[Carl Johnson]

Per Dave Givnish's suggestion on the Private to Public thread, what courses have gone from public to private?

I'll start with Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte, a Donald Ross designed course, which began as a daily-fee course open to the public in 1929, then went private around 1958 when the owners decided to get out of the golf business and sold the course to a group of men who'd organzied as a private club.  It was not one of those courses that was started as daily fee with the intent to eventually go private.  It continues as a thriving private club today.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Green Valley Cc in suburban Philly was originally Flynn's Marble Hall GC, a public course.

[archie_struthers]

 

my favorite club in South Jersey ( heavily biased)   Greate Bay  in Somers Point NJ  , Willie Park  (1923-25 )  has gone from public to private with great success ....we have built a fine membership that is vibrant and growing , in tough times.  Thanks to all our employees and members for helping us out..... it doesn't hurt that our location is a-1 and the bones of the golf course are really good thanks to Mr Park.

It's interesting that a well run private can actually outperform a public golf course in many instances . Just taking a private public and thinking everyone will pay to play there in many cases is a half baked formula.  Lots of golfers want a place where everybody knows your name . and handicap lol.  If you have a regular game for your members , in all skill level categories , they will be your best source of new members.  There are a lot of benefits of membership that you never get at a CCFAD .

[Steve_ Shaffer]

I'll add Hartefeld National(Fazio) in Chester County, PA.It was a public CCFAD until it all memberships were sold.

[Scott Sander]

Woodland CC, Carmel, Indiana

From the club's website www.woodlandcc.com :
"In 1952, William H. Diddel, one of the top golf course architects of the era, opened Woodland as a public fee course. As it attracted golfers from the surrounding area, a movement was started to make Woodland a private club. Diddel agreed in the fall of 1955 to lease the property, build a clubhouse and swimming pool if 300 members could be signed by January 15, 1956. This was accomplished in two months."
 
Italics are mine.  My, how times change.

[Lou_Duran]

There are numerous development courses which began as daily fee with plans for private conversion upon reaching critical mass.  In the D/FW area, Lantana and Timarron come to mind.  Didn't Augusta National allow dail-fee play in its early years?

[Kevin Lynch]

River Oaks Golf Course, Grand Island, NY (between Buffalo & Niagara Falls).

http://www.riveroaksgolfclubgrandisland.com/

1972 Desmond Muirhead design which hosted an LPGA Event in 1973 & 1974.  Was one of the highest ranked Public Courses in the region until it was taken private some time during the 1990s.  Has seemed to weather the economic downturn since it wasn't geared towards the high-amenity, high-cost crowd.  Very much a "golfer's club" and I was saddened to lose it from my rotation of public options early in my Golf Career.

[Jason Hines]

I can think of several here in KC and Nebraska that started off with the mantra and model, “Hurry up and play while you still can!!”.  Obviously, the golf economy has changed things.

Golf Club of Kansas - Lenexa - Jackson

http://www.gcofkansas.com/golf/proto/thegolfclubofkansas/

The Players Club - Omaha - Palmer - This one is a maybe.

http://www.playersclubomaha.com/layout9.asp?id=108&page=2173

Awarii Dunes - Kearney (hasn’t opened just yet) - Engh

One for sure, Arbor Links in Nebraska City.  They went the “Exclusive Private Route”

http://www.arborlinks.com/layout9.asp?id=129&page=2132

[Greg Tallman]

Cabo is chock full of them...

Querencia - used to accept as many as 40-50 "outside rounds" daily = public}
El Dorado - from pure public to incredibly private
Diamante - from pure public to private (2 days ago)

Our plan is old fashioned... just build a private club elsewhere on property.

[Sean Leary]

Cabo is chock full of them...

Querencia - used to accept as many as 40-50 "outside rounds" daily = public}
El Dorado - from pure public to incredibly private
Diamante - from pure public to private (2 days ago)

Our plan is old fashioned... just build a private club elsewhere on property.

Greg,

How many members do each of them have, any idea? I have a good friend at Querencia and I know they were struggling for a while before it got bought for pennies on the dollar.

[Brian Marion]

Rock Hill Country Club

Built in 1934 as a public park with WPA money paying the labor costs and most of the materials and equipment given or volunteered by local businessmen.

In early aerials, you can even see the pier and bath house that used to sit on the lake in the center of the property.

Went private in 1954 after the second nine holes was built.

[Karl Bernetich]

Hartefeld golf club changes hands -- again

Originally a CFAD - Public in 1995
about 10 yrs later ... course went Private / public restaurant

Now what -- private or back to public

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110107/BUSINESS/101070315

[Greg Tallman]

Cabo is chock full of them...

Querencia - used to accept as many as 40-50 "outside rounds" daily = public}
El Dorado - from pure public to incredibly private
Diamante - from pure public to private (2 days ago)

Our plan is old fashioned... just build a private club elsewhere on property.icked up considerably since announcing the private

Greg,

How many members do each of them have, any idea? I have a good friend at Querencia and I know they were struggling for a while before it got bought for pennies on the dollar.

Sean,
Querencia is holding steady at about 275 members. That is only down about 15 from their peak. You are correct as they were dead in the water under the former owner, Gaylord Co. who sold out for about 17 million after having put roughly 100 million into the property.

El Dorado - probably around 125-150 members as it comes with property iownership and they were very successful in their initital sales efforts and dues levels make 150 members it operationally feasible (25K per year).

Diamante is just starting and their real estate offerings have picked up considerably since announcing their plans to go private last fall.

three successful priivate clubs built solely on foreign membership speaks to just how special of a location Cabo really is. If their is a better pllace on earth God has hidden it from me.

[Chip Gaskins]

Greg

What did you mean by 25k in your El Darado comment?  Its been 6-7 years since I was last down there, are those ocean holes still there?

I assume the second course at Querencia doesn't look likely?

Heard there might be a third course on the drawing board at Cabo del Sol too?

You are correct, Cabo is a really nice place in the world!

Chip

[Greg Tallman]

Greg

What did you mean by 25k in your El Darado comment?  Its been 6-7 years since I was last down there, are those ocean holes still there?

I assume the second course at Querencia doesn't look likely?

Heard there might be a third course on the drawing board at Cabo del Sol too?

You are correct, Cabo is a really nice place in the world!

Chip

Annual dues are roughly 25K. Holes 8,9,17 and 18 were reloctaed to make room for developement (38 ocean front lots) which the owners sold out quickly to tune of roughly 200 million dollars (not pesos!).

our third course will be our very, very private course located high up the mountain from the Ocean Course. You can see about 40 miles of coastline from just about every hole with the most spectacular view being from the first tee that will be a couple steps from the golf shop/clubhouse set about 750 feet above sea level. the couese and club will be special which is one would expect at Cabo del Sol.

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