mainland,” one that will deliver “a golfing experience that would compete with the world’s best.” . . . Pyongyang Golf Club, the 30-year-old venue where Kim Jong-il once famously needed only 34 strokes to complete 18 holes, may soon get a new nine. NK News says that the club, outside North Korea’s capital city, is also adding lodging as part of an effort “to improve tourist amenities nationwide.” No word on whether recording and listening devices are part of the master plan.
Duly Noted – Forrest Fezler, a former professional golfer who formed a course-design firm with the late Mike Strantz, died last week, reportedly of brain cancer. As a designer, he said that his goal was “to make you feel heroic by creating visuals that will seem intimidating but in reality are quite easy to accomplish.” He was 69. . . . As a reward for having “resurrected the timeless design of golf course architecture,” Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw will receive the 2019 Don A. Rossi award, the top honor that can be bestowed by the Golf Course Builders Association of America. Since 1991, when the award was first presented, the GCBAA has honored nearly a dozen other architects, among them Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Rees Jones, and Geoff Cornish. . . . A Chinese news service reports that more than 120,000 golfers from 30 nations have visited Antalya, Turkey so far this year, contributing €125 million (roughly $142.3 million) to the nation’s economy. Most of the travelers to Antalya come from Scandinavia, Germany and Britain, and the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies expects a 10 to 15 percent increase in their numbers next year.
Happy Holidays, Everyone!
A neo-classicist whose work is much respected by his peers, Foster typically takes on only two or three projects a year due to, as I once described it in a story for Golf Inc, “a commitment to his craft that borders on obsession.” Over the years, he’s built a first-class reputation by completing so-called sympathetic restorations of a dozen or more courses, including those at Philadelphia Cricket Club in Philadelphia, Baltimore Country Club in Baltimore, Moraine Country Club in Dayton, Ohio, and the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
Foster recently won a commission to revitalize the Blue course at Congressional Country Club, but the contract has been withdrawn. Citing “rumors,” the Fried Egg reports that he’s also lost assignments from Omaha Country Club in Nebraska and Brook Hollow Golf Club in Dallas, Texas.
Foster usually spent his winters traveling around the world, searching for unique items that he could sell in his antiques store in Middleburg, Virginia. The U.S. Department of Justice charges that he illegally imported more than 100 prohibited items, including mounted birds of prey and products made from ivory, coral, sea turtles and crocodiles. He sold some of the items to an undercover agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The sentencing is scheduled to take place in March 2019. A press release from the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia notes that “actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties,” but the golf industry may very well give Foster what amounts to a life term.
With fewer course-design contracts coming its way, Gary Player Group is lending its name to what it hopes will be a new revenue stream. The group has established Black Knight Management, a division whose operations will apparently be overseen by staffers from two existing companies, Crown Colony Management and Links Management. Employing this curious system, Black Knight promises to “break the traditional model” with “a member-centric approach” that will “make each contracted organization flourish to its full potential.” A press release doesn’t disclose any clients.
A 600-acre estate in the southwestern corner of France is expected to become “a world-class golf destination” and a link in the fast-growing chain of European Tour Properties. Sparben Golf Resort, outside Biarritz, has been master-planned to include, among other things, several hundred houses, a resort-style hotel with a spa and a conference center, a wellness center, a “short” golf course, and a pair of 18-hole layouts, one designed by Colin Montgomerie and the other by Jean Van de Velde. Only one problem: The venture, which is for now being overseen by a local planning authority, hasn’t yet found a developer. If it’s built, Sparben will become the tour’s third property in France, joining Le Golf National in Paris and Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort in Provence. A press release doesn’t mention it, but architects from European Golf Design will probably be involved in creating the golf courses. And while we’re on the subject, Van de Velde’s golf course will be his first. He expects it to “find its place among the world’s most elite golf courses.”
Pipeline Overflow – A circuit-court judge in Nassau County, Florida has ordered the owners of the Omni resort, on Amelia Island, to rebuild and reopen the property’s Ocean Links track, which was closed and partially razed just weeks ago. The resort, part of a chain of Omni-owned properties, claims that the 18-hole Ocean Links layout was “by far the poorest quality course in Omni’s entire golf portfolio of 21 courses.” The company plans to appeal the ruling. . . . Ogilvy Clayton Cocking & Mead has completed its overhaul of Yangtze Dunes, one of the two 18-hole layouts at Lanhai International Country Club in Shanghai, China. A press release declares that the Melbourne, Australia-based design firm has created “the first proper links track on the Asian mainland,” one that will deliver “a golfing experience that would compete with the world’s best.” . . . Pyongyang Golf Club, the 30-year-old venue where Kim Jong-il once famously needed only 34 strokes to complete 18 holes, may soon get a new nine. NK News says that the club, outside North Korea’s capital city, is also adding lodging as part of an effort “to improve tourist amenities nationwide.” No word on whether recording and listening devices are part of the master plan.
Duly Noted – Forrest Fezler, a former professional golfer who formed a course-design firm with the late Mike Strantz, died last week, reportedly of brain cancer. As a designer, he said that his goal was “to make you feel heroic by creating visuals that will seem intimidating but in reality are quite easy to accomplish.” He was 69. . . . As a reward for having “resurrected the timeless design of golf course architecture,” Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw will receive the 2019 Don A. Rossi award, the top honor that can be bestowed by the Golf Course Builders Association of America. Since 1991, when the award was first presented, the GCBAA has honored nearly a dozen other architects, among them Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Rees Jones, and Geoff Cornish. . . . A Chinese news service reports that more than 120,000 golfers from 30 nations have visited Antalya, Turkey so far this year, contributing €125 million (roughly $142.3 million) to the nation’s economy. Most of the travelers to Antalya come from Scandinavia, Germany and Britain, and the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies expects a 10 to 15 percent increase in their numbers next year.
Happy Holidays, Everyone!
Sunday, December 16, 2018
The Week That Was, december 16, 2018
Gary Kern, who described his architectural practice as “contemporary design in the classic style,” died in late November. Over the course of a career that began in the late 1960s, after he was encouraged to enter the profession by Bill Diddel, he was responsible for nearly four dozen new courses, renovations, and additions to existing facilities, the vast majority of them in Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri.
Kern was by no means a household name, and, unlike the better-known architects of his era, he was content to produce what he described as “an affordable product within a realistic budget” – courses that were, in the words of a golf pro familiar with Kern’s work, well-suited to “small-town pocketbooks.” In keeping with that approach, his courses were playable to average players.
“I feel strongly that golf should be fun,” he wrote, “and the player should enjoy his golf experience without frustration.”
Kern inspired his son, Ron, to become a course architect as well. Today, Ron operates out of an office in suburban Indianapolis, Indiana, not far from where his father grew up. The way Ron sees it, his father’s commitment to affordability made his courses economically sustainable.
“In all of the financial turmoil of the past decade, none of my dad’s courses have closed because of financial hardship,” Ron Kern recently told the Farmington Press. “Instead, they have continued to provide the golfing public, of all means, with wonderful golf courses to test their golfing abilities and enjoy the greatest game.”
Gary Kern relocated to the St. Louis area in 1983 and spent his final years there. In recent years – in “retirement mode,” as he called it – he spent his time “noodling around on the clarinet” and “worshipping and studying in Bible classes.” He was 80.
Nicklaus Design reports that it’s slated to break ground on three new courses in Vietnam, all of which appear to have been commissioned by BRG Group.
A track designed by Jack Nicklaus II is expected to begin construction “soon” at BRG Ruby Tree Golf Resort, outside Hải Phòng, while layouts in Hà Nam Province, in the northern part of the nation, and in Huế, along the Central Coast, are scheduled to start “in the near future.”
Nicklaus Design and BRG signed a partnership agreement two years ago, as part of BRG’s self-described mission to “to refresh the Vietnamese golf industry and bring new vitality to the game countrywide.” So far, the arrangement has enabled Nicklaus II to design a third 18-hole layout at BRG Kings Island Golf Resort, in the Sơn Tây District of Hà Nội, and to redesign the course that became BRG Legend Hill Golf Resort, in the Sóc Sơn District of metropolitan Hà Nội.
A press release isn’t specific about what’s going to happen at Ruby Tree (originally Đồ Sơn Seaside Golf Resort), which is currently home to an 18-hole, Phil Ryan-designed golf course. It may be that a second course is forthcoming, but it’s also possible that Nicklaus will simply redesign Ryan’s track. (Golfasian characterizes the layout as “a sensible course for golfers in the area” but “hardly anything to write home about.”)
The press release also doesn’t mention the status of the proposed Nicklaus-designed second course at BRG Đà Nẵng Golf Resort. If and when it opens, the course will complement BRG Đà Nẵng’s existing, Greg Norman-designed layout, which is considered to be one of Vietnam’s best.
Some information in the previous post first appeared in the November 2016 and December 2016 issues of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
Pipeline Overflow – Before he gets too deep into his responsibilities as Vietnam’s tourism ambassador, Greg “the Living Brand” Norman will begin working on designs for four new courses in the socialist republic. The tracks will take shape at Novaland-developed “tourism complexes” in the southern part of the nation, outside Hồ Chí Minh City. . . . The new owners of Astbury Hall, the estate formerly owned by former Judas Priest guitarist Ken “KK” Downing, aim to turn the 320-acre property in Shropshire, England into a “world-class” vacation destination. The plans largely follow the script created by Downing, who intended to add a new, nine-hole golf course to complement the 18-hole track that he designed. . . . The Southwest Florida division of Lennar Corporation, the big U.S. home builder, has set out to build a golf community in Punta Gorda. The community, called Heritage Landing, will include houses, a swimming pool, a tennis center, a fitness center, and an 18-hole Gordy Lewis-designed golf course. While I’m at it, I should remind you that Lewis is also creating the course that Lennar intends to build at Babcock Ranch, near Fort Myers.
Duly Noted – As part of its effort to build relationships and enrich lives, ClubCorp has purchased a controlling interest in BigShots, a start-up that hopes to establish a chain of Topgolf-inspired entertainment venues with what’s been described as a “golf party atmosphere.” The Dallas Morning News says that ClubCorp will begin using BigShots’ games and simulators at its properties next year. . . . The European Tour’s real-estate arm has added a second Bulgarian club to its network of ostensible “world-class” golf venues. The newcomer is Pirin Golf & Country Club, a 10-year-old property that features an 18-hole, Ian Woosnam “signature” layout. Coincidentally, Woosnam also designed the course at Lighthouse Golf & Spa Resort, which became part of the tour’s collection in 2016, and he worked with European Golf Design on both projects. . . . Only a tiny slice of international visitors to Vietnam – 0.5 percent of them – enter the country to play golf, according to data provided by the nation’s tourism agency. If my math is correct, that slice will translate to roughly 75,000 golfers this year, which doesn’t seem to be nearly enough to justify the construction of 96 courses, let alone the 100-plus that some government officials believe are necessary to satisfy demand.
Are you wondering how much of a week’s golf news I cover in this blog? The answer, unfortunately, is just a fraction of what passes my way. The golf business, particularly the development side of the golf business, has unquestionably perked up over the past year or two, and there’s no way for me to address all of it. So if your business requires a more comprehensive news digest, contact me via e-mail at golfcoursereport@aol.com. I’ll send you a sample issue of either U.S. or International Construction Clips, depending on your needs.
Kern was by no means a household name, and, unlike the better-known architects of his era, he was content to produce what he described as “an affordable product within a realistic budget” – courses that were, in the words of a golf pro familiar with Kern’s work, well-suited to “small-town pocketbooks.” In keeping with that approach, his courses were playable to average players.
“I feel strongly that golf should be fun,” he wrote, “and the player should enjoy his golf experience without frustration.”
Kern inspired his son, Ron, to become a course architect as well. Today, Ron operates out of an office in suburban Indianapolis, Indiana, not far from where his father grew up. The way Ron sees it, his father’s commitment to affordability made his courses economically sustainable.
“In all of the financial turmoil of the past decade, none of my dad’s courses have closed because of financial hardship,” Ron Kern recently told the Farmington Press. “Instead, they have continued to provide the golfing public, of all means, with wonderful golf courses to test their golfing abilities and enjoy the greatest game.”
Gary Kern relocated to the St. Louis area in 1983 and spent his final years there. In recent years – in “retirement mode,” as he called it – he spent his time “noodling around on the clarinet” and “worshipping and studying in Bible classes.” He was 80.
Nicklaus Design reports that it’s slated to break ground on three new courses in Vietnam, all of which appear to have been commissioned by BRG Group.
A track designed by Jack Nicklaus II is expected to begin construction “soon” at BRG Ruby Tree Golf Resort, outside Hải Phòng, while layouts in Hà Nam Province, in the northern part of the nation, and in Huế, along the Central Coast, are scheduled to start “in the near future.”
Nicklaus Design and BRG signed a partnership agreement two years ago, as part of BRG’s self-described mission to “to refresh the Vietnamese golf industry and bring new vitality to the game countrywide.” So far, the arrangement has enabled Nicklaus II to design a third 18-hole layout at BRG Kings Island Golf Resort, in the Sơn Tây District of Hà Nội, and to redesign the course that became BRG Legend Hill Golf Resort, in the Sóc Sơn District of metropolitan Hà Nội.
A press release isn’t specific about what’s going to happen at Ruby Tree (originally Đồ Sơn Seaside Golf Resort), which is currently home to an 18-hole, Phil Ryan-designed golf course. It may be that a second course is forthcoming, but it’s also possible that Nicklaus will simply redesign Ryan’s track. (Golfasian characterizes the layout as “a sensible course for golfers in the area” but “hardly anything to write home about.”)
The press release also doesn’t mention the status of the proposed Nicklaus-designed second course at BRG Đà Nẵng Golf Resort. If and when it opens, the course will complement BRG Đà Nẵng’s existing, Greg Norman-designed layout, which is considered to be one of Vietnam’s best.
Some information in the previous post first appeared in the November 2016 and December 2016 issues of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
Pipeline Overflow – Before he gets too deep into his responsibilities as Vietnam’s tourism ambassador, Greg “the Living Brand” Norman will begin working on designs for four new courses in the socialist republic. The tracks will take shape at Novaland-developed “tourism complexes” in the southern part of the nation, outside Hồ Chí Minh City. . . . The new owners of Astbury Hall, the estate formerly owned by former Judas Priest guitarist Ken “KK” Downing, aim to turn the 320-acre property in Shropshire, England into a “world-class” vacation destination. The plans largely follow the script created by Downing, who intended to add a new, nine-hole golf course to complement the 18-hole track that he designed. . . . The Southwest Florida division of Lennar Corporation, the big U.S. home builder, has set out to build a golf community in Punta Gorda. The community, called Heritage Landing, will include houses, a swimming pool, a tennis center, a fitness center, and an 18-hole Gordy Lewis-designed golf course. While I’m at it, I should remind you that Lewis is also creating the course that Lennar intends to build at Babcock Ranch, near Fort Myers.
Duly Noted – As part of its effort to build relationships and enrich lives, ClubCorp has purchased a controlling interest in BigShots, a start-up that hopes to establish a chain of Topgolf-inspired entertainment venues with what’s been described as a “golf party atmosphere.” The Dallas Morning News says that ClubCorp will begin using BigShots’ games and simulators at its properties next year. . . . The European Tour’s real-estate arm has added a second Bulgarian club to its network of ostensible “world-class” golf venues. The newcomer is Pirin Golf & Country Club, a 10-year-old property that features an 18-hole, Ian Woosnam “signature” layout. Coincidentally, Woosnam also designed the course at Lighthouse Golf & Spa Resort, which became part of the tour’s collection in 2016, and he worked with European Golf Design on both projects. . . . Only a tiny slice of international visitors to Vietnam – 0.5 percent of them – enter the country to play golf, according to data provided by the nation’s tourism agency. If my math is correct, that slice will translate to roughly 75,000 golfers this year, which doesn’t seem to be nearly enough to justify the construction of 96 courses, let alone the 100-plus that some government officials believe are necessary to satisfy demand.
Are you wondering how much of a week’s golf news I cover in this blog? The answer, unfortunately, is just a fraction of what passes my way. The golf business, particularly the development side of the golf business, has unquestionably perked up over the past year or two, and there’s no way for me to address all of it. So if your business requires a more comprehensive news digest, contact me via e-mail at golfcoursereport@aol.com. I’ll send you a sample issue of either U.S. or International Construction Clips, depending on your needs.
Sunday, December 9, 2018
The Week That Was, december 9, 2018
Zach Peed is about to add a second Coore & Crenshaw-designed golf course to his Dormie Network, a stable of “pristine private destination courses” that might someday extend from coast to coast. For an undisclosed price, Peed has agreed to buy Hidden Creek Golf Club, a Roger Hansen-owned venue outside Atlantic City, New Jersey that’s been in business since 2002. In a press release, Peed called Hidden Creek “an absolutely exceptional club and a perfect fit” the Dormie Network, which caters to “the needs of executives and corporate entities for retreats and other events.” Hidden Creek will be the network’s sixth property, and the first in the Northeast. The remainder of the group features well-regarded clubs in the mid-Atlantic (North Carolina and Virginia), the Midwest (Indiana and Nebraska), and the South (Texas), so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Peed next acquired a property in the West or Northwest. If all goes as expected with Hansen, the Hidden Creek transaction will close next month.
Surplus Transactions – It appears that HNA Group, one of the heavyweights in China’s golf industry, left something to be desired at the golf club it bought in Monterey, California in 2013. A group of local investors has purchased the club, changed its name from Nicklaus Club Monterey to the Club at Pasadera, and vowed to “restore and rejuvenate everything at the club to its former greatness.” . . . For $170 million, the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort has changed hands. Xenia Hotels & Resorts’ purchase, from a lender that’s controlled the 222-acre property for more than a year, includes a hotel, meeting space, a spa, and an 18-hole, Arnold Palmer-designed golf course that serves as the centerpiece of Aviara Golf Club. . . . Uniontown Country Club, a venue in Uniontown, Pennsylvania that dates back to the early 1920s, has been sold to the owners of a nearby golf venue. Phoenix LLC, the owner of Duck Hollow Golf Club, has set out to “carry on the tradition” at Uniontown and make it a place where members can “spend their personal and family time together.”
Surplus Surplus Transactions – Toll Golf, the operations arm of the giant homebuilding company, has accepted $18.5 million for Snowmass Club, a venue outside Aspen, Colorado that’s operated since the early 1980s. Originally a Chaffin/Light property, Snowmass features an 18-hole, Arnold Palmer-designed golf course that was redesigned by Jim Engh in 2004. . . . In press statement littered with corporate-speak (“strategic capital,” “demand generators,” “value-add opportunity”), a pair of investment firms announced their acquisition of Grande Lakes Orlando Resort. The 409-acre “institutional-quality asset” features two hotels, meeting space, places to eat and drink, and a variety of recreational amenities, including an 18-hole, Greg Norman-designed golf course. . . . The city of Sullivan has purchased Sullivan Country Club, a 68-year-old venue that calls itself “the hidden jewel” and “the premier golf bargain in all of south-central Missouri.” The city paid $790,000 for the 118-acre property and its 18-hole golf course.
Here’s this month’s accounting of recent course closings:
– Black Mountain Golf & Country Club, a property outside Las Vegas, Nevada that marketed itself as “a sure bet to make your day unforgettable.” The club had operated since the late 1950s, sometimes with as many as 27 holes.
– Oakhurst Country Club, a 59-year-old venue in Grove City, Ohio with an 18-hole, Jack Kidwell-designed course. In the 1960s, according to the listing agent who recently brokered a potential sale of the property, Oakhurst was “one of the nicest courses in the city and very exclusive.”
– Hickory Ridge Golf Club, a 150-acre spread in Amherst, Massachusetts that might be replaced by a solar farm. “It’s no secret that the golf industry has been contracting,” the course’s owner told the Springfield Republican.
– Stonehenge Golf Club, a 30-year-old venue outside Fort Wayne, Indiana that’s reportedly “no longer a viable business.” The club and its Ron Garl-designed course had been for sale for a year before its owner pulled the plug.
– Refuge Golf Club, an 18-hole, Earl Stone-designed track that’s located in a state park in Gulf Shores, Alabama. In a press statement, the state acknowledged that the course “has been losing money for several years.”
– Glen Lakes Municipal Golf Course, a nine-hole track in suburban Phoenix, Arizona that dates from the mid 1960s. The decision was supposedly “very, very painful” for the city of Glendale, but keeping the Milton Coggins-designed layout open would have required an expenditure of $3.9 million on long overdue repairs and upgrades.
– Willow Springs Golf Course, a “no longer profitable” 18-hole track that’s operated in Haslet, Texas since 1966. Willow Springs’ owner is said to be negotiating to sell his property to a residential developer.
Duly Noted, PGA of America Special Edition – By now, everyone knows that Gil Hanse and Beau Welling have been selected to create the new courses at the PGA of America’s forthcoming golf complex in Frisco, Texas. Less known are the identities of the other finalists for the commission: Tom Doak, D. A. Weibring, and Chet Williams. . . . Hanse and Welling will likely be doing some significant terrain re-imagining before they get to work on their courses at the PGA’s complex. Citing a conversation with Chet Williams, the Dallas Morning News reports that “the property does not have significant elevation change and is not dramatic.” Here’s Williams’ opinion: “It was not the kind of property that you go, ‘Wow!’ It doesn't just blow your socks off.” . . . Texans prize their Longhorns, so it’s no surprise that the people involved with the relocation are spreading the bull. To wit: The move will be “transcendent” for the PGA, and “the beginning of a bold, new journey” that will “transform the sport.” Really? If you believe such public-relations fluff, you’ll certainly agree that the development itself – a color-by-numbers master plan featuring a hotel, a conference center, office space, the golf courses, and the PGA’s headquarters – will be “unique.”
Duly Noted –A Vietnamese news service reports on an under-appreciated factor that’s slowing golf and resort development in the socialist republic: A lack of qualified labor. . . . For the third time in the past five years, the American Society of Golf Course Architects is giving its top award to a writer. The 2019 winner is Joe Passov, who’s being honored as one of “a small group of true golf writers” who are “producing thoughtful pieces that help the golfing public understand what golf course architects do.” The ASGCA presented its Donald Ross Award to Bradley S. Klein in 2015 and to Michael Bamberger in 2016. . . . Greg Norman and a partner have acquired a minority interest in Edison Interactive, a company that feeds advertising into taxis and other forms of transportation, including golf cars that are equipped with the Living Brand’s Shark Experience. The LB claims to be “encouraged by the growth and opportunity in the digital out-of-home space.”
In compliance with European laws regarding data collection, I’ve been asked to provide a statement about my use of the data that’s collected about those of you who read the World Golf Report. So here it is: I don’t collect any data, and I don’t put any cookies into your computer. All I do is write what’s on my mind and then post my thoughts. I don’t know your names or addresses or ages or the type of music you listen to, and I have no interest in learning any of that information. That being said, the World Golf Report occupies a slice of cyberspace owned by Google, one of the world’s foremost data collectors, and I’d bet dollars to donuts that Google collects information about you. For what it’s worth, I’ve downloaded an official-looking statement that’s supposed to appear at the bottom of the blog, but I can’t figure out how to load it. If any of you can tell me how, please do.
Surplus Transactions – It appears that HNA Group, one of the heavyweights in China’s golf industry, left something to be desired at the golf club it bought in Monterey, California in 2013. A group of local investors has purchased the club, changed its name from Nicklaus Club Monterey to the Club at Pasadera, and vowed to “restore and rejuvenate everything at the club to its former greatness.” . . . For $170 million, the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort has changed hands. Xenia Hotels & Resorts’ purchase, from a lender that’s controlled the 222-acre property for more than a year, includes a hotel, meeting space, a spa, and an 18-hole, Arnold Palmer-designed golf course that serves as the centerpiece of Aviara Golf Club. . . . Uniontown Country Club, a venue in Uniontown, Pennsylvania that dates back to the early 1920s, has been sold to the owners of a nearby golf venue. Phoenix LLC, the owner of Duck Hollow Golf Club, has set out to “carry on the tradition” at Uniontown and make it a place where members can “spend their personal and family time together.”
Surplus Surplus Transactions – Toll Golf, the operations arm of the giant homebuilding company, has accepted $18.5 million for Snowmass Club, a venue outside Aspen, Colorado that’s operated since the early 1980s. Originally a Chaffin/Light property, Snowmass features an 18-hole, Arnold Palmer-designed golf course that was redesigned by Jim Engh in 2004. . . . In press statement littered with corporate-speak (“strategic capital,” “demand generators,” “value-add opportunity”), a pair of investment firms announced their acquisition of Grande Lakes Orlando Resort. The 409-acre “institutional-quality asset” features two hotels, meeting space, places to eat and drink, and a variety of recreational amenities, including an 18-hole, Greg Norman-designed golf course. . . . The city of Sullivan has purchased Sullivan Country Club, a 68-year-old venue that calls itself “the hidden jewel” and “the premier golf bargain in all of south-central Missouri.” The city paid $790,000 for the 118-acre property and its 18-hole golf course.
Here’s this month’s accounting of recent course closings:
– Black Mountain Golf & Country Club, a property outside Las Vegas, Nevada that marketed itself as “a sure bet to make your day unforgettable.” The club had operated since the late 1950s, sometimes with as many as 27 holes.
– Oakhurst Country Club, a 59-year-old venue in Grove City, Ohio with an 18-hole, Jack Kidwell-designed course. In the 1960s, according to the listing agent who recently brokered a potential sale of the property, Oakhurst was “one of the nicest courses in the city and very exclusive.”
– Hickory Ridge Golf Club, a 150-acre spread in Amherst, Massachusetts that might be replaced by a solar farm. “It’s no secret that the golf industry has been contracting,” the course’s owner told the Springfield Republican.
– Stonehenge Golf Club, a 30-year-old venue outside Fort Wayne, Indiana that’s reportedly “no longer a viable business.” The club and its Ron Garl-designed course had been for sale for a year before its owner pulled the plug.
– Refuge Golf Club, an 18-hole, Earl Stone-designed track that’s located in a state park in Gulf Shores, Alabama. In a press statement, the state acknowledged that the course “has been losing money for several years.”
– Glen Lakes Municipal Golf Course, a nine-hole track in suburban Phoenix, Arizona that dates from the mid 1960s. The decision was supposedly “very, very painful” for the city of Glendale, but keeping the Milton Coggins-designed layout open would have required an expenditure of $3.9 million on long overdue repairs and upgrades.
– Willow Springs Golf Course, a “no longer profitable” 18-hole track that’s operated in Haslet, Texas since 1966. Willow Springs’ owner is said to be negotiating to sell his property to a residential developer.
Duly Noted, PGA of America Special Edition – By now, everyone knows that Gil Hanse and Beau Welling have been selected to create the new courses at the PGA of America’s forthcoming golf complex in Frisco, Texas. Less known are the identities of the other finalists for the commission: Tom Doak, D. A. Weibring, and Chet Williams. . . . Hanse and Welling will likely be doing some significant terrain re-imagining before they get to work on their courses at the PGA’s complex. Citing a conversation with Chet Williams, the Dallas Morning News reports that “the property does not have significant elevation change and is not dramatic.” Here’s Williams’ opinion: “It was not the kind of property that you go, ‘Wow!’ It doesn't just blow your socks off.” . . . Texans prize their Longhorns, so it’s no surprise that the people involved with the relocation are spreading the bull. To wit: The move will be “transcendent” for the PGA, and “the beginning of a bold, new journey” that will “transform the sport.” Really? If you believe such public-relations fluff, you’ll certainly agree that the development itself – a color-by-numbers master plan featuring a hotel, a conference center, office space, the golf courses, and the PGA’s headquarters – will be “unique.”
Duly Noted –A Vietnamese news service reports on an under-appreciated factor that’s slowing golf and resort development in the socialist republic: A lack of qualified labor. . . . For the third time in the past five years, the American Society of Golf Course Architects is giving its top award to a writer. The 2019 winner is Joe Passov, who’s being honored as one of “a small group of true golf writers” who are “producing thoughtful pieces that help the golfing public understand what golf course architects do.” The ASGCA presented its Donald Ross Award to Bradley S. Klein in 2015 and to Michael Bamberger in 2016. . . . Greg Norman and a partner have acquired a minority interest in Edison Interactive, a company that feeds advertising into taxis and other forms of transportation, including golf cars that are equipped with the Living Brand’s Shark Experience. The LB claims to be “encouraged by the growth and opportunity in the digital out-of-home space.”
In compliance with European laws regarding data collection, I’ve been asked to provide a statement about my use of the data that’s collected about those of you who read the World Golf Report. So here it is: I don’t collect any data, and I don’t put any cookies into your computer. All I do is write what’s on my mind and then post my thoughts. I don’t know your names or addresses or ages or the type of music you listen to, and I have no interest in learning any of that information. That being said, the World Golf Report occupies a slice of cyberspace owned by Google, one of the world’s foremost data collectors, and I’d bet dollars to donuts that Google collects information about you. For what it’s worth, I’ve downloaded an official-looking statement that’s supposed to appear at the bottom of the blog, but I can’t figure out how to load it. If any of you can tell me how, please do.
Sunday, December 2, 2018
The Week That Was, december 2, 2018
In a bid to host the Houston Open, perhaps as soon as the 2020 golf season, the city of Houston has hired Tom Doak to overhaul Memorial Park Golf Course. The commission will enable Doak, who’s working with professional golfer Brooks Koepka and a prominent local design team, to produce what Golf News Net calls “his first PGA Tour-hosting course.” Memorial Park is a 7,300-yard track that was created by John Bredemus in 1935, and it was once considered to be a tournament-worthy track, as it hosted the Houston Open for 13 consecutive years beginning in 1951. It’s said to host 60,000 rounds a year, but it reportedly needs a thorough overhaul.
Pipeline Overflow – Come the spring of 2020, a community in suburban Madison, Wisconsin that hopes to become “a fun, family neighborhood” is expected to feature a 13-hole, par-3 golf course. Co-designing the course are Jerry Kelly, a player on the Champions Tour, and Lohmann Quitno Golf Course Architects, who’ve set out to create a track that’s “challenging but still cool for everybody to play.” . . . The first “signature” layout in Pakistan, an 18-hole track designed by Sir Nick Faldo, is under construction and scheduled to open in 2020. Faldo says that Rumanza Golf Course, the centerpiece of a community in Multan, will be “a memorable test of golf” and “serve as a source of inspiration for a new generation of golfers in Pakistan.” . . . Elsewhere in Pakistan – in Islamabad, specifically – Peter Harradine expects to soon break ground on a “unique” 18-hole golf course. The track will be among the attractions at Islamabad Capital Smart City, and a press release says it’ll take shape on “one of the most beautiful and challenging sites” that Harradine, a third-generation architect, “has ever worked on.”
ClubCorp has become the latest in a series of owners of Ridge Club, a 30-year-old “lifestyle” property in Sandwich, Massachusetts that’s been called “one of the finest clubs in the Cape Cod region.” The Ridge, part of a gated community, features an 18-hole, Robert von Hagge-designed golf course. Despite its reputation – ClubCorp thinks it’s purchased “a truly unique club located in one of the most beautiful and historical parts of the country” – the Ridge has burned through owners in recent years. In 2003, it was sold to an individual for $2.5 million. In 2007, it was sold to an entity linked to Carlyle Group for $5.9 million. In 2011, it was sold for $3 million at a foreclosure auction, to the bank that held the mortgage on the property. It was sold again in 2012, this this time to a group of members (including Bobby Orr, the hockey legend) for $3 million. And now comes ClubCorp, which didn’t mention any of the previous sales in a press release. Nonetheless, the self-described “world leader in private clubs” claims to be “very excited” about the acquisition.
Surplus Transactions – Mark Moore didn’t hang on to Sapona Ridge Country Club for very long. Moore, who bought the 50-year-old facility in Lexington, North Carolina just weeks ago, has sold it to a homeowners’ group, reportedly for $1.6 million. He turned a profit of roughly $400,000 on the deal, and he including a right of first refusal on a future sale, because he believes that “it’s going to fail again.” . . . An investment group led by Dan Coleman has paid an undisclosed price for River Valley Ranch Golf Course, a 20-year-old venue in Carbondale, Colorado. The club features an 18-hole, Jay Morrish-designed course that’s been called “the jewel of the Rockies,” and a lawyer involved in the sale told the Aspen Times that the top item on the new owners’ agenda is “to figure out if we can get the golf course open for next season.” . . . Crossings at Montevideo, a 95-year-old venue in Montevideo, Minnesota that’s reportedly been “struggling with money,” may soon have a new owner. Jim Hagen has made an acceptable offer for the former Montevideo Country Club, and the transaction could close by the end of the year.
Duly Noted – Topgolf has entered into exclusive negotiations to build one of its golf-inspired entertainment centers alongside a nine-hole municipal golf course in El Segundo, California. If all goes as planned, the existing track will be renovated and outfitted with lights for nighttime play. . . . Pending an all-but-certain approval by city officials, WFAA-TV reports that the PGA of America will indeed be relocating its headquarters to Frisco, Texas. The group’s new digs will be part of a master-planned community that includes an 18-hole, Gil Hanse-designed golf course (one capable of hosting the PGA Championship), a less-challenging, Beau Welling-designed course, a nine-hole “short” course, a resort-style hotel with meeting space, and a PGA-branded golf academy. . . . Golf Digest’s best new courses for 2018: The Black Course at Streamsong, in Florida, on the public side, and Congaree, in South Carolina, on the private side. The runners-up are the Mammoth Dunes track at Sand Valley, in Wisconsin, and Trinity Forest Golf Club in Texas.
Pipeline Overflow – Come the spring of 2020, a community in suburban Madison, Wisconsin that hopes to become “a fun, family neighborhood” is expected to feature a 13-hole, par-3 golf course. Co-designing the course are Jerry Kelly, a player on the Champions Tour, and Lohmann Quitno Golf Course Architects, who’ve set out to create a track that’s “challenging but still cool for everybody to play.” . . . The first “signature” layout in Pakistan, an 18-hole track designed by Sir Nick Faldo, is under construction and scheduled to open in 2020. Faldo says that Rumanza Golf Course, the centerpiece of a community in Multan, will be “a memorable test of golf” and “serve as a source of inspiration for a new generation of golfers in Pakistan.” . . . Elsewhere in Pakistan – in Islamabad, specifically – Peter Harradine expects to soon break ground on a “unique” 18-hole golf course. The track will be among the attractions at Islamabad Capital Smart City, and a press release says it’ll take shape on “one of the most beautiful and challenging sites” that Harradine, a third-generation architect, “has ever worked on.”
ClubCorp has become the latest in a series of owners of Ridge Club, a 30-year-old “lifestyle” property in Sandwich, Massachusetts that’s been called “one of the finest clubs in the Cape Cod region.” The Ridge, part of a gated community, features an 18-hole, Robert von Hagge-designed golf course. Despite its reputation – ClubCorp thinks it’s purchased “a truly unique club located in one of the most beautiful and historical parts of the country” – the Ridge has burned through owners in recent years. In 2003, it was sold to an individual for $2.5 million. In 2007, it was sold to an entity linked to Carlyle Group for $5.9 million. In 2011, it was sold for $3 million at a foreclosure auction, to the bank that held the mortgage on the property. It was sold again in 2012, this this time to a group of members (including Bobby Orr, the hockey legend) for $3 million. And now comes ClubCorp, which didn’t mention any of the previous sales in a press release. Nonetheless, the self-described “world leader in private clubs” claims to be “very excited” about the acquisition.
Surplus Transactions – Mark Moore didn’t hang on to Sapona Ridge Country Club for very long. Moore, who bought the 50-year-old facility in Lexington, North Carolina just weeks ago, has sold it to a homeowners’ group, reportedly for $1.6 million. He turned a profit of roughly $400,000 on the deal, and he including a right of first refusal on a future sale, because he believes that “it’s going to fail again.” . . . An investment group led by Dan Coleman has paid an undisclosed price for River Valley Ranch Golf Course, a 20-year-old venue in Carbondale, Colorado. The club features an 18-hole, Jay Morrish-designed course that’s been called “the jewel of the Rockies,” and a lawyer involved in the sale told the Aspen Times that the top item on the new owners’ agenda is “to figure out if we can get the golf course open for next season.” . . . Crossings at Montevideo, a 95-year-old venue in Montevideo, Minnesota that’s reportedly been “struggling with money,” may soon have a new owner. Jim Hagen has made an acceptable offer for the former Montevideo Country Club, and the transaction could close by the end of the year.
Duly Noted – Topgolf has entered into exclusive negotiations to build one of its golf-inspired entertainment centers alongside a nine-hole municipal golf course in El Segundo, California. If all goes as planned, the existing track will be renovated and outfitted with lights for nighttime play. . . . Pending an all-but-certain approval by city officials, WFAA-TV reports that the PGA of America will indeed be relocating its headquarters to Frisco, Texas. The group’s new digs will be part of a master-planned community that includes an 18-hole, Gil Hanse-designed golf course (one capable of hosting the PGA Championship), a less-challenging, Beau Welling-designed course, a nine-hole “short” course, a resort-style hotel with meeting space, and a PGA-branded golf academy. . . . Golf Digest’s best new courses for 2018: The Black Course at Streamsong, in Florida, on the public side, and Congaree, in South Carolina, on the private side. The runners-up are the Mammoth Dunes track at Sand Valley, in Wisconsin, and Trinity Forest Golf Club in Texas.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
The Week That Was, november 25, 2018
A Texas-based investor hopes to build a resort, including what will supposedly be “a really good golf course,” on Pašman Island in Croatia. Jeff Blackard, who’s said to be “a passionate fan of Croatia,” will reportedly build Pašman Riviera on 650 waterfront acres, and it’s expected to include villas, apartments, a hotel, a water park, a medical center, and other attractions. Promotional materials say the place will be “everything the guests of a state-of-the-art resort may dream of.” Well, perhaps not quite everything. Blackard has acknowledged that a golf course isn’t officially in Pašman Riviera’s master plan, but he told a Croatian news service that he wants to build one because golf courses “create value for the surrounding land.” If he can find enough land for the track, it’ll be built “in the future.”
Pipeline Overflow – Jack Nicklaus and Greg “the Living Brand” Norman may be grabbing all the headlines, but they aren’t the only U.S. designers who are capitalizing on opportunities in Vietnam. The Lansing State Journal reports that Paul Albanese, who’s been commissioned to produce two 18-hole tracks at at Yên Dũng Golf Resort in metropolitan Hà Nội (the first one is already open), also has “a current project in Hồ Chí Minh City.” . . . Graham Marsh may be known for designing “long, difficult, ‘tournament-standard’ golf courses,” but the former touring pro will be creating something different for a proposed seniors-only community outside Gladstone, Queensland. Marsh Marsh told the Gladstone Observer that his “unique” course at Station Creek Lifestyle Village will be tailored for people who “just want to go out and enjoy themselves.” . . . Pontos Oy, a Finnish company led by Ilpo Kokkila, hopes to build an 18-hole, Jorge Santana da Silva-designed golf course at the Ombria resort outside Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The course, which the developers say will offer “a truly memorable round of golf,” will be flanked by a boutique hotel as well as villas and apartments.
Pipeline Overflow Overflow – Come the spring, Big Cedar Lodge will debut Ozarks National, a much-anticipated Coore & Crenshaw layout. The resort, near Table Rock Lake in Missouri, believes that the 18-hole course will “showcase golf in the manner in which it was intended” and cement its place as “America’s next great golf destination.” . . . Greg Coffey, the wealthy, London-based hedge-fund manager nicknamed “the Wizard of Oz,” expects to debut his much-anticipated, Bob Harrison-designed golf course in the spring. It’s hard to believe, but news accounts indicate that Coffey, who’s reportedly relocating his firm to New York City, still hasn’t decided whether the 18-hole layout, on Scotland’s Jura Island, will be the centerpiece of a private “destination” club or simply serve as his “personal” track. . . . Also in the spring of next year, and more than a decade after it was formally announced, the golf course at what aims to be “the most opulent and stylish resort in Morocco” will be unveiled. The 18-hole track, co-designed by Graham Marsh and Vijay Singh, will be the centerpiece of Qatari Diar’s Al Houara oceanside resort community outside Tangier.
Duly Noted – Two of Australia’s premier golf venues, the National Golf Club and Huntingdale Golf Club, are engaged in “preliminary discussions” that are expected to create what Golf Australia calls “an unprecedented ‘Super Club.’” If the proposal is approved by members, the merged properties would boast five world-class golf courses at three locations and be “by far the biggest club in Australia.” . . . Of the 15 million international travelers who visited Vietnam last year, says the nation’s tourism ministry, 500,000 came to play golf. Through October of this year, the socialist republic had attracted 12.8 million international travelers, so it’s well on its way to getting or exceeding 15 million again this year. . . . Profits continued to elude Donald “the Deceiver” Trump’s golf resort in Doonbeg, Ireland last year, but the owners have promised “the return of operating profits” in 2018. FYI, this is a promise they’ve made previously.
Pipeline Overflow – Jack Nicklaus and Greg “the Living Brand” Norman may be grabbing all the headlines, but they aren’t the only U.S. designers who are capitalizing on opportunities in Vietnam. The Lansing State Journal reports that Paul Albanese, who’s been commissioned to produce two 18-hole tracks at at Yên Dũng Golf Resort in metropolitan Hà Nội (the first one is already open), also has “a current project in Hồ Chí Minh City.” . . . Graham Marsh may be known for designing “long, difficult, ‘tournament-standard’ golf courses,” but the former touring pro will be creating something different for a proposed seniors-only community outside Gladstone, Queensland. Marsh Marsh told the Gladstone Observer that his “unique” course at Station Creek Lifestyle Village will be tailored for people who “just want to go out and enjoy themselves.” . . . Pontos Oy, a Finnish company led by Ilpo Kokkila, hopes to build an 18-hole, Jorge Santana da Silva-designed golf course at the Ombria resort outside Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The course, which the developers say will offer “a truly memorable round of golf,” will be flanked by a boutique hotel as well as villas and apartments.
Pipeline Overflow Overflow – Come the spring, Big Cedar Lodge will debut Ozarks National, a much-anticipated Coore & Crenshaw layout. The resort, near Table Rock Lake in Missouri, believes that the 18-hole course will “showcase golf in the manner in which it was intended” and cement its place as “America’s next great golf destination.” . . . Greg Coffey, the wealthy, London-based hedge-fund manager nicknamed “the Wizard of Oz,” expects to debut his much-anticipated, Bob Harrison-designed golf course in the spring. It’s hard to believe, but news accounts indicate that Coffey, who’s reportedly relocating his firm to New York City, still hasn’t decided whether the 18-hole layout, on Scotland’s Jura Island, will be the centerpiece of a private “destination” club or simply serve as his “personal” track. . . . Also in the spring of next year, and more than a decade after it was formally announced, the golf course at what aims to be “the most opulent and stylish resort in Morocco” will be unveiled. The 18-hole track, co-designed by Graham Marsh and Vijay Singh, will be the centerpiece of Qatari Diar’s Al Houara oceanside resort community outside Tangier.
Duly Noted – Two of Australia’s premier golf venues, the National Golf Club and Huntingdale Golf Club, are engaged in “preliminary discussions” that are expected to create what Golf Australia calls “an unprecedented ‘Super Club.’” If the proposal is approved by members, the merged properties would boast five world-class golf courses at three locations and be “by far the biggest club in Australia.” . . . Of the 15 million international travelers who visited Vietnam last year, says the nation’s tourism ministry, 500,000 came to play golf. Through October of this year, the socialist republic had attracted 12.8 million international travelers, so it’s well on its way to getting or exceeding 15 million again this year. . . . Profits continued to elude Donald “the Deceiver” Trump’s golf resort in Doonbeg, Ireland last year, but the owners have promised “the return of operating profits” in 2018. FYI, this is a promise they’ve made previously.
Sunday, November 18, 2018
The Week That Was, november 18, 2018
In response to the flow of criticism that’s been directed at golf development, Vietnam’s ministry of planning and investment has issued what’s been described as “a draft decree” of new guidelines for golf construction and operations. The new proposals may not placate detractors, however, because, when boiled down, they basically only call for golf courses that are “environmentally friendly,” contribute to “local socio-economic development,” and support “national security.”
If the guidelines are adopted, it appears that the most significant change for the industry is that golf development would be regulated “by business conditions instead of planning instruments,” an order that would presumably give government officials more flexibility to deny approval to projects. In addition, the proposals would oblige developers to secure investment certificates before they break ground, to limit construction to 54 holes in a given project, and to complete their work within 36 months.
The golf courses themselves would have to be built according to “international standards,” and they could only take shape in “areas with the potential for tourism development” instead of properties designated for “national defense and security purposes, natural forest land, rice fields, or industrial and urban zones.”
And finally, in another reflection of the ministry’s concerns, it would be expressly prohibited to use a golf course “to organize illegal gambling activities.”
Paul Albanese has floated a makeover idea for a financially challenged 18-hole golf course in Plymouth, Michigan. The Plymouth-based architect, a principal of Albanese & Lutzke Golf Course Design, has proposed to shrink Hilltop Golf Course, a 90-year-old municipal track, to nine holes, and to surround those holes with sports fields, a collection of sculptures, and a dog park. To give the course some pizazz, Albanese plans what may be a reversible layout – a design that the Lansing State Journal, says would allow golfers to “play one nine-hole layout one day and a totally different layout the next.” Local elected officials are warm to the idea, but everyone involved counsels that the plan is still in what Albanese has characterized as “the exploratory phase.”
Pipeline Overflow – After playing a round last summer, Donald Trump decided that the Ailsa links at Turnberry was “too difficult,” so he’s reportedly demanded that changes be made to at least two greens. The greens, according to the Very Stable Genius, “potentially punished good shots” by “allowing the ball to roll off the back of the green.” . . . If it can secure an estimated $1.3 million in tax concessions, a New York City-based development group will redesign and reopen Rondout Golf Club, an 18-hole track in suburban Poughkeepsie, New York. The course will lose nine holes, but the survivors will be re-recreated by Tad King and Rob Collins, the duo responsible for Sweetens Cove Golf Club, a much-acclaimed nine-hole layout outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. . . . Inveravante Inversiones Universales, a conglomerate led by billionaire investor Manuel Jove Capellán, has broken ground on what Golf Course Architecture calls “a strategic and attractive golf course” on a historic estate in A Coruña, the provincial capital of Galicia, Spain. The 18-hole track has been designed by Stirling & Martin, which reports that the property has “lush vegetation everywhere,” with topography that’s “almost ideal.”
After months of debate, the city of Green, Ohio has decided to buy Raintree Country Club, a 26-year-old venue that features an 18-hole, Brian Huntley-designed golf course. The 145-acre property has reportedly been appraised for $2.7 million, but the city will pay the seller, John Rainieri, $3.3 million. Though Rainieri had described Raintree as “a money-maker,” he was eager to sell it, and the city feared that a residential developer would snap it up. “I value green space,” the city’s mayor said in a comment published by the Canton Repository. The city, in suburban Akron, expects to continue operating the site as a golf course in the immediate future, but it appears that the property will eventually become a park.
Surplus Transactions – American Golf Corporation has found a buyer for another one of the 26 golf properties that it’s set out to sell. A partnership led by Robert Ridino and Mark Holcomb has reportedly purchased Seascape Golf Club, an 82-year-old venue in Aptos, California. A price hasn’t been disclosed, but it appears that AGC is going to take something like a $2 million loss on the transaction. . . . The city of Henderson, Kentucky has acquired the Players Club and contracted with a local company, K&J Course Management, to manage and revitalize the property’s 18-hole, Danny McQueen-designed golf course. When the layout is ready for play, likely sometime next summer, it’ll operate at Bridges Golf Course of Henderson. . . . Christopher and Roseana Duval, citing their willingness to take on “a challenge,” have paid $640,000 for Beaver Brook Golf Club, in suburban Springfield, Massachusetts. Beaver Brook’s nine-hole track opened in 1960, the new owners told the Republican that “there was no interest from any buyer to keep it as a golf course.”
Duly Noted – China became home to 373 billionaires last year, up from 16 in 2006, and UBS Global Wealth Management has concluded that the People’s Republic is now “the leading country for entrepreneurs to create wealth.” What’s more, billionaires were created fast and furious in China last year: Two per week. To put that number into context, in 2017 the United States created 53 billionaires. . . . Like its Coore & Crenshaw-created predecessor, the second course at Sand Valley has been named as the year’s best course by Golf magazine. The editors cited Mammoth Dunes, a David McLay Kidd design, for its “joy-filled appeal for both low- and high-handicappers” and “plethora of individually memorable, strategy-laced holes,” and they praised the architect’s desire to deliver “maximum fun and minimal frustration.” . . . In what they’ve characterized as “an historic occasion,” the members of Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society have voted to admit women to their club in Edinburgh, Scotland. The club, said to be the world’s fourth-oldest, believes the change in policy “will ensure we are well-positioned for the future.”
In compliance with recently issued European laws regarding data collection, I’ve been asked to provide a statement about my use of the data that’s collected about those of you who read the World Golf Report. So here it is: I don’t collect any data, and I don’t put any cookies into your computers. All I do is write what’s on my mind and then post what I write. I don’t know your names or addresses or ages or income levels, and I have no interest in learning any of that information. That being said, the World Golf Report occupies a slice of cyberspace owned by Google, one of the world’s foremost data collectors, and I’d bet dollars to donuts that Google collects information about you. For what it’s worth, I’ve downloaded an official-looking statement that’s supposed to appear at the bottom of the blog, but I can’t figure out how to load it.
If the guidelines are adopted, it appears that the most significant change for the industry is that golf development would be regulated “by business conditions instead of planning instruments,” an order that would presumably give government officials more flexibility to deny approval to projects. In addition, the proposals would oblige developers to secure investment certificates before they break ground, to limit construction to 54 holes in a given project, and to complete their work within 36 months.
The golf courses themselves would have to be built according to “international standards,” and they could only take shape in “areas with the potential for tourism development” instead of properties designated for “national defense and security purposes, natural forest land, rice fields, or industrial and urban zones.”
And finally, in another reflection of the ministry’s concerns, it would be expressly prohibited to use a golf course “to organize illegal gambling activities.”
Paul Albanese has floated a makeover idea for a financially challenged 18-hole golf course in Plymouth, Michigan. The Plymouth-based architect, a principal of Albanese & Lutzke Golf Course Design, has proposed to shrink Hilltop Golf Course, a 90-year-old municipal track, to nine holes, and to surround those holes with sports fields, a collection of sculptures, and a dog park. To give the course some pizazz, Albanese plans what may be a reversible layout – a design that the Lansing State Journal, says would allow golfers to “play one nine-hole layout one day and a totally different layout the next.” Local elected officials are warm to the idea, but everyone involved counsels that the plan is still in what Albanese has characterized as “the exploratory phase.”
Pipeline Overflow – After playing a round last summer, Donald Trump decided that the Ailsa links at Turnberry was “too difficult,” so he’s reportedly demanded that changes be made to at least two greens. The greens, according to the Very Stable Genius, “potentially punished good shots” by “allowing the ball to roll off the back of the green.” . . . If it can secure an estimated $1.3 million in tax concessions, a New York City-based development group will redesign and reopen Rondout Golf Club, an 18-hole track in suburban Poughkeepsie, New York. The course will lose nine holes, but the survivors will be re-recreated by Tad King and Rob Collins, the duo responsible for Sweetens Cove Golf Club, a much-acclaimed nine-hole layout outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. . . . Inveravante Inversiones Universales, a conglomerate led by billionaire investor Manuel Jove Capellán, has broken ground on what Golf Course Architecture calls “a strategic and attractive golf course” on a historic estate in A Coruña, the provincial capital of Galicia, Spain. The 18-hole track has been designed by Stirling & Martin, which reports that the property has “lush vegetation everywhere,” with topography that’s “almost ideal.”
After months of debate, the city of Green, Ohio has decided to buy Raintree Country Club, a 26-year-old venue that features an 18-hole, Brian Huntley-designed golf course. The 145-acre property has reportedly been appraised for $2.7 million, but the city will pay the seller, John Rainieri, $3.3 million. Though Rainieri had described Raintree as “a money-maker,” he was eager to sell it, and the city feared that a residential developer would snap it up. “I value green space,” the city’s mayor said in a comment published by the Canton Repository. The city, in suburban Akron, expects to continue operating the site as a golf course in the immediate future, but it appears that the property will eventually become a park.
Surplus Transactions – American Golf Corporation has found a buyer for another one of the 26 golf properties that it’s set out to sell. A partnership led by Robert Ridino and Mark Holcomb has reportedly purchased Seascape Golf Club, an 82-year-old venue in Aptos, California. A price hasn’t been disclosed, but it appears that AGC is going to take something like a $2 million loss on the transaction. . . . The city of Henderson, Kentucky has acquired the Players Club and contracted with a local company, K&J Course Management, to manage and revitalize the property’s 18-hole, Danny McQueen-designed golf course. When the layout is ready for play, likely sometime next summer, it’ll operate at Bridges Golf Course of Henderson. . . . Christopher and Roseana Duval, citing their willingness to take on “a challenge,” have paid $640,000 for Beaver Brook Golf Club, in suburban Springfield, Massachusetts. Beaver Brook’s nine-hole track opened in 1960, the new owners told the Republican that “there was no interest from any buyer to keep it as a golf course.”
Duly Noted – China became home to 373 billionaires last year, up from 16 in 2006, and UBS Global Wealth Management has concluded that the People’s Republic is now “the leading country for entrepreneurs to create wealth.” What’s more, billionaires were created fast and furious in China last year: Two per week. To put that number into context, in 2017 the United States created 53 billionaires. . . . Like its Coore & Crenshaw-created predecessor, the second course at Sand Valley has been named as the year’s best course by Golf magazine. The editors cited Mammoth Dunes, a David McLay Kidd design, for its “joy-filled appeal for both low- and high-handicappers” and “plethora of individually memorable, strategy-laced holes,” and they praised the architect’s desire to deliver “maximum fun and minimal frustration.” . . . In what they’ve characterized as “an historic occasion,” the members of Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society have voted to admit women to their club in Edinburgh, Scotland. The club, said to be the world’s fourth-oldest, believes the change in policy “will ensure we are well-positioned for the future.”
In compliance with recently issued European laws regarding data collection, I’ve been asked to provide a statement about my use of the data that’s collected about those of you who read the World Golf Report. So here it is: I don’t collect any data, and I don’t put any cookies into your computers. All I do is write what’s on my mind and then post what I write. I don’t know your names or addresses or ages or income levels, and I have no interest in learning any of that information. That being said, the World Golf Report occupies a slice of cyberspace owned by Google, one of the world’s foremost data collectors, and I’d bet dollars to donuts that Google collects information about you. For what it’s worth, I’ve downloaded an official-looking statement that’s supposed to appear at the bottom of the blog, but I can’t figure out how to load it.
Sunday, November 11, 2018
The Week That Was, november 11, 2018
Fallout from the murder of Jamal Khashoggi is rippling through the golf industry, as the European Tour is having second thoughts about holding one of its events in Saudi Arabia.
The tour isn’t saying so out loud, of course, because if it complained in public about a journalist’s slaying or a tragic war in Yemen, it would be pressured to withdraw. So instead, the tour is simply trying to avoid talking about where it’ll be in late January and early February.
The Irish Times reports that the tour’s press release announcing its 2019 schedule didn’t mention the Saudi International, an event that was much ballyhooed several months ago, when the contract for it was signed. What’s more, Keith Pelley, the tour’s CEO, only reluctantly answered questions about the event. In a gaggle with reporters earlier this month, he acknowledged that he’s “heard some of the criticism of the region” – who hasn’t? – and promised “to monitor the situation,” which translates as, “No, we aren’t going to change our schedule.” It’s a message that Saudi Arabia is thrilled to hear, because the cache of a big-time professional golf tournament is worth its weight in gold to a nation that desperately needs to diversify its economy.
More troubling to me, however, was something else Pelley said. He claimed that he’s had “no dialogue” with the tour’s “partners, with our own [British] government, with the Saudi Arabian Golf Federation, or anybody from Saudi Arabia.” This is shocking. When it comes to negotiating sensitive situations where both reputations and millions of dollars are on the table, one of a CEO’s primary responsibilities is to consult with each and every one of the stakeholders who might be affected. If Pelley was telling the truth – if he really isn’t taking and considering advice from everybody the tour does business with – then he’s doing a disservice to his constituency.
Right about now, it’s legitimate to wonder if Pelley regrets calling Saudi Arabia, a nation with hardly any golf courses and no history with the sport, “a perfect fit for the European Tour.”
While we’re on the subject, Tiger Woods has turned down a guaranteed £2.5 million – nearly $3.25 million – to play in the Saudi International. Woods hasn’t explained why he declined the offer, but the optimist in me wants to believe that he’s making a statement how a homicidal regime in Saudi Arabia should be treated. If that’s the case, good for him.
South Caicos, described by CNN as “a delightfully sleepy Caribbean retreat” and a “pristine paradise,” may soon get its first golf course. The course will serve as an attraction for the nearly two-year-old Sailrock Resort, which is envisioned to emerge as the centerpiece of a resort community that will feature, among other things, “a collection of residential neighborhoods,” “overwater bungalows,” and more hotels. The community will be created by Sailrock Development, Ltd., which is said to own 2,400 acres – nearly half of the island. To put the developers’ plans into perspective, CNN helpfully notes that South Caicos, part of the Turks & Caicos Islands, is home to “about a thousand locals” and has so far this year attracted “only about 7,500 overnight visitors.”
Pipeline Overflow – Chris Wilczynski, a protégé of Arthur Hills, has been hired to design his second course at Lakewood Ranch, a huge master-planned community outside Sarasota, Florida. In a press release, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based architect said the track would take shape on “a relatively flat piece of land” (hey, it’s Florida) with “a nice pastoral aesthetic” and promised that the final product “will not feel like a typical residential golf course.” . . . The new leadership at Wynn Resorts, Ltd. has set out to re-open Wynn Golf Club, the venue on the Las Vegas Strip that it closed late last year. Tom Fazio has been directed to create two new holes for the 18-hole track he designed in 2005 and to spiff up the others. Wynn hopes to debut the new course next fall. . . . Phil Ryan, an Australian course designer, has been commissioned to produce an 18-hole track for a proposed “retirement lifestyle” community in metropolitan Hyderabad. India is familiar territory to Ryan, who’s designed a handful of courses in the nation (among them Oxford Golf & Country Club in Pune and Clover Greens in Bangalore) and redesigned probably a half-dozen others.
ClubCorp has created a free-standing management division that aims to take over operations at private clubs, resorts, and daily-fee golf courses. On its website, ClubLife Management claims to have a dozen properties in its portfolio, among them Mossy Oak Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi and Engineers Country Club on New York’s Long Island. It’s worth noting, however, that at least three of the listed properties – River Run Country Club in Davidson, North Carolina; Canebrake Country Club in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and Fort Collins Country Club in Fort Collins, Colorado – were formerly operated by another ClubCorp affiliate, Sequoia Golf Management, while others had also previously been part of the ClubCorp family. ClubLife is being led by Seth Churi, who once worked for Sequoia, and Doug Hellman, who comes over from KemperSports.
The rate of U.S. golf-course closings continues to far outpace openings, and keeping up with all of them is difficult. Here’s a capsule accounting of some that have recently departed:
– Cahoon Plantation Golf Club, a Wallace Cahoon-owned venue in Chesapeake, Virginia. According to the Virginian-Pilot, the club’s management posted a sign at the 18-hole, Ault-Clark design saying that its demise was “due to uncontrolable [sic] circumstances.”
– Hombre Golf Club, a 27-hole complex in Panama City Beach, Florida. The club’s owner, George Roberts, reportedly closed nine holes earlier this year, and he shut down the remaining 18 after they were damaged by Hurricane Michael.
– Masonboro Golf Club, an 18-hole, Gene Hamm-designed course in Wilmington, North Carolina. Originally opened in 1984 as Cape Golf & Racquet Club, the last straw for Masonboro was reportedly “damage from Hurricane Florence.”
– Rutherfordton Golf Course, a nine-hole, municipally owned but privately operated layout in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. The course, which opened in 1929, closed due to what’s been called “a decrease in play.”
– Lupton City Golf Club, which is said to be the last remaining nine-hole track in Chattanooga, Tennessee. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has sold the club, which has operated since 1939, to a residential developer.
– Overton Community Golf Course, a nine-hole, 60-year-old, municipally owned track outside Tyler, Texas. The Kilgore News Herald cited “several years of slow business, an aging group of regular players, and low fees” as reasons for its passing.
– Evergreen Golf Course, an 18-hole venue in Grand Haven, Michigan. Brent Fredericks, who built the course in 2000, has sold it, and the new owners apparently have other plans for the 74-acre property.
– Fig Garden Golf Course, an 18-hole layout in Fresno, California. The 60-year-old, Nick Lombardo-designed course will go dark before year’s end.
– Fort Steilacoom Golf Course, a 57-year-old municipal layout in the southern suburbs of Tacoma, Washington. The nine-hole, Forest Richardson-designed course was said to be “the perfect golf course for golfers of every skill level,” but a local newspaper said that it was “grossly underused.”
Duly Noted – Greg “the Living Brand” Norman, who’s designed three golf courses in Vietnam, is about to become the socialist republic’s tourism ambassador. During his three-year (2019-21) appointment, according to a press release, the LB will promote golf tourism by “organizing international competitions” “and building new, high-class golf courses in unique locations.” . . . For the second consecutive year, the World Golf Awards have named the Luke Donald “signature’ layout at Bà Nà Hills Golf Club as Vietnam’s Best Golf Course. (Last year the track, created in collaboration with Brit Stenson of IMG Golf, was also named as the Best Golf Course in Asia.) Nobody takes this award very seriously, but clearly, Bà Nà Hills is providing an experience that resonates with some golfers. . . . Though he’s been deceased for more than two years, Arnold Palmer still earned $35 million over the past year, according to Forbes’ ranking of the highest-paid dead celebrities. The King ranked third on the magazine’s list, after Michael Jackson ($400 million) and Elvis Presley ($40 million).
Are you wondering how much of a week’s golf news I cover in this blog? The answer, unfortunately, is just a fraction of what passes my way. The golf business, particularly the development side of the golf business, has unquestionably perked up over the past year or two, and there’s no way for me to address all of it. So if your business requires a more comprehensive news digest, contact me via e-mail at golfcoursereport@aol.com. I’ll send you a sample issue of either U.S. or International Construction Clips, depending on your needs.
The tour isn’t saying so out loud, of course, because if it complained in public about a journalist’s slaying or a tragic war in Yemen, it would be pressured to withdraw. So instead, the tour is simply trying to avoid talking about where it’ll be in late January and early February.
The Irish Times reports that the tour’s press release announcing its 2019 schedule didn’t mention the Saudi International, an event that was much ballyhooed several months ago, when the contract for it was signed. What’s more, Keith Pelley, the tour’s CEO, only reluctantly answered questions about the event. In a gaggle with reporters earlier this month, he acknowledged that he’s “heard some of the criticism of the region” – who hasn’t? – and promised “to monitor the situation,” which translates as, “No, we aren’t going to change our schedule.” It’s a message that Saudi Arabia is thrilled to hear, because the cache of a big-time professional golf tournament is worth its weight in gold to a nation that desperately needs to diversify its economy.
More troubling to me, however, was something else Pelley said. He claimed that he’s had “no dialogue” with the tour’s “partners, with our own [British] government, with the Saudi Arabian Golf Federation, or anybody from Saudi Arabia.” This is shocking. When it comes to negotiating sensitive situations where both reputations and millions of dollars are on the table, one of a CEO’s primary responsibilities is to consult with each and every one of the stakeholders who might be affected. If Pelley was telling the truth – if he really isn’t taking and considering advice from everybody the tour does business with – then he’s doing a disservice to his constituency.
Right about now, it’s legitimate to wonder if Pelley regrets calling Saudi Arabia, a nation with hardly any golf courses and no history with the sport, “a perfect fit for the European Tour.”
While we’re on the subject, Tiger Woods has turned down a guaranteed £2.5 million – nearly $3.25 million – to play in the Saudi International. Woods hasn’t explained why he declined the offer, but the optimist in me wants to believe that he’s making a statement how a homicidal regime in Saudi Arabia should be treated. If that’s the case, good for him.
South Caicos, described by CNN as “a delightfully sleepy Caribbean retreat” and a “pristine paradise,” may soon get its first golf course. The course will serve as an attraction for the nearly two-year-old Sailrock Resort, which is envisioned to emerge as the centerpiece of a resort community that will feature, among other things, “a collection of residential neighborhoods,” “overwater bungalows,” and more hotels. The community will be created by Sailrock Development, Ltd., which is said to own 2,400 acres – nearly half of the island. To put the developers’ plans into perspective, CNN helpfully notes that South Caicos, part of the Turks & Caicos Islands, is home to “about a thousand locals” and has so far this year attracted “only about 7,500 overnight visitors.”
Pipeline Overflow – Chris Wilczynski, a protégé of Arthur Hills, has been hired to design his second course at Lakewood Ranch, a huge master-planned community outside Sarasota, Florida. In a press release, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based architect said the track would take shape on “a relatively flat piece of land” (hey, it’s Florida) with “a nice pastoral aesthetic” and promised that the final product “will not feel like a typical residential golf course.” . . . The new leadership at Wynn Resorts, Ltd. has set out to re-open Wynn Golf Club, the venue on the Las Vegas Strip that it closed late last year. Tom Fazio has been directed to create two new holes for the 18-hole track he designed in 2005 and to spiff up the others. Wynn hopes to debut the new course next fall. . . . Phil Ryan, an Australian course designer, has been commissioned to produce an 18-hole track for a proposed “retirement lifestyle” community in metropolitan Hyderabad. India is familiar territory to Ryan, who’s designed a handful of courses in the nation (among them Oxford Golf & Country Club in Pune and Clover Greens in Bangalore) and redesigned probably a half-dozen others.
ClubCorp has created a free-standing management division that aims to take over operations at private clubs, resorts, and daily-fee golf courses. On its website, ClubLife Management claims to have a dozen properties in its portfolio, among them Mossy Oak Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi and Engineers Country Club on New York’s Long Island. It’s worth noting, however, that at least three of the listed properties – River Run Country Club in Davidson, North Carolina; Canebrake Country Club in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and Fort Collins Country Club in Fort Collins, Colorado – were formerly operated by another ClubCorp affiliate, Sequoia Golf Management, while others had also previously been part of the ClubCorp family. ClubLife is being led by Seth Churi, who once worked for Sequoia, and Doug Hellman, who comes over from KemperSports.
The rate of U.S. golf-course closings continues to far outpace openings, and keeping up with all of them is difficult. Here’s a capsule accounting of some that have recently departed:
– Cahoon Plantation Golf Club, a Wallace Cahoon-owned venue in Chesapeake, Virginia. According to the Virginian-Pilot, the club’s management posted a sign at the 18-hole, Ault-Clark design saying that its demise was “due to uncontrolable [sic] circumstances.”
– Hombre Golf Club, a 27-hole complex in Panama City Beach, Florida. The club’s owner, George Roberts, reportedly closed nine holes earlier this year, and he shut down the remaining 18 after they were damaged by Hurricane Michael.
– Masonboro Golf Club, an 18-hole, Gene Hamm-designed course in Wilmington, North Carolina. Originally opened in 1984 as Cape Golf & Racquet Club, the last straw for Masonboro was reportedly “damage from Hurricane Florence.”
– Rutherfordton Golf Course, a nine-hole, municipally owned but privately operated layout in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. The course, which opened in 1929, closed due to what’s been called “a decrease in play.”
– Lupton City Golf Club, which is said to be the last remaining nine-hole track in Chattanooga, Tennessee. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has sold the club, which has operated since 1939, to a residential developer.
– Overton Community Golf Course, a nine-hole, 60-year-old, municipally owned track outside Tyler, Texas. The Kilgore News Herald cited “several years of slow business, an aging group of regular players, and low fees” as reasons for its passing.
– Evergreen Golf Course, an 18-hole venue in Grand Haven, Michigan. Brent Fredericks, who built the course in 2000, has sold it, and the new owners apparently have other plans for the 74-acre property.
– Fig Garden Golf Course, an 18-hole layout in Fresno, California. The 60-year-old, Nick Lombardo-designed course will go dark before year’s end.
– Fort Steilacoom Golf Course, a 57-year-old municipal layout in the southern suburbs of Tacoma, Washington. The nine-hole, Forest Richardson-designed course was said to be “the perfect golf course for golfers of every skill level,” but a local newspaper said that it was “grossly underused.”
Duly Noted – Greg “the Living Brand” Norman, who’s designed three golf courses in Vietnam, is about to become the socialist republic’s tourism ambassador. During his three-year (2019-21) appointment, according to a press release, the LB will promote golf tourism by “organizing international competitions” “and building new, high-class golf courses in unique locations.” . . . For the second consecutive year, the World Golf Awards have named the Luke Donald “signature’ layout at Bà Nà Hills Golf Club as Vietnam’s Best Golf Course. (Last year the track, created in collaboration with Brit Stenson of IMG Golf, was also named as the Best Golf Course in Asia.) Nobody takes this award very seriously, but clearly, Bà Nà Hills is providing an experience that resonates with some golfers. . . . Though he’s been deceased for more than two years, Arnold Palmer still earned $35 million over the past year, according to Forbes’ ranking of the highest-paid dead celebrities. The King ranked third on the magazine’s list, after Michael Jackson ($400 million) and Elvis Presley ($40 million).
Are you wondering how much of a week’s golf news I cover in this blog? The answer, unfortunately, is just a fraction of what passes my way. The golf business, particularly the development side of the golf business, has unquestionably perked up over the past year or two, and there’s no way for me to address all of it. So if your business requires a more comprehensive news digest, contact me via e-mail at golfcoursereport@aol.com. I’ll send you a sample issue of either U.S. or International Construction Clips, depending on your needs.
Sunday, October 28, 2018
The Week That Was, october 28, 2018
If you abhor change, you’ll love the latest “country snapshot” published by KPMG’s Golf Advisory Practice.
KPMG’s “Golf Participation Report for Europe 2018” concludes that trends established in recent years continue to linger, as there have been “no significant changes in the overall supply and demand figures” since the last time KPMG took an in-depth look at the golf business in the Old Country. In other words, the business remains “stable,” to use KPMG’s word, which is, unfortunately, another way of saying “still no growth.”
Let’s start with the big picture: In 2017, according to KPMG’s new report, Europe had a total of 4.15 million golfers and 6,861 courses.
Now, let’s dig a little deeper. In 2017, KPMG says, the number of “registered” golfers (that is, golfers who are members of clubs or associations) fell by 0.8 percent from the number posted in 2016 (a loss of 34,925 actual golfers), while the number of “affiliated” golf courses (courses that are members of their golf associations) fell by 1 percent (a loss of 71 courses). The largest losses were found in two of Europe’s biggest, most-important markets, England (35) and Scotland (18).
The largest decreases in players were registered in England (-38,784), the Netherlands (-12,913), Ireland (7,422), and Scotland (4,731), while the largest increases were registered in Italy (+8,478), the Czech Republic (+5,983), and Sweden (+4,618). When you add, subtract, multiply, and divide all the numbers across the Continent, you get an overall participation rate of 0.86 percent, which is worse than the 0.92 percent that was reported for 2016 but close enough for KPMG to characterize it as “stable.”
KPMG views the losses it’s recorded as statistically insignificant, but they are declines nonetheless. Year by year, a small erosion here and a small erosion there may not amount to much, but they eventually create a canyon.
Star Resort Group, a firm based in Bozeman, Montana, will oversee the development of a community that it describes in a press release as “the Bahamas’ first eco-engineered luxury waterfront destination.” Port St. George will occupy 882 acres on Long Island, and it’ll feature 15 vacation villas, 500 condominiums and townhouses, a village center with retail and commercial space, a hotel, a spa, a 640-berth marina (the largest in the Bahamas), yacht and beach clubs, “an abundance of dining options” (including a lighthouse with a bar and a café), a culinary school, sports facilities, and an 18-hole golf course. SRG believes that the community will attract people who seek “an experience characterized by an authentic Bahamian environment, luxurious, modern amenities, and an eco-friendly lifestyle.”
Pipeline Overflow – A golf insider in Lake County, California reports that the throwback Brambles golf venture, originally announced in 2014, appears to be “getting closer to fruition.” Coore & Crenshaw, who’ve been hired to create a course in the tradition of North Berwick, Prestwick, and the Old Course at St. Andrews, are said to have made a site visit last week. . . . Lebanon, which the Economist contends is “plagued by sectarian divides,” facing a possible “banking crisis,” and “tipping into a property slump,” may nonetheless add to its meager golf portfolio. Intra Investment, a company owned primarily by the nation’s Central Bank, hopes to build a hotel, some houses, and an 18-hole golf course on 148 acres in suburban Beirut. . . . In collaboration with a local developer, Wanderers Golf Club has set out to add high-end housing, office space, retail space, and other attractions to its property in suburban Johannesburg, South Africa. According to the Business Report, the venture will require the club’s 18-hole golf course to be “partially redesigned and substantially upgraded.”
One of the few U.S. golf venues with its own air strip has changed hands. The member/owners of Pauma Valley Golf Club, in suburban San Diego, have sold their property to Sis Rainbow, a closely held entity that now owns at least four clubs in Southern California. A sales price hasn’t yet been disclosed, but Sis Rainbow apparently agreed to pay off Pauma Valley’s debt, allocate money for capital improvements, and promise to preserve the club’s private “heritage.” Pauma Valley, which has been in business since 1960, features an 18-hole, Robert Trent Jones-designed golf course. It’ll complement Sis Rainbow’s other properties, namely Steele Canyon Golf Club in Jamul, Dove Canyon Golf Club outside Irvine, and Bear Creek in Temecula.
Surplus Transactions – The group that operates the Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine, Washington has accepted $3.75 million for Loomis Trail Golf Course, a nearby 18-hole, Graham Cooke-designed track. Along with the golf course, the business arm of the Lummi Indian tribe, already the owner of a casino just down the road, acquired a small hotel, meeting space, and 180 acres of presumably undeveloped land. . . . To preserve open space, the members of the Sea Palms West homeowners’ association have agreed to buy their community’s West course, a nine-hole, Tom Jackson-designed layout that opened in 1969. The association, on Saint Simons Island, Georgia, hopes to complete the $2 million purchase next month, according to the Brunswick News, and will eventually pull the plug on the golf course. . . . Dennis Napier has sold Ranch Club Golf Course, a nine-hole layout that’s operated in Priest River, Idaho since the early 1950s. The Bonner County Daily Bee reports that new owners are John Vickers and his wife, Debbie Soderblom, who’ve hired Napier to help run the place.
Duly Noted – John Malone, a Colorado-based billionaire (Forbes estimates that he’s worth $7.2 billion), is among the bidders for K Club, the luxurious golf resort (and former Ryder Cup venue) in County Kildare, Ireland. Malone already owns a castle and a historic estate in Ireland, and his other holdings include investments in the Atlanta Braves, Formula One, Discovery Communications, and Sirius XM. . . . The air quality in many Chinese cities often requires people to wear respirators, but Bloomberg says that the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in India. Enjoy your rounds, golf travelers! . . . The Independent reports that in 2004 Donald Trump offered to buy a picturesque Irish golf property, sight unseen. The owners of Old Head Links, currently #83 on Golf Digest’s list of the World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, told him it wasn’t for sale.
KPMG’s “Golf Participation Report for Europe 2018” concludes that trends established in recent years continue to linger, as there have been “no significant changes in the overall supply and demand figures” since the last time KPMG took an in-depth look at the golf business in the Old Country. In other words, the business remains “stable,” to use KPMG’s word, which is, unfortunately, another way of saying “still no growth.”
Let’s start with the big picture: In 2017, according to KPMG’s new report, Europe had a total of 4.15 million golfers and 6,861 courses.
Now, let’s dig a little deeper. In 2017, KPMG says, the number of “registered” golfers (that is, golfers who are members of clubs or associations) fell by 0.8 percent from the number posted in 2016 (a loss of 34,925 actual golfers), while the number of “affiliated” golf courses (courses that are members of their golf associations) fell by 1 percent (a loss of 71 courses). The largest losses were found in two of Europe’s biggest, most-important markets, England (35) and Scotland (18).
The largest decreases in players were registered in England (-38,784), the Netherlands (-12,913), Ireland (7,422), and Scotland (4,731), while the largest increases were registered in Italy (+8,478), the Czech Republic (+5,983), and Sweden (+4,618). When you add, subtract, multiply, and divide all the numbers across the Continent, you get an overall participation rate of 0.86 percent, which is worse than the 0.92 percent that was reported for 2016 but close enough for KPMG to characterize it as “stable.”
KPMG views the losses it’s recorded as statistically insignificant, but they are declines nonetheless. Year by year, a small erosion here and a small erosion there may not amount to much, but they eventually create a canyon.
Star Resort Group, a firm based in Bozeman, Montana, will oversee the development of a community that it describes in a press release as “the Bahamas’ first eco-engineered luxury waterfront destination.” Port St. George will occupy 882 acres on Long Island, and it’ll feature 15 vacation villas, 500 condominiums and townhouses, a village center with retail and commercial space, a hotel, a spa, a 640-berth marina (the largest in the Bahamas), yacht and beach clubs, “an abundance of dining options” (including a lighthouse with a bar and a café), a culinary school, sports facilities, and an 18-hole golf course. SRG believes that the community will attract people who seek “an experience characterized by an authentic Bahamian environment, luxurious, modern amenities, and an eco-friendly lifestyle.”
Pipeline Overflow – A golf insider in Lake County, California reports that the throwback Brambles golf venture, originally announced in 2014, appears to be “getting closer to fruition.” Coore & Crenshaw, who’ve been hired to create a course in the tradition of North Berwick, Prestwick, and the Old Course at St. Andrews, are said to have made a site visit last week. . . . Lebanon, which the Economist contends is “plagued by sectarian divides,” facing a possible “banking crisis,” and “tipping into a property slump,” may nonetheless add to its meager golf portfolio. Intra Investment, a company owned primarily by the nation’s Central Bank, hopes to build a hotel, some houses, and an 18-hole golf course on 148 acres in suburban Beirut. . . . In collaboration with a local developer, Wanderers Golf Club has set out to add high-end housing, office space, retail space, and other attractions to its property in suburban Johannesburg, South Africa. According to the Business Report, the venture will require the club’s 18-hole golf course to be “partially redesigned and substantially upgraded.”
One of the few U.S. golf venues with its own air strip has changed hands. The member/owners of Pauma Valley Golf Club, in suburban San Diego, have sold their property to Sis Rainbow, a closely held entity that now owns at least four clubs in Southern California. A sales price hasn’t yet been disclosed, but Sis Rainbow apparently agreed to pay off Pauma Valley’s debt, allocate money for capital improvements, and promise to preserve the club’s private “heritage.” Pauma Valley, which has been in business since 1960, features an 18-hole, Robert Trent Jones-designed golf course. It’ll complement Sis Rainbow’s other properties, namely Steele Canyon Golf Club in Jamul, Dove Canyon Golf Club outside Irvine, and Bear Creek in Temecula.
Surplus Transactions – The group that operates the Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine, Washington has accepted $3.75 million for Loomis Trail Golf Course, a nearby 18-hole, Graham Cooke-designed track. Along with the golf course, the business arm of the Lummi Indian tribe, already the owner of a casino just down the road, acquired a small hotel, meeting space, and 180 acres of presumably undeveloped land. . . . To preserve open space, the members of the Sea Palms West homeowners’ association have agreed to buy their community’s West course, a nine-hole, Tom Jackson-designed layout that opened in 1969. The association, on Saint Simons Island, Georgia, hopes to complete the $2 million purchase next month, according to the Brunswick News, and will eventually pull the plug on the golf course. . . . Dennis Napier has sold Ranch Club Golf Course, a nine-hole layout that’s operated in Priest River, Idaho since the early 1950s. The Bonner County Daily Bee reports that new owners are John Vickers and his wife, Debbie Soderblom, who’ve hired Napier to help run the place.
Duly Noted – John Malone, a Colorado-based billionaire (Forbes estimates that he’s worth $7.2 billion), is among the bidders for K Club, the luxurious golf resort (and former Ryder Cup venue) in County Kildare, Ireland. Malone already owns a castle and a historic estate in Ireland, and his other holdings include investments in the Atlanta Braves, Formula One, Discovery Communications, and Sirius XM. . . . The air quality in many Chinese cities often requires people to wear respirators, but Bloomberg says that the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in India. Enjoy your rounds, golf travelers! . . . The Independent reports that in 2004 Donald Trump offered to buy a picturesque Irish golf property, sight unseen. The owners of Old Head Links, currently #83 on Golf Digest’s list of the World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, told him it wasn’t for sale.
Sunday, October 21, 2018
The Week That Was, october 21, 2018
In what’s been characterized as “a milestone moment,” a seaside golf destination in Messinia, Greece has commissioned José María Olazábal to design its third and fourth golf courses. The 18-hole tracks will be among the featured attractions at Costa Navarino, a well-financed, 2,500-acre spread that already boasts signature layouts by Bernhard Langer and Robert Trent Jones, Jr. In a press release, Olazábal describes the site he’s been given as “spectacular,” with views that “are simply breathtaking,” and he’s promised to deliver “a golfing experience you will want to return to over and over.” The San Sebastián, Spain-based architect’s courses are under construction, and they’re expected to open in 2021. They’re being built to what a press release calls “the highest international standards,” but Darius Oliver of Planet Golf believes that there’s “a long way to go before [Olazábal} can be considered a genuine architect of ability.”
Pipeline Overflow – Lennar Corporation will build the first of two or three golf courses that will eventually emerge at Babcock Ranch, Kitson & Partners’ slowly emerging mini-city in Charlotte and Lee counties in Florida. The course, part of a community called Babcock National, will be “similar to many of the country clubs Lennar has done in Southwest Florida,” which means that it’ll feature roughly 1,000 houses and an 18-hole, Gordy Lewis-designed golf course. . . . The billionaire who serves as the deputy prime minister of Kosovo hopes to build a resort community that Sputnik News calls “Albania’s first entry into the high-end tourism market.” Behgjet Pacolli has set out to build the to-be-named community outside Tirana, the nation’s capital city, and he’s master-planned it to include houses, a hotel, a shopping mall, a water park, and an 18-hole golf course. . . . David Shipley and some golf-minded associates in Salt Lake City, Utah are looking to resurrect the defunct Wingpointe Golf Course. Shipley told the Salt Lake Tribune that Wingpointe’s 18-hole, Arthur Hills-designed layout, lifeless since 2005, “had a reputation of being one of the great courses in the country” and could, if redesigned and revialized, become “one more reason for people to visit Salt Lake City.”
Sunrise Company, one of the best-known development crews in California’s Coachella Valley, has acquired Andalusia Country Club, a faux-Spanish golf community in La Quinta. The seller was an affiliate of Drummond Company, a coal-mining concern that developed the nearby Rancho La Quinta Country Club and similar golf communities in Alabama (Liberty Park in suburban Birmingham) and Florida (Grasslands Golf & Country Club in Lakeland). Andalusia, which opened in 2005, features an 18-hole, Rees Jones-designed golf course, and Sunrise’s CEO, Randall Bone, believes it’s “one of the finest country club communities in the desert.” It’ll complement Sunrise’s other golf properties, a group that includes two in Rancho Mirage (Sunrise Country Club and Rancho Las Palmas Country Club), four in Palm Desert (among them Indian Ridge Country Club and Palm Valley Country Club), and Toscana Country Club in Indian Wells.
Surplus Transactions – Richard Childress, a famous former NASCAR racer, has accepted $1.2 million for his struggling Sapona Ridge Country Club, a 50-year-old venue in Lexington, North Carolina. The club’s new owner is Mark Moore, who works for Uber. . . . Joseph Lewis, a real-estate broker and a “self-described optimist,” has paid an undisclosed amount for Turquoise Valley Golf Course, an 18-hole track that’s operated since 1908 in remote Naco, Arizona. The Herald/Review reports that Lewis and his partners are Turquoise Valley’s fourth owners “in the past few years.” . . . Regarding American Golf Corporation’s expected sale of Plantation Country Club, in Boise, Idaho: The prospective new owner is Will Gustafson, a California-based developer who’s said to be assessing “the viability of the 18-hole golf course” and “its future potential.” American Golf told KTVB-TV that it’ll continue to manage the club, but it didn’t say for how long.
Duly Noted – It’s smart business when golf courses become more welcoming to women, and the Herald Tribune has provided a fresh reason for owners and operators in Florida to do so: The number of retirement-age women moving into the state these days far exceeds the number of retirement-age men. It’s a demographic shift that has important implications for the future of golf in the Sunshine State. . . . The International Association of Golf Tour Operators has announced its five regional destinations of the year, and they are Scottsdale, Arizona; the Dominican Republic; Spain’s Costa del Sol; Mauritius; and Hua Hin, Thailand. As always, the IAGTO also announced an Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year: Logroño, a city in the Rioja wine region in in northern Spain. . . . The number-one golf course in China, according to the South China Morning Post, is an 18-hole, Nelson & Haworth-designed track at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai. Coore & Crenshaw’s layout at CITIC Shanqin Bay Golf Club, the top-rated venue on Golf Digest’s China rankings, checks in at number three, behind the crazy salad of 27 holes designed by 27 architects at the 27 Club in Tianjin.
I’ve asked this question before, and I’ll ask it again: Are you wondering how much of a week’s golf news I cover in this blog? The answer is this: Only a fraction of what passes my way. The golf business, particularly the development side of the golf business, has unquestionably perked up in recent years, and there’s no way for me to address all of it. So if your business requires a more comprehensive news digest, contact me via e-mail at golfcoursereport@aol.com. I’ll send you a sample issue of either U.S. or International Construction Clips, depending on your needs.
Pipeline Overflow – Lennar Corporation will build the first of two or three golf courses that will eventually emerge at Babcock Ranch, Kitson & Partners’ slowly emerging mini-city in Charlotte and Lee counties in Florida. The course, part of a community called Babcock National, will be “similar to many of the country clubs Lennar has done in Southwest Florida,” which means that it’ll feature roughly 1,000 houses and an 18-hole, Gordy Lewis-designed golf course. . . . The billionaire who serves as the deputy prime minister of Kosovo hopes to build a resort community that Sputnik News calls “Albania’s first entry into the high-end tourism market.” Behgjet Pacolli has set out to build the to-be-named community outside Tirana, the nation’s capital city, and he’s master-planned it to include houses, a hotel, a shopping mall, a water park, and an 18-hole golf course. . . . David Shipley and some golf-minded associates in Salt Lake City, Utah are looking to resurrect the defunct Wingpointe Golf Course. Shipley told the Salt Lake Tribune that Wingpointe’s 18-hole, Arthur Hills-designed layout, lifeless since 2005, “had a reputation of being one of the great courses in the country” and could, if redesigned and revialized, become “one more reason for people to visit Salt Lake City.”
Sunrise Company, one of the best-known development crews in California’s Coachella Valley, has acquired Andalusia Country Club, a faux-Spanish golf community in La Quinta. The seller was an affiliate of Drummond Company, a coal-mining concern that developed the nearby Rancho La Quinta Country Club and similar golf communities in Alabama (Liberty Park in suburban Birmingham) and Florida (Grasslands Golf & Country Club in Lakeland). Andalusia, which opened in 2005, features an 18-hole, Rees Jones-designed golf course, and Sunrise’s CEO, Randall Bone, believes it’s “one of the finest country club communities in the desert.” It’ll complement Sunrise’s other golf properties, a group that includes two in Rancho Mirage (Sunrise Country Club and Rancho Las Palmas Country Club), four in Palm Desert (among them Indian Ridge Country Club and Palm Valley Country Club), and Toscana Country Club in Indian Wells.
Surplus Transactions – Richard Childress, a famous former NASCAR racer, has accepted $1.2 million for his struggling Sapona Ridge Country Club, a 50-year-old venue in Lexington, North Carolina. The club’s new owner is Mark Moore, who works for Uber. . . . Joseph Lewis, a real-estate broker and a “self-described optimist,” has paid an undisclosed amount for Turquoise Valley Golf Course, an 18-hole track that’s operated since 1908 in remote Naco, Arizona. The Herald/Review reports that Lewis and his partners are Turquoise Valley’s fourth owners “in the past few years.” . . . Regarding American Golf Corporation’s expected sale of Plantation Country Club, in Boise, Idaho: The prospective new owner is Will Gustafson, a California-based developer who’s said to be assessing “the viability of the 18-hole golf course” and “its future potential.” American Golf told KTVB-TV that it’ll continue to manage the club, but it didn’t say for how long.
Duly Noted – It’s smart business when golf courses become more welcoming to women, and the Herald Tribune has provided a fresh reason for owners and operators in Florida to do so: The number of retirement-age women moving into the state these days far exceeds the number of retirement-age men. It’s a demographic shift that has important implications for the future of golf in the Sunshine State. . . . The International Association of Golf Tour Operators has announced its five regional destinations of the year, and they are Scottsdale, Arizona; the Dominican Republic; Spain’s Costa del Sol; Mauritius; and Hua Hin, Thailand. As always, the IAGTO also announced an Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year: Logroño, a city in the Rioja wine region in in northern Spain. . . . The number-one golf course in China, according to the South China Morning Post, is an 18-hole, Nelson & Haworth-designed track at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai. Coore & Crenshaw’s layout at CITIC Shanqin Bay Golf Club, the top-rated venue on Golf Digest’s China rankings, checks in at number three, behind the crazy salad of 27 holes designed by 27 architects at the 27 Club in Tianjin.
I’ve asked this question before, and I’ll ask it again: Are you wondering how much of a week’s golf news I cover in this blog? The answer is this: Only a fraction of what passes my way. The golf business, particularly the development side of the golf business, has unquestionably perked up in recent years, and there’s no way for me to address all of it. So if your business requires a more comprehensive news digest, contact me via e-mail at golfcoursereport@aol.com. I’ll send you a sample issue of either U.S. or International Construction Clips, depending on your needs.
Sunday, October 14, 2018
The Week That Was, october 14, 2018
Gil Hanse will design the second 18-hole course at Les Bordes International Golf Club, a task that was originally to have been done by the late Robert von Hagge. The course will be Hanse’s first in Continental Europe, and he expects to break ground on it in early 2019.
Les Bordes, a 32-year-old venue outside Orleans, in the Loire Valley of central France, was established by Baron Marcel Bich, the founder of the company that makes Bic pens, in the hope of creating “the Augusta National of Europe.” Bich hired von Hagge to design the club’s first course, a layout that’s widely viewed as von Hagge’s “piece de resistance” and that Darius Oliver of Planet Golf ranks as the third-best in the nation. Oliver, a tough critic, notes that the track has a “punishing penal design” and questions some of von Hagge’s design decisions, but he nonetheless concludes that the final product is “attractive, well-constructed, and very enjoyable to play.”
Von Hagge produced a design for Les Bordes’ second course as well, a layout that was envisioned to be more forgiving than the first, with wider fairways and less treacherous bunkers. But Bich died in 1994 and von Hagge died in 2010, the Great Recession paralyzed the world, and the venture lost momentum. Although the club’s current owners laid plans to begin construction in 2011 (Rick Baril, one of the partners in Von Hagge’s Texas-based firm, was to oversee the construction), they didn’t follow through.
Hanse is expected to deliver a “classic heathland course,” and he told Golf Course Architecture that he’s “excited that the standard of quality is already so high at Les Bordes, so it gives us something to aspire to.” His clients are no doubt excited to use his growing international reputation in their marketing, as they intend to build houses (starting price: $810,000) and a “five-star branded hotel” with “a multitude of amenities for the whole family.”
If all goes as planned, and if the weather cooperates, Hanse’s course might open in early 2020.
Pipeline Overflow – Tower Holdings’ dream of financing its long-overdue golf resort in Australia with cryptocurrency has gone nowhere, so it’s agreed to sell the lease on its property on Great Keppel Island to a Singapore-based investment group, Wei Chao Pty. Ltd. The prospective owners are said to “share the passion for the project” and, more importantly, they have “the financial means and desire to take the project to the next level.” . . . Government officials in Madhya Pradesh, India aim to build a “world-class” golf course on part of a cattle ranch outside Bhopal. For those who are too young to remember, in 1984 a pesticide factory in Bhopal was the site of what’s generally acknowledged to be “the world’s worst industrial disaster.” Several thousand people died, and something like 500,000 were injured. . . . Plans to create a nine-hole, child-friendly track on the site of the former Shallow Creek Golf Course, outside Putnam Valley, New York, appear to have been revived. Rocco Cambareri had hoped to build the course and had secured a $250,000 grant from the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation to help do it, but he died last year. According to the News Journal, Larry Nussbaum is stepping up to finish the job his former partner started.
The members of Wimbledon Park Golf Club appear set to sell the lease on their property to their next-door neighbor, the All England Club, the group that hosts the annual Wimbledon professional tennis tournament in London. The All England Club owns the lease on Wimbledon Park’s 73 acres and will assume control of the site in 2041, but it wants to build new facilities sooner rather than later and is willing to pay dearly – £63.75 million (more than $83.8 million) – for the privilege. Assuming the sale is completed (a vote is expected before the end of the year), and assuming my math is accurate, each of Wimbledon Park’s 750 members will pocket almost $112,000 as a result of the sale. The downside is that they’ll lose their Willie Park, Jr.-designed golf course, an 18-hole track that’s been around since 1898. The upside, however, should be obvious.
Surplus Transactions – Club at Fairvue Plantation, a 1,000-acre spread on Old Hickory Lake in Gallatin, Tennessee, has acquired Foxland Harbor Golf & Country Club, and the freshly created 36-hole facility now calls itself Tennessee Grasslands Golf & Country Club. Both golf courses were designed by Bill Bergin, one in 2004 and the other in 2007. . . . Club at Runaway Bay, struggling, a half-century-old facility located roughly 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth, Texas, has been acquired by a family-based group without any golf experience. “We’re just feeling our way along, but it’s not rocket science,” one of the new owners told the Wise County Messenger. The club, which features an 18-hole, Leon Howard-designed golf course, now operates as RB Golf Club & Resort. . . . Andrew Sigler has sold Montcalm Golf Club, a financially challenged, 15-year-old venue in Enfield, New Hampshire, to a pair of club members. Art and Suzanne Langlais paid an undisclosed price for Montcalm, which features an 18-hole course that was co-designed by Phil Wogan and George Sargent.
Duly Noted – In what amounts to a significant vote of confidence, Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced plans to open nine new hotels in Africa in 2019 and 2020. To explain its decision, the big Chicago-based hotelier cited the continent’s “increasingly favorable business climate,” “heightened tourism spend,” and “growing middle class” – all factors that also lay a strong foundation for golf development. . . . China, which is quickly amassing economic and political influence all over the world, has found a new target: The golf business in Ghana. The Chinese ambassador to the West African nation, attending a tournament that he described as “another demonstration of the China-Ghana friendship,” promised to “support the development of the game to an international standard” and “do its best to support professional golfers and to get the youth interested and involved in the game.” . . . More than 50,000 objections have been submitted in protest of expansion plans, including a second golf course, by Trump Aberdeen Scotland. A local elected official called the resort’s recently filed development proposal “the most unpopular set of planning applications ever lodged.”
In compliance with new European laws regarding data collection, I’ve been asked to provide a statement about my use of the data that’s collected about those of you who read the World Golf Report. So here it is: I don’t collect any data. All I do is write what’s on my mind and then post what I write. I don’t know your names or addresses or ages or income levels, and I have no interest in any of that information. That being said, the World Golf Report occupies a slice of cyberspace owned by Google, one of the world’s foremost data collectors, and I’d bet dollars to donuts that Google collects information about you. For what it’s worth, I’ve downloaded an official-looking statement that’s supposed to appear at the bottom of the blog, but I can’t figure out how to load it. If any of you can tell me how, please do.
Les Bordes, a 32-year-old venue outside Orleans, in the Loire Valley of central France, was established by Baron Marcel Bich, the founder of the company that makes Bic pens, in the hope of creating “the Augusta National of Europe.” Bich hired von Hagge to design the club’s first course, a layout that’s widely viewed as von Hagge’s “piece de resistance” and that Darius Oliver of Planet Golf ranks as the third-best in the nation. Oliver, a tough critic, notes that the track has a “punishing penal design” and questions some of von Hagge’s design decisions, but he nonetheless concludes that the final product is “attractive, well-constructed, and very enjoyable to play.”
Von Hagge produced a design for Les Bordes’ second course as well, a layout that was envisioned to be more forgiving than the first, with wider fairways and less treacherous bunkers. But Bich died in 1994 and von Hagge died in 2010, the Great Recession paralyzed the world, and the venture lost momentum. Although the club’s current owners laid plans to begin construction in 2011 (Rick Baril, one of the partners in Von Hagge’s Texas-based firm, was to oversee the construction), they didn’t follow through.
Hanse is expected to deliver a “classic heathland course,” and he told Golf Course Architecture that he’s “excited that the standard of quality is already so high at Les Bordes, so it gives us something to aspire to.” His clients are no doubt excited to use his growing international reputation in their marketing, as they intend to build houses (starting price: $810,000) and a “five-star branded hotel” with “a multitude of amenities for the whole family.”
If all goes as planned, and if the weather cooperates, Hanse’s course might open in early 2020.
Pipeline Overflow – Tower Holdings’ dream of financing its long-overdue golf resort in Australia with cryptocurrency has gone nowhere, so it’s agreed to sell the lease on its property on Great Keppel Island to a Singapore-based investment group, Wei Chao Pty. Ltd. The prospective owners are said to “share the passion for the project” and, more importantly, they have “the financial means and desire to take the project to the next level.” . . . Government officials in Madhya Pradesh, India aim to build a “world-class” golf course on part of a cattle ranch outside Bhopal. For those who are too young to remember, in 1984 a pesticide factory in Bhopal was the site of what’s generally acknowledged to be “the world’s worst industrial disaster.” Several thousand people died, and something like 500,000 were injured. . . . Plans to create a nine-hole, child-friendly track on the site of the former Shallow Creek Golf Course, outside Putnam Valley, New York, appear to have been revived. Rocco Cambareri had hoped to build the course and had secured a $250,000 grant from the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation to help do it, but he died last year. According to the News Journal, Larry Nussbaum is stepping up to finish the job his former partner started.
The members of Wimbledon Park Golf Club appear set to sell the lease on their property to their next-door neighbor, the All England Club, the group that hosts the annual Wimbledon professional tennis tournament in London. The All England Club owns the lease on Wimbledon Park’s 73 acres and will assume control of the site in 2041, but it wants to build new facilities sooner rather than later and is willing to pay dearly – £63.75 million (more than $83.8 million) – for the privilege. Assuming the sale is completed (a vote is expected before the end of the year), and assuming my math is accurate, each of Wimbledon Park’s 750 members will pocket almost $112,000 as a result of the sale. The downside is that they’ll lose their Willie Park, Jr.-designed golf course, an 18-hole track that’s been around since 1898. The upside, however, should be obvious.
Surplus Transactions – Club at Fairvue Plantation, a 1,000-acre spread on Old Hickory Lake in Gallatin, Tennessee, has acquired Foxland Harbor Golf & Country Club, and the freshly created 36-hole facility now calls itself Tennessee Grasslands Golf & Country Club. Both golf courses were designed by Bill Bergin, one in 2004 and the other in 2007. . . . Club at Runaway Bay, struggling, a half-century-old facility located roughly 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth, Texas, has been acquired by a family-based group without any golf experience. “We’re just feeling our way along, but it’s not rocket science,” one of the new owners told the Wise County Messenger. The club, which features an 18-hole, Leon Howard-designed golf course, now operates as RB Golf Club & Resort. . . . Andrew Sigler has sold Montcalm Golf Club, a financially challenged, 15-year-old venue in Enfield, New Hampshire, to a pair of club members. Art and Suzanne Langlais paid an undisclosed price for Montcalm, which features an 18-hole course that was co-designed by Phil Wogan and George Sargent.
Duly Noted – In what amounts to a significant vote of confidence, Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced plans to open nine new hotels in Africa in 2019 and 2020. To explain its decision, the big Chicago-based hotelier cited the continent’s “increasingly favorable business climate,” “heightened tourism spend,” and “growing middle class” – all factors that also lay a strong foundation for golf development. . . . China, which is quickly amassing economic and political influence all over the world, has found a new target: The golf business in Ghana. The Chinese ambassador to the West African nation, attending a tournament that he described as “another demonstration of the China-Ghana friendship,” promised to “support the development of the game to an international standard” and “do its best to support professional golfers and to get the youth interested and involved in the game.” . . . More than 50,000 objections have been submitted in protest of expansion plans, including a second golf course, by Trump Aberdeen Scotland. A local elected official called the resort’s recently filed development proposal “the most unpopular set of planning applications ever lodged.”
In compliance with new European laws regarding data collection, I’ve been asked to provide a statement about my use of the data that’s collected about those of you who read the World Golf Report. So here it is: I don’t collect any data. All I do is write what’s on my mind and then post what I write. I don’t know your names or addresses or ages or income levels, and I have no interest in any of that information. That being said, the World Golf Report occupies a slice of cyberspace owned by Google, one of the world’s foremost data collectors, and I’d bet dollars to donuts that Google collects information about you. For what it’s worth, I’ve downloaded an official-looking statement that’s supposed to appear at the bottom of the blog, but I can’t figure out how to load it. If any of you can tell me how, please do.
Sunday, October 7, 2018
The Week That Was, october 7, 2018
Vietnam welcomed 13 million international visitor arrivals last year, a record number, and it’s set out to attract 20 million by 2020. Such traffic has made the nation a hot spot not just for golf construction but also for hotel construction, both of which can be viewed as barometers for the economy in general. In a collection of opinions and predictions packaged by a Vietnamese news service, real-estate professionals generally agree that the nation is “one of the hottest markets for hotel investment in the Asia Pacific” and still has “huge untapped potential.” They warn of hurdles that must be overcome, however, among them “poor tourism infrastructure” (in particular, substandard transportation and unreliable electricity and high-speed internet), a lack of government-sponsored marketing and promotion, and tourism policies that “are not conducive to growth.” All that being said, Jones Lang LaSalle predicts that 118 new hotels will debut in the socialist republic by 2022, a 15 percent increase over the 748 currently in operation.
It took nearly two decades, but Crossroads Ventures has fended off a parade of environmentalists and other opponents and won permission to build Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park, a four-season community northwest of Kingston, New York. Belleayre, which will corporate both new and existing features, will include ski areas, houses, time-share condos, places to eat and drink, and what Crossroads once promised would be an organic golf course. Years ago, the commission for the course went to Davis Love III, and there’s no reason to suggest that the developers’ plans have changed. Some of Crossroads’ principals are now beyond retirement age, but they still believe that their proposed resort will be “a major catalyst for not just the stabilization but for the revitalization of the area.”
Pipeline Overflow – Toll Brothers has secured a preliminary approval for a subdivision it wants to build at the long-overdue Prasada (a.k.a. Prasada Lake Village) community in suburban Phoenix, Arizona. The big homebuilder’s plans call for a nine-hole, executive-length golf course that will eventually be stretched to 18 holes, all of them to be created by Nicklaus Design. . . . A Pakistani news service says that a group of Japanese investors has “deep interest” in developing a golf course and related tourist-related attractions in Karachi and Gwadar. Can’t say for sure if their interest will lead to actual construction, but it’s further evidence of the heat that’s being turned up on golf construction in a nation not usually associated with the sport. . . . Details are scanty, but a nine-hole golf course may soon emerge in Meru, the sixth-largest city in Kenya. The Kenya Golf Union expects the track to attract 1,500 members and host one of the nation’s long-running tournaments.
Pipeline Overflow Overflow – Greg “the Living Brand” Norman’s third golf venue in Vietnam is scheduled to open later this month. The 27-hole complex, KN Golf Links Cam Ranh, will be the centerpiece of KN Paradise, a 2,000-acre resort community outside Cam Ranh, an area along the nation’s southern coast that Norman’s clients claim is “on the cusp of becoming the next great hot spot in Southeast Asia.” The facility’s 18-hole track will reportedly play “hard and fast,” while the nine-hole layout will give the impression of “a tropical Augusta.” . . . Three is also the charm for the Nicklaus empire, which has opened its third course in Russia, all of which are located in Moscow and its suburbs. In a comment published by Golf Course Architecture, Jack Nicklaus said that the 18-hole, Nicklaus Design track at Raevo Golf & Country Club took shape on “a uniquely special piece of property” and will be “natural, playable and memorable.” . . . European Golf Design reports that it’s wrapped up construction on Dubai Hills Golf Club, an 18-hole track that will anchor a “serene, lush lifestyle destination” outside arid Dubai. The community’s developers say that the course, designed by Gary Johnston, will be “one of the key golfing destinations in the Middle East region.”
Duly Noted – Another year in business, another year of losses for Trump Turnberry: The tony resort in Scotland finished $4.5 million in the red last year, and the Washington Post says its owner, the U.S. president, has so far lost “at least $212 million” on his most prestigious golf venue – $144 million on renovations and operating costs on top of a $67 million purchase price. As in previous years, however, the Trump Organization insists that profits are right around the corner. . . . In its proposal to host this year’s Ryder Cup competition, France promised to grow the game by opening 100 new golf facilities for beginners and time-pressed experienced golfers. Today, the promise is all but realized, as the Independent reports that 93 of the facilities are already in operation. . . . It’s virtually certain that Cuba will fall short of the 5 million international visitors that it hoped to attract this year, but it’s going to come close. Tourism ministers in island nation expect to count 4.8 million foreign visitors, a record number.
It took nearly two decades, but Crossroads Ventures has fended off a parade of environmentalists and other opponents and won permission to build Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park, a four-season community northwest of Kingston, New York. Belleayre, which will corporate both new and existing features, will include ski areas, houses, time-share condos, places to eat and drink, and what Crossroads once promised would be an organic golf course. Years ago, the commission for the course went to Davis Love III, and there’s no reason to suggest that the developers’ plans have changed. Some of Crossroads’ principals are now beyond retirement age, but they still believe that their proposed resort will be “a major catalyst for not just the stabilization but for the revitalization of the area.”
Pipeline Overflow – Toll Brothers has secured a preliminary approval for a subdivision it wants to build at the long-overdue Prasada (a.k.a. Prasada Lake Village) community in suburban Phoenix, Arizona. The big homebuilder’s plans call for a nine-hole, executive-length golf course that will eventually be stretched to 18 holes, all of them to be created by Nicklaus Design. . . . A Pakistani news service says that a group of Japanese investors has “deep interest” in developing a golf course and related tourist-related attractions in Karachi and Gwadar. Can’t say for sure if their interest will lead to actual construction, but it’s further evidence of the heat that’s being turned up on golf construction in a nation not usually associated with the sport. . . . Details are scanty, but a nine-hole golf course may soon emerge in Meru, the sixth-largest city in Kenya. The Kenya Golf Union expects the track to attract 1,500 members and host one of the nation’s long-running tournaments.
Pipeline Overflow Overflow – Greg “the Living Brand” Norman’s third golf venue in Vietnam is scheduled to open later this month. The 27-hole complex, KN Golf Links Cam Ranh, will be the centerpiece of KN Paradise, a 2,000-acre resort community outside Cam Ranh, an area along the nation’s southern coast that Norman’s clients claim is “on the cusp of becoming the next great hot spot in Southeast Asia.” The facility’s 18-hole track will reportedly play “hard and fast,” while the nine-hole layout will give the impression of “a tropical Augusta.” . . . Three is also the charm for the Nicklaus empire, which has opened its third course in Russia, all of which are located in Moscow and its suburbs. In a comment published by Golf Course Architecture, Jack Nicklaus said that the 18-hole, Nicklaus Design track at Raevo Golf & Country Club took shape on “a uniquely special piece of property” and will be “natural, playable and memorable.” . . . European Golf Design reports that it’s wrapped up construction on Dubai Hills Golf Club, an 18-hole track that will anchor a “serene, lush lifestyle destination” outside arid Dubai. The community’s developers say that the course, designed by Gary Johnston, will be “one of the key golfing destinations in the Middle East region.”
Duly Noted – Another year in business, another year of losses for Trump Turnberry: The tony resort in Scotland finished $4.5 million in the red last year, and the Washington Post says its owner, the U.S. president, has so far lost “at least $212 million” on his most prestigious golf venue – $144 million on renovations and operating costs on top of a $67 million purchase price. As in previous years, however, the Trump Organization insists that profits are right around the corner. . . . In its proposal to host this year’s Ryder Cup competition, France promised to grow the game by opening 100 new golf facilities for beginners and time-pressed experienced golfers. Today, the promise is all but realized, as the Independent reports that 93 of the facilities are already in operation. . . . It’s virtually certain that Cuba will fall short of the 5 million international visitors that it hoped to attract this year, but it’s going to come close. Tourism ministers in island nation expect to count 4.8 million foreign visitors, a record number.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
The Week That Was, september 30, 2018
England Golf reports that the most “enterprising” and “innovative” clubs under its jurisdiction are “increasingly ready to evolve to meet their customers’ needs,” and as a result they’re enjoying “a great demand for golf.” According to data gathered in a recent questionnaire, today the average club in England has 484 members, up from 460 in 2016. The secret, says England Golf, lies in some combination of a welcoming atmosphere, flexible membership options, regular communications with members, new income streams, improved off-course experiences, and “fun golf formats.” Even better, golfers appear to be willing to shell out more for golf memberships nowadays. The average adult golfer in England pays £40 ($52) more than he or she did in 2016, while the average senior pays £50 ($65) more.
For the second time this year, an investment vehicle linked to Blackstone Group has acquired a prominent golf property in a desirable golf market. In early 2018, the huge, New York City-based investment company reportedly paid roughly $330 million for Turtle Bay Resort, a 1,300-acre spread with a 36-hole complex on the northern coast of O’ahu, Hawaii. And just weeks ago, an entity controlled by Blackstone’s top executives paid an undisclosed price for JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, a Texas property that’s home to TPC San Antonio. The TPC features a pair of 18-hole tracks, one designed by Greg “the Living Brand” Norman and the other by Pete Dye. The former hosts the Valero Texas Open, an annual event on the PGA Tour. But Blackstone doesn’t figure to be a permanent presence in San Antonio. Like other private-equity firms, it typically buys undervalued properties, puts them in a stronger financial position, and then sells them.
Surplus Transactions – David Cuthbertson, a home builder, has turned over Larkin Golf Club to Wingate University. Larkin, which has operated in Statesville, North Carolina since 1996 (it was originally known as Fox Den Golf Club), features an 18-hole, Clyde Johnston-designed golf course. It’s Wingate’s second golf property, as the university accepted Stonebridge Golf Club in Monroe as a gift in early 2018. . . . Signal Point Club, a 55-year-old venue in Niles, Michigan (it’s just north of South Bend, Indiana), has become the second golf property for an investment group led by Tim Firestone, Eric Haag, and Joe Herbert. Signal Point features a nine-hole layout that was designed by Robert Bruce Harris. Its new owners also own Blackthorn Golf Club, an 18-hole track in South Bend. . . . The city of Attleboro, Massachusetts has reportedly paid $3.3 million for Highland Country Club, a bankrupt nine-hole venue that’s been in business since 1901. The city hopes to find a private-sector management company that’s willing to operate the 93-acre venue, whose troubles have been blamed on a “declining membership and reduced interest in golf.”
Just three years after it opened, Adena Golf & Country Club has gone belly up. Frank Stronach, the Canadian billionaire who reportedly spent $50 million to create the club, his self-designed 18-hole golf course, and whatever else he managed to finish at his 420-acre property in Ocala, Florida, has decided that he can’t stomach any further financial losses. In a farewell address, Adena told its members that it had hoped to become “the finest private club in all of Florida,” and it apologized because it could “no longer bring you the first-class membership experience that you have come to enjoy.” Stronach made his money (Forbes says he’s worth $1.5 billion) in auto parts, and it seems that his true sports passion is thoroughbred horse racing.
Desolation Row Extended – Crane Creek Golf Course, an 18-hole track in Kilbourne, Illinois, didn’t open this year and has presumably breathed its final breath. Crane Creek’s owner, Joel Hirsch, attributed the 20-year-old course’s persistent financial losses in part to its location, as Kilbourne is “a long way” from Peoria and Springfield, the closest nearby population centers. . . . You can also say goodbye to Jones Creek Golf Club, a 32-year-old, Rees Jones-designed golf course outside Augusta, Georgia. The club’s owners blame the property’s demise on what’s been described as “issues of water runoff from a nearby lake.” . . . Pines Golf Course & Driving Range, an 18-hole, par-3 track in Groton, Connecticut, will soon be razed so its 34 acres can become farmland. The course, which had operated for more than a half-century, has at one time or another also been known as Birch Plain Golf Course and Trumbull Golf Course.
Are you wondering how much of a week’s golf news I cover in this blog? The answer, unfortunately, is just a fraction of what passes my way. The golf business, particularly the development side of the golf business, has unquestionably perked up over the past year or two, and there’s no way for me to address all of it. So if you require a more comprehensive news digest, contact me via e-mail at golfcoursereport@aol.com. I’ll send you a sample issue of either U.S. or International Construction Clips, depending on your needs.
For the second time this year, an investment vehicle linked to Blackstone Group has acquired a prominent golf property in a desirable golf market. In early 2018, the huge, New York City-based investment company reportedly paid roughly $330 million for Turtle Bay Resort, a 1,300-acre spread with a 36-hole complex on the northern coast of O’ahu, Hawaii. And just weeks ago, an entity controlled by Blackstone’s top executives paid an undisclosed price for JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, a Texas property that’s home to TPC San Antonio. The TPC features a pair of 18-hole tracks, one designed by Greg “the Living Brand” Norman and the other by Pete Dye. The former hosts the Valero Texas Open, an annual event on the PGA Tour. But Blackstone doesn’t figure to be a permanent presence in San Antonio. Like other private-equity firms, it typically buys undervalued properties, puts them in a stronger financial position, and then sells them.
Surplus Transactions – David Cuthbertson, a home builder, has turned over Larkin Golf Club to Wingate University. Larkin, which has operated in Statesville, North Carolina since 1996 (it was originally known as Fox Den Golf Club), features an 18-hole, Clyde Johnston-designed golf course. It’s Wingate’s second golf property, as the university accepted Stonebridge Golf Club in Monroe as a gift in early 2018. . . . Signal Point Club, a 55-year-old venue in Niles, Michigan (it’s just north of South Bend, Indiana), has become the second golf property for an investment group led by Tim Firestone, Eric Haag, and Joe Herbert. Signal Point features a nine-hole layout that was designed by Robert Bruce Harris. Its new owners also own Blackthorn Golf Club, an 18-hole track in South Bend. . . . The city of Attleboro, Massachusetts has reportedly paid $3.3 million for Highland Country Club, a bankrupt nine-hole venue that’s been in business since 1901. The city hopes to find a private-sector management company that’s willing to operate the 93-acre venue, whose troubles have been blamed on a “declining membership and reduced interest in golf.”
Just three years after it opened, Adena Golf & Country Club has gone belly up. Frank Stronach, the Canadian billionaire who reportedly spent $50 million to create the club, his self-designed 18-hole golf course, and whatever else he managed to finish at his 420-acre property in Ocala, Florida, has decided that he can’t stomach any further financial losses. In a farewell address, Adena told its members that it had hoped to become “the finest private club in all of Florida,” and it apologized because it could “no longer bring you the first-class membership experience that you have come to enjoy.” Stronach made his money (Forbes says he’s worth $1.5 billion) in auto parts, and it seems that his true sports passion is thoroughbred horse racing.
Desolation Row Extended – Crane Creek Golf Course, an 18-hole track in Kilbourne, Illinois, didn’t open this year and has presumably breathed its final breath. Crane Creek’s owner, Joel Hirsch, attributed the 20-year-old course’s persistent financial losses in part to its location, as Kilbourne is “a long way” from Peoria and Springfield, the closest nearby population centers. . . . You can also say goodbye to Jones Creek Golf Club, a 32-year-old, Rees Jones-designed golf course outside Augusta, Georgia. The club’s owners blame the property’s demise on what’s been described as “issues of water runoff from a nearby lake.” . . . Pines Golf Course & Driving Range, an 18-hole, par-3 track in Groton, Connecticut, will soon be razed so its 34 acres can become farmland. The course, which had operated for more than a half-century, has at one time or another also been known as Birch Plain Golf Course and Trumbull Golf Course.
Are you wondering how much of a week’s golf news I cover in this blog? The answer, unfortunately, is just a fraction of what passes my way. The golf business, particularly the development side of the golf business, has unquestionably perked up over the past year or two, and there’s no way for me to address all of it. So if you require a more comprehensive news digest, contact me via e-mail at golfcoursereport@aol.com. I’ll send you a sample issue of either U.S. or International Construction Clips, depending on your needs.
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