I would not look for Karsten to close anytime soon....It will take real estate a long while to recover enough to see ASU lease off any of this lakefront land. I would look for all of the land around the course to be developed first. In 2009 we made some minor adjustments to a few tees and the 11th fairway. At #11 we had to tie-in a long slope to a huge pad that had been graded to accommodate a live/work condo project...that has gone nowhere since 2009 even though millions were pumped into the grading, drainage and the tweaks to the golf course.
Papago cannot be "sold" because it is patented land from the US Government to the City. The State could lease it, but I doubt it would ever be transferred. Papago makes a lot of sense for ASU because it has length and this is an unfortunate need for college golf in the 2000s. Papago, as many of you know, is another story...but, now it has legs to possible be connected to Karsten and ASU. Locals should also keep their eyes on Rolling Hills...we planned that property (2001-ish) and I can attest that it is some very interesting land for golf. Perhaps better than Papago's terrain.
Ken McDonald was a design of Jack Snyder — who was so severely constrained that it is any wonder the course actually got built...power lines, housing, canals, easements, flood basins, etc. Jack was always of the opinion that, one day, he might get to improve it and do some of the things he intended but could not due to the loads of issues of the assembled parcels.