Archie:
Your original thrust of your argument was that muni golf -- especially those opened in the most recent of circumstances were the primary cause for what transpired in your neck of the woods. Only in later e-mail did you change that perspective. I simply opined that the descent you mentioned -- was already underway before McCullough's was operational.
Archie, I can see your point of view on high end taxpayer-owned courses. Clearly, it would behoove people who get into the golf course construction business to thoroughly understand what the dynamics are for a given area. In some places -- the process may suggest one course of action -- in others it might mean going another route.
Let me point out that the AC market was badly served by many developers who simply saw AC as some sort of destination akin to Las Vegas or Scottsdale. That's far from the reality. The AC golf market was not going to be able to sustain the grandiose plans that many had for it. The oversaturation and overpricing with +$100 green fees was ripe for a major fall. McCullough's played a role -- but in my mind, that role was at best a minor one.
Archie you say the base for affordable golf was already at the shore. Really? Let's be a bit clearer shall we. I am speaking about quality designs as well as those that offered reasonable rates. Plenty of the other options were low rate courses with frankly hideous designs or ones that forced you to play there only because other options were not available.
I can appreciate your "practicing non violent anarchist" slant on things. Keep in mind partner -- you did advocate originally that public money should not compete with what is being done privately. My examples I offered refute that position. Glad to see you have come to accept my take. I agree -- the rest can be debated "privately over a beer some day."
Steve:
A most telling point in your comments -- in NJ especially, the wherewithal for privately owned daily fee courses to succeed will be extremely tough because of land acquisition costs, taxes, environmental elements and the need such land can be used for a range of other purposes. Being able to make one's bottom line as a daily fee public layout owned privately is truly a tough nut to crack. At the same time taxpayer jurisdictions -- in NJ it's primarily county governments have stepped forward -- because of citizen demand -- to have ahead with golf facilities -- generally they have been a good notch or two below the level of say a Chambers Bay.
Let me address your other point -- NJ just passed (thankfully) a replenishment of the Green Acres bond $$. No doubt some of the pre-existing golf courses may head towards a direction as a passive park -- see what happened with Oak Ridge in Union County as a quick example. In other counties the desire to grab Green Acres money may be tied to securing previous privately held courses (e.g. Colonia) as part of their open space program -- albeit with a recreational element thrown into the overall picture.
Steve, let me just say this as an elected local office holder in NJ -- securing tax abatements in todays economy is suicidal for any public body to contemplate. I don't doubt there might be some unique and smart public / private partnerships that can be made to happen but the idea that a public body will simply forego legitimate tax payments when everyone else is hurting to survive from one paycheck to another is highly unlikely -- although in Jersey nothing ever surprises me.
One of the real problems that came about in the greater AC area was a total lack of regional planning with golf in mind. Everyone -- from the developers to the communities themselves -- operated in an island and simply moved ahead without thinking of a regional outlook on how the profusion of more and more golf courses would be sustained. Frankly, the State could assist more in this vein as they do with large corporate moves from one state to the other. Unfortunately, NJ isn't moving at warp speed on this front and given the anti-business climate and all the associated costs for being in NJ -- companies and people have moved elsewhere.
Muni golf has a clear purpose to provide a pipeline for future players. Without it the game reverts back to a bastion of private exclusive clubs only for the most well heeled of folks. The issue, as I see it, is fitting in all the different types of players in such a way that all can work with one another. In AC -- that didn't happen and the end result is what you see now in my mind.