European Tour Properties has worked its way through Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, and now it’s landed in China, as it’s added Genzon Golf Club to its stable of branded communities. Genzon, a 24-year-old facility in Shenzhen (it opened as CITIC Green Golf Club), features a pair of 18-hole, Neil Haworth-designed golf courses, the second of which arrived in 2008. The club has previously hosted European Tour events, and Planet Golf ranks its A course at the #10 track in the People’s Republic. (Golf Digest ranks it at #20.) In a press release, a club official expected the tour to help it create “a comfortable golf social space” so its members can build “a healthy body and pleasant mind to live life to its maximum.”
Acknowledging that they’re making “a leap of faith,” a quartet of investors in Ooltewah, Tennessee have acquired Champions Club and its Jay Morrish-designed golf course. The group is led by Jim Brunjak, who’s acknowledged that Champions’ 18-hole track, once “one of the nicest courses in Chattanooga,” is “far from that right now.” Though they know that golf properties “usually lose money and are bad investments,” the new owners believe that there’s “still a place for a country club community with the synergy of a pool, tennis course, a golf course, and a dining facility in a close-knit community like Ooltewah.” Henry Luken, the owner of at least a half-dozen golf properties in the area, reportedly accepted $2.1 million for his 20-year-old club.
Surplus Transactions – Elected officials in Collier County, Florida have voted to spend $28 million for Golden Gate County Club, a 55-year-old venue in Naples that features an 18-hole, Dick Wilson-designed golf course. The club’s current owners, Robert and Mario Vocisano, were hoping to build a subdivision on their 167-acre property. . . .
Although it has designs on national expansion, GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness’ next acquisition will be located right in its wheelhouse. For an undisclosed price, Tom Walsh’s company has agreed to buy Fox Ridge Golf Course, a century-old, nine-hole track in Newton, Kansas. The sellers were Mike Riffel and Sid and Bob Nattier, who accepted GreatLIFE’s offer due to “the low profitability of the operation.” . . . One of the 11 golf properties recently sold by American Golf Corporation was Trophy Club of Apalachee, a 25-year-old venue in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. The parties involved haven’t disclosed any details about the transaction, but the buyer is said to be “a Class-A PGA member and longtime golf-industry executive.” Regarding the price, AGC was asking for $2.4 million.
Surplus Surplus Transactions – The heirs of Robin Roberts, the Hall of Fame pitcher, have accepted $18.5 million for Limekiln Golf Club, an 85-year-old venue in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The end is near, however, as Matrix Development Group and a partner intend to turn Limekiln’s 209 acres, now the home of a 27-hole golf complex, into a community for active adults. . . . Southern Oaks Golf Club, an 18-hole track in Burleson, Texas that’s said to have “a private club feel,” has changed hands. For an undisclosed price, AngMar Retail Group has sold the 20-year-old club and its Mark Brooks-designed course to an entity that appears to be led by Shipman Companies. . . . Camp Rainbow Gold, a group that provides camps, retreats, and a variety of “emotionally empowering experiences” to children who’ve been diagnosed with cancer, has agreed to pay $1.3 million for Soldier Mountain Ranch & Resort, a 150-acre spread in Fairfield, Idaho. Soldier Mountain, which was once owned by Die Hard and Pulp Fiction star Bruce Willis, is home to a nine-hole golf course whose future is uncertain.
Duly Noted – In an article for Golf Course Industry magazine, Henry DeLozier of Global Golf Advisors asks a question that a lot of people in our business would like to have answered: Will millennials save golf? Unfortunately, he never answers it. He does, however, note that our nation’s 6.4 million millennial golfers play golf primarily “to hang out with friends” and typically pay between $25 and $50 for a round, although 12 percent of them (768,000) are currently members of private clubs. . . . When golf clubs tied to residential real estate go under, home values plummet. As it turns out, though, residents of communities with mandatory club memberships may also be paying a price, as the dues they’re obligated to pay to keep their clubs afloat are making their houses less salable. Because buyers are fewer and farther between, according to a real-estate economist, homes in communities that are obligated to support clubs are typically priced “way below what they should be selling for.” . . . Come this April – on the 20th, if the new owners truly appreciate the spirit of legalization – a golf course in southeastern Ontario is expected to debut as “Canada’s, and perhaps North America’s, first cannabis-themed golf course.” What’s now known as Lombard Glen Golf & Country Club will operate as Rolling Greens Golf Club, and golfers will be encouraged to enjoy the high life.
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 of late, 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, January 27, 2019
Sunday, January 20, 2019
The Week That Was, january 20, 2019
If federal authorities approve, a local development group will build a 36-hole golf complex outside Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam’s largest metropolis. The complex, to be developed by Cần Giờ Tourism Urban Area JSC, will take shape on roughly 330 acres of reclaimed land in Cần Giờ, a coastal district roughly 35 miles south of the city, and it’ll be among the attractions at a massive vacation spot – nearly 7,200 acres – that the city has been hoping to create for several years. Needless to say, HCMC expects the place to become what a national news service calls “a destination for domestic and international tourists.” But the developers and the city have a problem: Vietnam’s current master plan for golf development says that HCMC can have only five golf courses by 2020, and it already has at least three. HCMC has petitioned for a larger allotment, but its request hasn’t yet been met.
Some information in the preceding post first appeared in the December 2016 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
Pipeline Overflow – Speaking of Vietnam, FLC Group, one of the country’s premier golf developers, has set out to build a huge sports-focused complex in suburban Hà Nội. A site hasn’t yet been identified, but FLC needs enough land for, among other things, a 100,000-seat sports stadium, a Formula One track, a horse-racing track, a conference center, a “resort hospital,” and a golf course. . . . A Singapore-based entity has secured permission to build a “new city” in Santa Ana, a town on the northeastern tip of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Business World reports that the city, called Polaris, will include houses, hotels, casinos, “online gaming businesses,” a business park, “a cyberpark for digital currency firms,” and “golf courses.” . . . A joint venture led by a state-owned company aims to develop a 250-acre resort community on Langkawi Island, off the coast of northwestern Malaysia. 99°East Golf Club has been master-planned to include a hotel, 58 villas, some apartments, a polo center, an international school, and an 18-hole golf course.
Renaissance Golf Group has made its third acquisition in less than a year, as the Raleigh-based firm has purchased Ironwood Golf & Country Club and its 18-hole, Lee Trevino-designed golf course. Ironwood, a 23-year-old facility in Greenville, is the fourth property in Renaissance’s all-North Carolina portfolio, joining Beaufort Club in Beaufort and two properties in Leland that Renaissance bought in 2018, Compass Pointe Golf Club and Magnolia Greens Golf Course. Jay Biggs, Renaissance’s president, believes that each of his company’s clubs offers “unique character and potential for growth.”
Surplus Transactions – For a price that appears to be in the vicinity of $3 million, Cathy Haley has found a buyer for Mountain View Golf Course, an 18-hole track in Santa Paula, California that’s been plagued by water shortages in recent years. The Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation expects to use Mountain View’s 60 acres as an education center, but it may maintain what the Ventura County Star describes as “a modified nine-hole golf course” on the property. . . . Pendleton Country Club, a financially desperate property in Pendleton, Oregon, may soon have a new owner. An unidentified entity or individual has agreed to buy the 90-year-old club, which features an 18-hole track that’s said to be “Eastern Oregon’s best-kept golfing secret.” . . . Oscar Booher leads a group that’s acquired Cree Meadows Country Club, a venue that’s operated in Ruidoso, New Mexico since 1947. In a comment that has the ring of a back-to-the-future moment, Booher told the Ruidoso News that the club, which features an 18-hole, 5,974-yard golf course, “will be operated under the same way it’s been since back in [the] 40s.”
Duly Noted – Greg “the Living Brand” Norman, now serving a three-year term as Vietnam’s tourism ambassador, reports that he’s been “working very closely” with government officials to ensure that the socialist republic “will ultimately emerge as one of the world’s premiere tourist destinations.” In addition, he’s making “a big push for the development of academies and public-access golf courses.” . . . Talk about international events: Last year’s Open Championship, at Carnoustie Golf Links, attracted 172,000 customers, nearly half of whom (49.8 percent) arrived from countries outside Scotland. . . . Carnegie Abbey Club has assumed a new identity. The new ownership group now calls the 19-year-old, British-influenced venue, in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the Aquidneck Club, and it promises that members “will enjoy everything that Carnegie Abbey had to offer and much more going forward.”
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’s what I have to say on the subject: I don’t collect any data, and I don’t put any cookies into your computer. That being said, here’s some language that Google, the company that maintains this slice of cyberspace, would probably approve of: “We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. By using the site, you consent to these cookies.”
Some information in the preceding post first appeared in the December 2016 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.
Pipeline Overflow – Speaking of Vietnam, FLC Group, one of the country’s premier golf developers, has set out to build a huge sports-focused complex in suburban Hà Nội. A site hasn’t yet been identified, but FLC needs enough land for, among other things, a 100,000-seat sports stadium, a Formula One track, a horse-racing track, a conference center, a “resort hospital,” and a golf course. . . . A Singapore-based entity has secured permission to build a “new city” in Santa Ana, a town on the northeastern tip of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Business World reports that the city, called Polaris, will include houses, hotels, casinos, “online gaming businesses,” a business park, “a cyberpark for digital currency firms,” and “golf courses.” . . . A joint venture led by a state-owned company aims to develop a 250-acre resort community on Langkawi Island, off the coast of northwestern Malaysia. 99°East Golf Club has been master-planned to include a hotel, 58 villas, some apartments, a polo center, an international school, and an 18-hole golf course.
Renaissance Golf Group has made its third acquisition in less than a year, as the Raleigh-based firm has purchased Ironwood Golf & Country Club and its 18-hole, Lee Trevino-designed golf course. Ironwood, a 23-year-old facility in Greenville, is the fourth property in Renaissance’s all-North Carolina portfolio, joining Beaufort Club in Beaufort and two properties in Leland that Renaissance bought in 2018, Compass Pointe Golf Club and Magnolia Greens Golf Course. Jay Biggs, Renaissance’s president, believes that each of his company’s clubs offers “unique character and potential for growth.”
Surplus Transactions – For a price that appears to be in the vicinity of $3 million, Cathy Haley has found a buyer for Mountain View Golf Course, an 18-hole track in Santa Paula, California that’s been plagued by water shortages in recent years. The Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation expects to use Mountain View’s 60 acres as an education center, but it may maintain what the Ventura County Star describes as “a modified nine-hole golf course” on the property. . . . Pendleton Country Club, a financially desperate property in Pendleton, Oregon, may soon have a new owner. An unidentified entity or individual has agreed to buy the 90-year-old club, which features an 18-hole track that’s said to be “Eastern Oregon’s best-kept golfing secret.” . . . Oscar Booher leads a group that’s acquired Cree Meadows Country Club, a venue that’s operated in Ruidoso, New Mexico since 1947. In a comment that has the ring of a back-to-the-future moment, Booher told the Ruidoso News that the club, which features an 18-hole, 5,974-yard golf course, “will be operated under the same way it’s been since back in [the] 40s.”
Duly Noted – Greg “the Living Brand” Norman, now serving a three-year term as Vietnam’s tourism ambassador, reports that he’s been “working very closely” with government officials to ensure that the socialist republic “will ultimately emerge as one of the world’s premiere tourist destinations.” In addition, he’s making “a big push for the development of academies and public-access golf courses.” . . . Talk about international events: Last year’s Open Championship, at Carnoustie Golf Links, attracted 172,000 customers, nearly half of whom (49.8 percent) arrived from countries outside Scotland. . . . Carnegie Abbey Club has assumed a new identity. The new ownership group now calls the 19-year-old, British-influenced venue, in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the Aquidneck Club, and it promises that members “will enjoy everything that Carnegie Abbey had to offer and much more going forward.”
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’s what I have to say on the subject: I don’t collect any data, and I don’t put any cookies into your computer. That being said, here’s some language that Google, the company that maintains this slice of cyberspace, would probably approve of: “We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. By using the site, you consent to these cookies.”
Sunday, January 13, 2019
The Week That Was, january 13, 2019
An unidentified group has set out to create a golf resort on waterfront property in Saudi Arabia, and it’s enlisted Kristine Kerr, a New Zealand-based course designer, to serve as the venue’s associate director of golf. Few details are available, but the resort (possibly named Red Sea) will take shape upon some 50 islands and sweep across more than 120 miles of what’s said to be “spectacular” coastline. Kerr told the New Zealand Herald that the resort will feature houses, hotels, and “potentially multiple golf courses” and that her clients want to build “more than just a run-of-the-mill or a high-ranking golf course.” She didn’t specifically tell the newspaper that she’d be involved in the resort’s golf designs, but she’s certainly capable of doing so. Though she appears to have only one original course to her name, she apprenticed with Nelson & Haworth and worked on several projects with Gary Player’s firm, and she’s the first female member of the Australian Society of Golf Course Architects. Her tastes run to courses that are “classic” and “strategic.” Today, as the principal of Kura Golf Course Design, her to-do list includes a few makeovers in New Zealand and one in Macau.
Pipeline Overflow – Kevin Gaughan has reportedly raised half of the $10 million he needs to complete his hoped-for Nicklaus-designed golf courses, including a new 18-hole track, in Buffalo, New York. Although an opening date hasn’t yet been set, site preparation at the former industrial property is expected to begin this spring. . . . The Indore Municipal Corporation, in Madhya Pradesh, India, recently cleared a 100-acre garbage dump, and now it’s looking for a private-sector partner that’s willing to build a golf course on the property. If it comes up empty, it may turn the site into a park. . . . Regarding Kim Jong-un’s hoped-for golf resort at the proposed Wonsan-Mount Kumgang International Tourism Zone: After more than three years of trying, North Korea’s Peerless Leader still hasn’t found any investors. Not hard to figure out why.
So far, American Golf Corporation has sold nearly half of the 26 properties that it wants to get rid of. Late last year the company, a subsidiary of Drive Shack, Inc., announced that it’s found buyers for 11 of the properties – eight in California and one each in Georgia, Idaho, and Oregon – and collected $82.5 million in the process. In a press release, Drive Shack said it used the money to pay off some debt and noted that American Golf will continue to manage eight of the properties, thereby ensuring a continuing revenue stream. Drive Shack wants to raise money so it can establish what it hopes will be a future profit center: A chain of Topgolf-like gaming facilities, each one with a $30 million price tag. The company believes the sale of all 26 properties it’s put on the market will bring $175 million, an amount that could cover, debt free, the construction of the first six.
Surplus Transactions – On the final day of 2018, American Golf disposed of another unwanted asset, namely the Crossing Golf Club in Franklin, Tennessee. An LLC led by Brooks West, a PGA pro, paid an undisclosed price for the 49-year-old venue, which was known until 2017 as Forrest Crossing Golf Course. The name honored a grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and American Golf correctly concluded that the association was repugnant. . . . Eagle Valley Golf Course, a 20-year-old venue in Evansville, Indiana, is now in the hands of the city’s school administrators. The Evansville School Corporation expects to eventually build a school on the Eagle Valley property, now the home of an 18-hole, Bob Lohmann-designed layout, but maybe not for decades. . . . CC Properties, Inc. has agreed to sell Lenawee Country Club, a nearly century-old venue in Adrian, Michigan. The prospective owners, Greg Hodges and David Walters, have pledged to “continue the golf operation and maintain the course in a superior condition.”
The PGA Tour’s commissioner may believe that the sport of golf is “growing and thriving,” but golf courses continue to close at a distressing pace. Here’s the latest report from Desolation Row:
– As it prepares to file for bankruptcy protection, Sol Long Term Land Investment Trust has turned out the lights at Sierra La Verne Country Club. The club, which occupies 111 acres in suburban Los Angeles, California, has reportedly had three owners since 2009.
– Crystal River Golf Club, which promoted itself as “one of the most picturesque in all of Florida,” has gone dark, reportedly “for good.” The 50-year-old club, in Crystal River, features an 18-hole, Bill Amick-designed golf course that was prone to flooding.
– The clock is ticking on Shawnee Lookout Golf Course, an 18-hole track in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio whose “rounds of play have remained flat and at times even declined” in recent years. This year will be the final one for the course, which was designed by Jack Kidwell and opened in 1979.
– Germantown Country Club’s days are likewise numbered. The 49-year-old club in suburban Memphis, Tennessee, featuring an 18-hole, Press Maxwell-designed golf course, is expected to close next month, reportedly “for financial reasons.”
– Steve Bander has donated his Sunset Lakes Golf Center, in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, to the city of Sunset Hills’ parks and recreation department. The department hasn’t determined what to do with the 122-acre property, but all indications are that Sunset Lakes’ 18-hole, Bob Lohmann-designed golf course has seen its last days.
– River Oaks Golf Plantation, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, will likely soon exchange nine of its holes for more than 200 single-family houses. The plantation’s Bear track, a Tom Jackson layout, will be lost, but its 18-hole, Gene Hamm-designed track will continue to operate.
– Royal Oaks Golf Course, a 25-year-old track in Maryville, Tennessee, has gone belly up. The owners claim to have “fought valiantly” to keep the D. J. DeVictor-designed course open but complained of “vandalism” and a lack of support from residents in the surrounding community.
– It appears that Al and Kristi Gorick have drawn the curtains on River Run II Golf Links, their nine-hole, self-designed course in Kirkwood, New York. A local economic-development group has taken a one-year option on the 30-acre parcel, in the hope of finding an interested developer.
– Though he’s described it as “a lucrative property” and “an asset to the community,” Perry Segura plans to close Squirrel Run Golf Club and its 18-hole, Joe Lee-designed golf course early next month. The club, in New Iberia, Louisiana, has been in business since 1986.
Duly Noted – Three years after they paid a $400,000 fine to help settle a federal lawsuit, Jack Nicklaus and the other investors who own Bears Club, in Jupiter, Florida, are again the subject of legal proceedings. A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of some residents of the club’s accompanying community, who are said to be “angry at the way Nicklaus is running the community.” . . . Todd Eckenrode boldly contends that Twin Dolphin Golf Club, a just-opened track that he co-designed with Fred Couples, is “the most unique and natural course” in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and maybe “the best course in Cabo.” The reviews aren’t yet in, but Jack Nicklaus, Davis Love III, Tom Fazio, Tom Weiskopf, and Tiger Woods, all of whom have designed courses in the area, may beg to differ. . . . Not to cause any undue distress, but sometime next year the United States is expected to lose its status as the world’s largest economy. China, in spite of its current economic slowdown, is on track to assume the top spot.
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’s what I have to say on the subject: I don’t collect any data, and I don’t put any cookies into your computer. That being said, here’s some language that Google, the company that maintains this slice of cyberspace, would probably approve of: “We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. By using the site, you consent to these cookies.”
Pipeline Overflow – Kevin Gaughan has reportedly raised half of the $10 million he needs to complete his hoped-for Nicklaus-designed golf courses, including a new 18-hole track, in Buffalo, New York. Although an opening date hasn’t yet been set, site preparation at the former industrial property is expected to begin this spring. . . . The Indore Municipal Corporation, in Madhya Pradesh, India, recently cleared a 100-acre garbage dump, and now it’s looking for a private-sector partner that’s willing to build a golf course on the property. If it comes up empty, it may turn the site into a park. . . . Regarding Kim Jong-un’s hoped-for golf resort at the proposed Wonsan-Mount Kumgang International Tourism Zone: After more than three years of trying, North Korea’s Peerless Leader still hasn’t found any investors. Not hard to figure out why.
So far, American Golf Corporation has sold nearly half of the 26 properties that it wants to get rid of. Late last year the company, a subsidiary of Drive Shack, Inc., announced that it’s found buyers for 11 of the properties – eight in California and one each in Georgia, Idaho, and Oregon – and collected $82.5 million in the process. In a press release, Drive Shack said it used the money to pay off some debt and noted that American Golf will continue to manage eight of the properties, thereby ensuring a continuing revenue stream. Drive Shack wants to raise money so it can establish what it hopes will be a future profit center: A chain of Topgolf-like gaming facilities, each one with a $30 million price tag. The company believes the sale of all 26 properties it’s put on the market will bring $175 million, an amount that could cover, debt free, the construction of the first six.
Surplus Transactions – On the final day of 2018, American Golf disposed of another unwanted asset, namely the Crossing Golf Club in Franklin, Tennessee. An LLC led by Brooks West, a PGA pro, paid an undisclosed price for the 49-year-old venue, which was known until 2017 as Forrest Crossing Golf Course. The name honored a grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and American Golf correctly concluded that the association was repugnant. . . . Eagle Valley Golf Course, a 20-year-old venue in Evansville, Indiana, is now in the hands of the city’s school administrators. The Evansville School Corporation expects to eventually build a school on the Eagle Valley property, now the home of an 18-hole, Bob Lohmann-designed layout, but maybe not for decades. . . . CC Properties, Inc. has agreed to sell Lenawee Country Club, a nearly century-old venue in Adrian, Michigan. The prospective owners, Greg Hodges and David Walters, have pledged to “continue the golf operation and maintain the course in a superior condition.”
The PGA Tour’s commissioner may believe that the sport of golf is “growing and thriving,” but golf courses continue to close at a distressing pace. Here’s the latest report from Desolation Row:
– As it prepares to file for bankruptcy protection, Sol Long Term Land Investment Trust has turned out the lights at Sierra La Verne Country Club. The club, which occupies 111 acres in suburban Los Angeles, California, has reportedly had three owners since 2009.
– Crystal River Golf Club, which promoted itself as “one of the most picturesque in all of Florida,” has gone dark, reportedly “for good.” The 50-year-old club, in Crystal River, features an 18-hole, Bill Amick-designed golf course that was prone to flooding.
– The clock is ticking on Shawnee Lookout Golf Course, an 18-hole track in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio whose “rounds of play have remained flat and at times even declined” in recent years. This year will be the final one for the course, which was designed by Jack Kidwell and opened in 1979.
– Germantown Country Club’s days are likewise numbered. The 49-year-old club in suburban Memphis, Tennessee, featuring an 18-hole, Press Maxwell-designed golf course, is expected to close next month, reportedly “for financial reasons.”
– Steve Bander has donated his Sunset Lakes Golf Center, in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, to the city of Sunset Hills’ parks and recreation department. The department hasn’t determined what to do with the 122-acre property, but all indications are that Sunset Lakes’ 18-hole, Bob Lohmann-designed golf course has seen its last days.
– River Oaks Golf Plantation, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, will likely soon exchange nine of its holes for more than 200 single-family houses. The plantation’s Bear track, a Tom Jackson layout, will be lost, but its 18-hole, Gene Hamm-designed track will continue to operate.
– Royal Oaks Golf Course, a 25-year-old track in Maryville, Tennessee, has gone belly up. The owners claim to have “fought valiantly” to keep the D. J. DeVictor-designed course open but complained of “vandalism” and a lack of support from residents in the surrounding community.
– It appears that Al and Kristi Gorick have drawn the curtains on River Run II Golf Links, their nine-hole, self-designed course in Kirkwood, New York. A local economic-development group has taken a one-year option on the 30-acre parcel, in the hope of finding an interested developer.
– Though he’s described it as “a lucrative property” and “an asset to the community,” Perry Segura plans to close Squirrel Run Golf Club and its 18-hole, Joe Lee-designed golf course early next month. The club, in New Iberia, Louisiana, has been in business since 1986.
Duly Noted – Three years after they paid a $400,000 fine to help settle a federal lawsuit, Jack Nicklaus and the other investors who own Bears Club, in Jupiter, Florida, are again the subject of legal proceedings. A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of some residents of the club’s accompanying community, who are said to be “angry at the way Nicklaus is running the community.” . . . Todd Eckenrode boldly contends that Twin Dolphin Golf Club, a just-opened track that he co-designed with Fred Couples, is “the most unique and natural course” in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and maybe “the best course in Cabo.” The reviews aren’t yet in, but Jack Nicklaus, Davis Love III, Tom Fazio, Tom Weiskopf, and Tiger Woods, all of whom have designed courses in the area, may beg to differ. . . . Not to cause any undue distress, but sometime next year the United States is expected to lose its status as the world’s largest economy. China, in spite of its current economic slowdown, is on track to assume the top spot.
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’s what I have to say on the subject: I don’t collect any data, and I don’t put any cookies into your computer. That being said, here’s some language that Google, the company that maintains this slice of cyberspace, would probably approve of: “We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. By using the site, you consent to these cookies.”
Sunday, January 6, 2019
The Week That Was, january 6, 2019
Scott Campbell hasn’t ruled out adding to his golf offerings at the Retreat, Links & Spa at Silvies Valley Ranch, his golf resort in wild, remote, economically struggling eastern Oregon.
“We’ll do whatever our customers want us to do,” Campbell told me. “It depends on how things go. If people want more golf, we’ll build it.”
Silvies Valley, which will enjoy its second full season in 2019, currently features a regulation-length reversible course (“It gives you two different courses for literally the price of one!” the eco-conscious developer cheerfully noted) as well as a nine-hole, par-3 track and a screwball seven-hole layout where goats serve as caddies. The courses were designed by Dan Hixson, who’s ready and willing to build a putting course and to add nine holes to the par-3 track. What’s more, Hixson has roamed parts of Campbell’s 140,000-acre cattle ranch in search of a site that might be suitable for another 18-hole layout, possibly another reversible course, and – no surprise here – he’s found one.
Nothing is guaranteed, of course, and the market will determine Silvies Valley’s future. That being said, Campbell is optimistic about his resort’s prospects.
“Bookings are coming along really well for 2019,” he says. “If we continue on the route we’re on, we’ll make some money in 2020.”
I spoke with Campbell as part of my reporting for a profile that will soon appear in Golf Inc. Watch for it.
Pipeline Overflow – We’re just days away from the unveiling of a golf course that players will hopefully connect to on a “spiritual, emotional, and environmental level.” The nine-tee, four-green layout has been designed by Agustín Pizá, and it’ll be one of the attractions at Chablé Resort, a wellness-focused, meditation-happy getaway in Yucatán, Mexico. Spikes aren’t mandatory, and neither are shoes. . . . This spring, McCombs Properties expects to debut the re-imagined golf offerings at Palmilla Beach Resort, its vacation-home community in Port Aransas, Texas. The property’s 18-hole, Arnold Palmer-designed golf course will become a nine-hole layout that encompasses what a press release calls “the best of the original Palmilla course,” and it’ll be complemented by a three-hole “short” course “designed for relaxed, easy play” and an 18-hole putting course. . . . Also this spring, Nicklaus Design expects to open its first course in Latvia, Jūrmala Golf Club in suburban Riga. In a press release, the firm’s Dirk Bouts said the club’s 18-hole layout is “certain to be one of the top golf destinations in Northern Europe.” Drawn to a network of properties that it believes “represents exceptional quality and great golf experiences,”
ClubCorp has acquired TPC Craig Ranch, a private club in suburban Dallas, Texas. The self-described “world leader in private clubs” says it’s “excited to build on the traditions” of TPC Craig Ranch, which opened in 2004 and features a tournament-worthy, Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course. TPC Craig Ranch is the third property that ClubCorp has added to its collection over the past year. It bought Brookstone Golf & Country Club, in greater Atlanta, Georgia, last summer, and last month it bought Ridge Club, in Sandwich, Massachusetts.
Surplus Transactions – OceanFirst Bank has relieved itself of the financially troubled Renault Winery Resort, an historic site in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey. The 155-year-old winery is home to an 18-hole, Ed Shearon-designed course that opened in 2007, and the bank, which took control from a creditor, believes the unidentified new owners “are committed to enhancing and carrying on Renault’s rich tradition.” . . . For an undisclosed price, Paradigm8 has acquired Tahoe Mountain Club, a venue in Truckee, California that’s home to a pair of 18-hole courses, Old Greenwood and Gray’s Crossing. The seller, a group called CREW Tahoe, had planned to close the courses next month, and the club’s general manager told a local newspaper that the property “has never been economically viable.” . . . Citing a desire to make “an investment in the community,” Katie Unverferth has paid an undisclosed price for Country Acres Golf Course, an 18-hole track outside Lima, Ohio. The 40-year-old facility now operates as Moose Landing Country Club.
Happy New Year, Everyone!
“We’ll do whatever our customers want us to do,” Campbell told me. “It depends on how things go. If people want more golf, we’ll build it.”
Silvies Valley, which will enjoy its second full season in 2019, currently features a regulation-length reversible course (“It gives you two different courses for literally the price of one!” the eco-conscious developer cheerfully noted) as well as a nine-hole, par-3 track and a screwball seven-hole layout where goats serve as caddies. The courses were designed by Dan Hixson, who’s ready and willing to build a putting course and to add nine holes to the par-3 track. What’s more, Hixson has roamed parts of Campbell’s 140,000-acre cattle ranch in search of a site that might be suitable for another 18-hole layout, possibly another reversible course, and – no surprise here – he’s found one.
Nothing is guaranteed, of course, and the market will determine Silvies Valley’s future. That being said, Campbell is optimistic about his resort’s prospects.
“Bookings are coming along really well for 2019,” he says. “If we continue on the route we’re on, we’ll make some money in 2020.”
I spoke with Campbell as part of my reporting for a profile that will soon appear in Golf Inc. Watch for it.
Pipeline Overflow – We’re just days away from the unveiling of a golf course that players will hopefully connect to on a “spiritual, emotional, and environmental level.” The nine-tee, four-green layout has been designed by Agustín Pizá, and it’ll be one of the attractions at Chablé Resort, a wellness-focused, meditation-happy getaway in Yucatán, Mexico. Spikes aren’t mandatory, and neither are shoes. . . . This spring, McCombs Properties expects to debut the re-imagined golf offerings at Palmilla Beach Resort, its vacation-home community in Port Aransas, Texas. The property’s 18-hole, Arnold Palmer-designed golf course will become a nine-hole layout that encompasses what a press release calls “the best of the original Palmilla course,” and it’ll be complemented by a three-hole “short” course “designed for relaxed, easy play” and an 18-hole putting course. . . . Also this spring, Nicklaus Design expects to open its first course in Latvia, Jūrmala Golf Club in suburban Riga. In a press release, the firm’s Dirk Bouts said the club’s 18-hole layout is “certain to be one of the top golf destinations in Northern Europe.” Drawn to a network of properties that it believes “represents exceptional quality and great golf experiences,”
ClubCorp has acquired TPC Craig Ranch, a private club in suburban Dallas, Texas. The self-described “world leader in private clubs” says it’s “excited to build on the traditions” of TPC Craig Ranch, which opened in 2004 and features a tournament-worthy, Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course. TPC Craig Ranch is the third property that ClubCorp has added to its collection over the past year. It bought Brookstone Golf & Country Club, in greater Atlanta, Georgia, last summer, and last month it bought Ridge Club, in Sandwich, Massachusetts.
Surplus Transactions – OceanFirst Bank has relieved itself of the financially troubled Renault Winery Resort, an historic site in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey. The 155-year-old winery is home to an 18-hole, Ed Shearon-designed course that opened in 2007, and the bank, which took control from a creditor, believes the unidentified new owners “are committed to enhancing and carrying on Renault’s rich tradition.” . . . For an undisclosed price, Paradigm8 has acquired Tahoe Mountain Club, a venue in Truckee, California that’s home to a pair of 18-hole courses, Old Greenwood and Gray’s Crossing. The seller, a group called CREW Tahoe, had planned to close the courses next month, and the club’s general manager told a local newspaper that the property “has never been economically viable.” . . . Citing a desire to make “an investment in the community,” Katie Unverferth has paid an undisclosed price for Country Acres Golf Course, an 18-hole track outside Lima, Ohio. The 40-year-old facility now operates as Moose Landing Country Club.
Happy New Year, Everyone!
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