Propsal for par3 course @ Bandon....

[Joe Bentham]

I have merely skimmed many of the responses, but I think what it boils down to is getting a return on investment. 

I think it is going to be pretty easy for Bandon to get a return on the investment into a 12 hole par 3 course.  It isn't going to cost an arm and leg to build.  Bandon makes their real money off of lodging.  The additions of Old Mac and the par 3 course will cause an extra night or two from many of the visitors. 
 
The infastructure for maintenance of the course is all there.  the lodging is all there.  it is a walking only facility....so many that come are overwhelmed by the thought of walking 36 in one day, so they can walk 18 and then go play the par 3 course.

as an owner, you have to be thinking...ok i have 30 acres returning ZERO.  how can i make this profitable without it being a residential play which probably wouldn't have passed thru the approval process anyway.

I don't know if I will have time to play it or not when we are out there in 2011, but from an owner's perspective, it won't be that hard to turn an eventual profit on it.

Although Mr. K wants all of his properties to do well financially, the construction of the par3 course has nothing to do with profitability.  Before you argue with me do yourself a favor and read the proposal.   

[Shane Wright]

I have merely skimmed many of the responses, but I think what it boils down to is getting a return on investment. 

I think it is going to be pretty easy for Bandon to get a return on the investment into a 12 hole par 3 course.  It isn't going to cost an arm and leg to build.  Bandon makes their real money off of lodging.  The additions of Old Mac and the par 3 course will cause an extra night or two from many of the visitors. 
 
The infastructure for maintenance of the course is all there.  the lodging is all there.  it is a walking only facility....so many that come are overwhelmed by the thought of walking 36 in one day, so they can walk 18 and then go play the par 3 course.

as an owner, you have to be thinking...ok i have 30 acres returning ZERO.  how can i make this profitable without it being a residential play which probably wouldn't have passed thru the approval process anyway.

I don't know if I will have time to play it or not when we are out there in 2011, but from an owner's perspective, it won't be that hard to turn an eventual profit on it.

Although Mr. K wants all of his properties to do well financially, the construction of the par3 course has nothing to do with profitability.  Before you argue with me do yourself a favor and read the proposal.   

Joe, you don't know me that well yet.  At this point in my life, I have little desire and time to have multilpe day arguments, save for a few certain topics.

But I do appreciate you posting the proposal and very much look forward to reading it thru as soon as I have a chance. 

[Mark Kinney]

Tom & Pat,

I understand that for YOU the thought of playing the Par-3 course vs. playing a second round at one of the other courses does not make sense.  But you guys are not the "average" guest.  Many cannot nor do they want to WALK 36 holes in a day.  There are many groups, that in tough windy conditions struggle with just 18 holes. 

But from my experience, and Joe can back me up here as we have both met/worked for 1000s of resort guests, the 36/36/36 crowd makes up a small percentage (10-15%) of the total visitors.

The "average" guest may not even be aware of the par-3 course's existence before arriving on property.  I think many people on this site overestimate the GCA knowledge of most guests.  We get asked who designed each course ALL THE TIME!!

[Eric Olsen]

My last summer trip we did 54 holes per day 3 days in a row, and we are all in agreement that it is too much golf.  I can easily see playing the par 3 course either in between full rounds or afterwards.  Now when there is less light in the winter, I don't think I would sacrifice a full round, but it would be a great warm up if you arrive too late in the day for a full 18.

[Sean_A]

Sean and Joe-

No offense, if you fly 1000+ miles and then drive a couple hours to get to Bandon and you only have a few days to spend...the more golf the better. I can't imagine taking a long lunch when you have all kinds of great golf out there. For people who work constantly and don't get to take frequent golf trips time is your enemy.

This really goes for any golf trip I take along the same lines. If I head down to a place like Pinehurst or Kiawah for a long weekend, I'm not thinking about doing a whole lot other than playing 36+ holes a day and taking it easy at night. In other words...I can take long lunches at home.

Pat

It would take me a bit more than a 1000 mile flight to get to Bandon.  Perhaps that is why I haven't visited yet - it just isn't a priority no matter how good the golf is.  I am not of the opinion that more is better.  Usually, more is much worse if I am playing the next day.  Besides, I get bored stiff playing that much golf.  These days, 4 games in 4 days really pushes my tolerance level.  I spose I don't have the bug nearly as bad as many on this site.  My ideal golf trip is a one nighter with two games.  So for me, the thought of a par 3 course the calibre of the big courses sounds more than a little interesting.  As I said before, I happily dined for 3+hours, skipped the 2nd game at Muirfield for a 9 hole - 3 club game at Musselburgh.  I am not saying mine is the best way, only that we all need to live and let live.

Ciao

Ciao

[PCCraig]

Sean and Joe-

No offense, if you fly 1000+ miles and then drive a couple hours to get to Bandon and you only have a few days to spend...the more golf the better. I can't imagine taking a long lunch when you have all kinds of great golf out there. For people who work constantly and don't get to take frequent golf trips time is your enemy.

This really goes for any golf trip I take along the same lines. If I head down to a place like Pinehurst or Kiawah for a long weekend, I'm not thinking about doing a whole lot other than playing 36+ holes a day and taking it easy at night. In other words...I can take long lunches at home.

Pat

It would take me a bit more than a 1000 mile flight to get to Bandon.  Perhaps that is why I haven't visited yet - it just isn't a priority no matter how good the golf is.  I am not of the opinion that more is better.  Usually, more is much worse if I am playing the next day.  Besides, I get bored stiff playing that much golf.  These days, 4 games in 4 days really pushes my tolerance level.  I spose I don't have the bug nearly as bad as many on this site.  My ideal golf trip is a one nighter with two games.  So for me, the thought of a par 3 course the calibre of the big courses sounds more than a little interesting.  As I said before, I happily dined for 3+hours, skipped the 2nd game at Muirfield for a 9 hole - 3 club game at Musselburgh.  I am not saying mine is the best way, only that we all need to live and let live.

Ciao

Ciao

Matt and Sean-

I totally understand your position. I was mostly speaking to myself and the group of guys I usually travel and play golf with. For me I look at it as an opportunity to get a bunch of good golf in that I may not be able to do 90% of the year either thanks to work or weather.

Living in the cold midwest will make you do crazy things when given a warm day and an empty golf course!