Courses being shut down

[MattF]

The ones I was thinking of were Valley View (27), Kent State (9), Maplecrest (18), and Oak Knolls contracted to 18. Didn't know about Rain Tree and Roses Run. Haven't played Rain Tree much but have spent a fair amount of time at Roses Run.

 

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Oak Knolls contracted from 36 holes years ago and they actually closed completely last year.

[MGoBlue100]

This is the course that really got me started in the golf “business”, such as it was. Nice that it's being used as a nature preserve instead of housing. What stinks is that this was a Donald Ross design... SIGH

http://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/nature-preserve-at-former-highlands-golf-club-open_2018030208094815/1003442757

 

 

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[00sportsman]

Just played a nine hole course a couple of weeks ago that used to be 18. It's located in a housing non-development. The guy in the pro shop said they just couldn't afford to maintain all 18. Tons of empty lots in the "development."

 

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[tony@CIC]

The ones I was thinking of were Valley View (27), Kent State (9), Maplecrest (18), and Oak Knolls contracted to 18. Didn't know about Rain Tree and Roses Run. Haven't played Rain Tree much but have spent a fair amount of time at Roses Run.

 

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There's also one around the corner from my son's house in Hinckley.

 

 

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[palvord]

There's also one around the corner from my son's house in Hinckley.

 

 

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It's incredible how many courses are listed here that are closed down or reduced all in the Akron area. And yet still, there are a number of courses thriving there. I firmly believe that if you build and maintain a course with passion, the golfers will keep coming back.

 

I get that courses are expensive to run, but so are many other businesses. The ones run with passion and care last.

 

 

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[dhartmann34]

It doesn't surprise me in the least. We've had 3 courses close by me in the past 6 months. 2 are in talks of being closed down and 2 more were sold as they were on the brink of closing down...and I don't know how long they'll actually last even with new ownership. 

 

The golf industry is shrinking. It's time consuming and expensive and young people today don't have the attention span or urge to golf. They've got so much technology coming at them that golf is the last thing on their radar. TopGolf is probably the new golf..... incorporates all the technology and entertainment they are looking for....with MUCH less commitment in time and money. 

[palvord]

It doesn't surprise me in the least. We've had 3 courses close by me in the past 6 months. 2 are in talks of being closed down and 2 more were sold as they were on the brink of closing down...and I don't know how long they'll actually last even with new ownership.

 

The golf industry is shrinking. It's time consuming and expensive and young people today don't have the attention span or urge to golf. They've got so much technology coming at them that golf is the last thing on their radar. TopGolf is probably the new golf..... incorporates all the technology and entertainment they are looking for....with MUCH less commitment in time and money.

I'm not sure how much I buy that the younger generations don't have the attention span for something. I agree that time, being the most valuable commodity lately, is a major factor to growing the game.

 

There are more options today for everyone to go enjoy. It's not just technology that has changed the landscape of “fun” ways to spend money.

 

I think that the more we can do to introduce the game to young people, the more it sticks with them and they continue on. There probably are not many people that picked up the game without having someone, more than likely a family member, introduce them to it.

 

Also, the perception of accessibility matters. From people outside the game, golf can look like a game for only the privileged few. The more work that can be done to break down the barriers (perceived and real) that will help the game grow.

 

 

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[Golfinvegas]

Here in Vegas, my old club Silverstone (27 holes) shut down after being run into the ground by inept management and 6-figure monthly water bills. Then another 27 hole club Badlands got shut down for same reasons. Both are in expensive litigation with developers.

 

Another course Black Mountain has gone from 27 down to 9. Drove by there a month ago and no one was playing it, with the exception of Paiute, Vegas courses are hurting big time.

[Golfspy_CG2]

Here in Vegas, my old club Silverstone (27 holes) shut down after being run into the ground by inept management and 6-figure monthly water bills. Then another 27 hole club Badlands got shut down for same reasons. Both are in expensive litigation with developers.

 

Another course Black Mountain has gone from 27 down to 9. Drove by there a month ago and no one was playing it, with the exception of Paiute, Vegas courses are hurting big time.

Wow. The only two courses in Vegas that I've played, shut down. I guess I was bad for the Vegas golf economy. But not to worry I made substantial contributions to a couple of those big shiny casinos.

 

 

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[Rickp]

I ran into a guy from CT yesterday. He stopped me because I had a shirt with a course from CT logo. After brief conversation we had some acquaintances in common. Anyway he told me a course in Southington was sold and one of the 9's was turned into homes and the other 9 may have same fate. A private course in Bristol was in serious financial problems and was sold. The fate of that course is unknown.

 

 

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[txgolfjunkie]

There's a 27 hole facility north of Houston called River Plantation. It flooded 3 times in the past 18 months, most recently with Harvey. About a third of the homes had 6 ft of water in them and the course was underwater as well. The course has since changed ownership but the first order of business the new owners did was sell the 9 with the worst flooding issues...to someone who would build more homes. 

 

Part of me is upset that the sold off 9 holes, but the other head-scratcher is why anyone would build/buy in an area that FEMA won't even touch anymore. 

[AH1980MN]

There's a 27 hole facility north of Houston called River Plantation. It flooded 3 times in the past 18 months, most recently with Harvey. About a third of the homes had 6 ft of water in them and the course was underwater as well. The course has since changed ownership but the first order of business the new owners did was sell the 9 with the worst flooding issues...to someone who would build more homes.

 

Part of me is upset that the sold off 9 holes, but the other head-scratcher is why anyone would build/buy in an area that FEMA won't even touch anymore.

Idiots.

[sixcat]

There's a 27 hole facility north of Houston called River Plantation. It flooded 3 times in the past 18 months, most recently with Harvey. About a third of the homes had 6 ft of water in them and the course was underwater as well. The course has since changed ownership but the first order of business the new owners did was sell the 9 with the worst flooding issues...to someone who would build more homes.

 

Part of me is upset that the sold off 9 holes, but the other head-scratcher is why anyone would build/buy in an area that FEMA won't even touch anymore. 

In my company, we call that job security!

[bobcat]

There have been quite a few courses shut down in South Florida.  The hot and humid rainy season seems to get worse and last longer every year so it's becomes difficult for courses to remain financially solvent.  Pressed for money, many courses have to cut back on course maintenance and the result of that is courses that go downhill fast, because neglecting proper course maintenance makes them less desirable for golfers to play during 'good weather' months, (December through April).

 

Sadly, previous damage from past hurricanes is also still evident on many of the courses down here. The cutbacks on course maintenance leave no budget for any widespread tree restoration or replacement. The neglect makes for ugly courses and ugly courses tend to get less play and less respect by those who do play them, you often hear something like.. "Why even bother replacing divots or raking traps at this 'goat track' of a golf course with all it's fallen trees, weeds and and fire ant infestations that seem to be everywhere?".   (A downward spiral indeed).

 

I now know many avid golfers who have virtually stopped playing from May through November now, (that's 7 months out of the year). Those that do still play year-round learn they mustn play before 8am or after 4pm to have any chance of enjoying the experience.

 

It's a very sad downward spiral!  Eventually the course owners and/or operators are forced to give in to the inability to profit from their golf course operations. And if that wasn't enough, consider the fact that there is a very high demand for more available home development land in South Florida.  Acquiring golf course land is the best way for a home/condo/apartment developer to acquire some desirable land for housing development.

 

Selling a money-losing golf course property for a very attractive price to a home developer soon becomes a no-brainer.  Of course it doesn't make homeowners who bought into a lovely golf community very happy when their lovely golf course views suddenly become views of new condo construction, but that's the scenario that keeps happening here in South Florida, and once golf course land is gone, you can never get it back. 

[Rickp]

There have been quite a few courses shut down in South Florida. The hot and humid rainy season seems to get worse and last longer every year so it's becomme difficult for courses to remain financially solvent. Pressed for money, many courses have to cut back on course maintenance and the result of that is courses that go downhill fast, because the lack of care makes them less desirable for play. Previous damage from hurricanes is still evident on many of the courses down here due to the cutbacks on course maintenance. I know golfers who don't even bother playing from May through November now, (that's 7 months out of the year). Those that do still play year round learn to go out before 8am or after 4pm if they want to enjoy the experience.

 

It's a very sad downward spiral.....Eventually course owners/operators simply give in to an inability to profit from golf course operations especially with the high demand for more available home development land in South Florida. Selling the golf course property for an attractive price soon becomes a no-brainer. Of course it doesn't make those homeowners who bought into a lovely golf community very happy when their beloved golf course view suddenly becomes a view of new condo construction, but that's the scenario thats happening to many golf course properties in South Florida, and once golf course land is gone, you can never get it back...

I've lived in Central FL for 6+ years and from what I can tell there haven't been any course closures due to economics. You are correct on weather conditions. From my small sample of years here Last 2 winters were colder than previous 4 years and summer last couple years do seem more humid. Your correct on tee times, we are out around 7:30 and finish 11:30 ish to beat the heat.

 

 

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[bobcat]

I've lived in Central FL for 6+ years and from what I can tell there haven't been any course closures due to economics. You are correct on weather conditions. From my small sample of years here Last 2 winters were colder than previous 4 years and summer last couple years do seem more humid. Your correct on tee times, we are out around 7:30 and finish 11:30 ish to beat the heat.

 

 

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I think because there is still plenty of available land for development in Central Florida, the situation is just not the same there.  The scarcity of land ;for development here is South Florida is a huge factor!  Keep in mind that we are squeezed between the ocean and the everglades while facing huge population growth. The demand for affordable housing is extremely high!

 

With play on the decline, (for multiple reasons), struggling course owners and operators are getting offers from developers that are simply too good to refuse.  Of course, there is a lot of HOA and Homeowner backlash from the surrounding golf course communities, but ultimately the big money wins out!

[Kenny B]

I've lived in Central FL for 6+ years and from what I can tell there haven't been any course closures due to economics. You are correct on weather conditions. From my small sample of years here Last 2 winters were colder than previous 4 years and summer last couple years do seem more humid. Your correct on tee times, we are out around 7:30 and finish 11:30 ish to beat the heat.

 

 

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I used to have meetings every other year in July in either Naples or Orlando since 1995.  There is no way summers can be more humid now.  This said from a desert boy!!

[Rickp]

I used to have meetings every other year in July in either Naples or Orlando since 1995. There is no way summers can be more humid now. This said from a desert boy!!

I'm looking at it from a New England perspective and a small sample. I'm even calling 40* cold now when 6 years ago that was a nice spring day!

 

 

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[tony@CIC]

There's a 27 hole facility north of Houston called River Plantation. It flooded 3 times in the past 18 months, most recently with Harvey. About a third of the homes had 6 ft of water in them and the course was underwater as well. The course has since changed ownership but the first order of business the new owners did was sell the 9 with the worst flooding issues...to someone who would build more homes.

 

Part of me is upset that the sold off 9 holes, but the other head-scratcher is why anyone would build/buy in an area that FEMA won't even touch anymore.

Building homes in a flood plain is just dumb - why would anyone do that.

 

 

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[sixcat]

Building homes in a flood plain is just dumb - why would anyone do that.

 

 

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Happens all the time, believe it or not.  What's more amazing to me, people keep buying the homes!

 

As I said earlier, job security for me.