Golf Courses Abandoned for Real Estate Development

« **on:** July 01, 2011, 05:29:03 AM »

I'm looking for a bit of help again folks.

Can any of you provide me with examples of golf courses which have been sold off and developed as real estate in recent times? I'm looking for courses where I have a chance of a before and after on Google Earth.

Specifically, I am interested in golf courses which are already part of a residential scheme, where the golf corridors have been subsequently redeveloped as housing. I am interested to know how you reconcile home owners who once had a golf view. Also, core design golf courses which have been redeveloped, so I can see the relationship between the old course and any surrounding off site residential.

I know of one or two old tracks here in the UK, such as the Moor Allerton thread of recent times and the Dun Laoghaire redevelopment in Ireland.

I'm sure there are plenty in the US and maybe Oz, so any and all anecdotes will be much appreciated.

Robin

« **Reply #1 on:** July 01, 2011, 06:49:27 AM »

http://www.blueheronpines.com/

Developer sold off 18 or 36 holes before the real estate market turned.

« **Reply #2 on:** July 01, 2011, 07:38:49 AM »

Looking way back, in the 30's 2 of Olympia Fields 4 courses were sold and developed.

« **Reply #3 on:** July 01, 2011, 07:44:00 AM »

If you are not being picky regarding the golf course here are a few...I played all of these at least once (a couple >25 years ago). While a bad golf course is probably better than a good real esate development, none of these were likely to be profiled on GCA

Chesterfield Country Virginia
Bermuda Hundred (9 holes)
37°20'33.45"N 77°21'55.15"W

Charlotte North Carolina
Eastwood Golf Course
35°14'46.20"N 80°46'38.42"W

Charlotte North Carolina
Paradise Valley Golf Course (I think)
35°18'57.88"N 80°44'27.26"W

And one abondoned maybe with the intent of housing but not there yet
Garner, NC
Eagle Crest Golf Club
35°42'49.53"N 78°34'12.64"W

You should also try:

http://www.historicaerials.com/

« **Reply #4 on:** July 01, 2011, 08:31:48 AM »

Robin:

I know of lots of courses that have been paved over for real estate, but I have yet to see a double-loaded development golf course transformed as you suggest. I've been wondering how anyone is going to manage it.

« **Reply #5 on:** July 01, 2011, 08:37:05 AM »

Is there any truth in the rumour (I have just started that Trump wants to develop TOC at St Andrews, Apparently its alien to American golf as able bodied golfers can’t use carts so have to walk, ‘that’s not Golf as Trump knows it Jim’. Plus his golf course efforts seem to create more problems form him, so back to his core business after all he is from Scotland via his grandmother [I believe].

Can't you just see it, a Trump Tower bridging the Swilken Burn, Architect T Doak, no must be seeing things. As for Trump what more can a man do to a game he states that he enjoys.

I suppose one of us has to get back to reality, so it better be me, sorry guys for the mini intermission, service will now resumed as normal.

Melvyn

« **Reply #6 on:** July 01, 2011, 08:52:14 AM »

Fayetteville Country Club - Fayetteville, NC
When I drove through it around 1990 it had been closed for a year or so. There had been no development yet and you could still make out the playing corridors. There were already many houses there that had been part of the original development.

« **Reply #7 on:** July 01, 2011, 09:35:18 AM »

Robin,

Here in Texas, it was contemplated, and the legislature is trying to pass a law that a house with a golf course view must retain the golf course view, although its been stalled a long time.

I don't know of any full fledged making of corridors into housing. At 300 feet wide, and a 50 ROW, you would still have 125 ft deep lots on either side, so it may be technically feasible, but I have had a few clients ask me to study it - there are always a lot of awkward little places. And, I wouldn't be the one to face the neighbors, not without a bullet proof vest!

« **Reply #8 on:** July 01, 2011, 09:41:04 AM »

Ashbourne Country Club, just on the edge of Philly.

« **Reply #9 on:** July 01, 2011, 09:41:21 AM »

Robin,

Other than Moor Allerton, the one which spring to mind are The Northampton Golf Club which was between Kingstorpe GC and Moulton Park Industrial Estate, but has now moved to near Althorp. Google Earth has the course shown in 1945 and the recent ones the outline of holes can still be seen. There was the other course at The Addington but that was many years ago.

If you search for Mark Rowlinson's thread on NLE courses in the UK I think Ben Stephens mentions more about it. There might be several others in there come to think of it?

Cheers,

James

« **Reply #10 on:** July 01, 2011, 09:43:32 AM »

Sorry, scratch the Northampton course, on closer inspection it doesn't appear to have been sold on for housing which I thought it had.

Cheers,

James

« **Reply #11 on:** July 01, 2011, 09:47:14 AM »

Quote from: James Boon on July 01, 2011, 09:43:32 AM

Sorry, scratch the Northampton course, on closer inspection it doesn't appear to have been sold on for housing which I thought it had.

Cheers,

James

A source told me it was supposedly sold for housing and retail use. The only bit I see are a supermarket located where the 1st tee, 18th green and clubhouse was.

It is a pity as it would have been the nearest Willie Park jr course to my house!

« **Reply #12 on:** July 01, 2011, 10:19:03 AM »

Thanks everyone.

I'm looking at each course you refer me to and it is fascinating to see the before and afters. If you can think of any more then please let me have them.

Still searching for the elusive residential course with the hole corridors filled in. Surely, it MUST have happened somewhere before?

I recall from my time in Scotland that the Westerwood redevelopment was to include abandonment and subsequent redevelopment of hole corridors. Now, I know that the new holes have been built but I don't know the status of the proposed housing scheme. I was also involved in a scheme at Westhill Golf Club, near Aberdeen, that proposed to do the same thing. It came to nothing ultimately.

« **Reply #13 on:** July 01, 2011, 10:32:29 AM »

A friend told me that The Course at Westland in Jacksonville, FL was owned/operated by McCumber Golf until they sold/developed the course into housing in 2006. Google Earth has great photos of the course in 2005 and then you can see the housing/roads after 2005 where the course used to be. There are even a couple of areas with housing that used to front on the course and now it is housing fronting on housing.

Just search word "McCumber Golf" or "The Course at Westland" and their old office location comes up. This is the site.

« **Reply #14 on:** July 01, 2011, 10:42:19 AM »

Tom, did not mention his own top hundred public, Beechtree, in Maryland. Not built initially with housing but course was destroyed for real estate a few years ago.

« **Reply #15 on:** July 01, 2011, 10:46:59 AM »

Jeff

That is EXACTLY what i'm talking about. Thank you so much.

Robin

« **Reply #16 on:** July 01, 2011, 10:47:55 AM »

Cliff:

I didn't mention Beechtree because there was no housing around it to start with.

For that matter, I'm not sure if the housing has even been built over it yet. Just looked at Google Earth and the picture is old, the golf course is still being maintained there. I haven't spoken to anyone who's been by there for some time.

« **Reply #17 on:** July 01, 2011, 10:59:46 AM »

Robin,

No problem.

Not quite what you are looking for, but I have two examples of my course being saved and others sold off at multiple course facilities.

Stallion Mountain in Vegas, where the other two courses were closed (and 3 other holes combined with my 15 holes to max out the land plan) and Wild Wing in Myrtle Beach, where two Willard Byrd courses and a Rees Jones course were closed, and some roads built, while mine stayed open. I try to remind Rees of that every chance I get!

« **Reply #18 on:** July 01, 2011, 11:16:47 AM »

Ben

Northampton was original an Old Tom 9 Hole course in 1894
In 1914 the club obtain more land and asked W Park Jr to expand to 18
In 1942 J braid modified the course
By 1950‘s clubs under pressure to sell to developers, finally selling circa late 1980’s
New course in 1991 by D Steel

Yet according to the records the first 3 Holes remained until the club moved to Steel’s course, these holes were original Morris left by both Park and Braid for nearly a Century until the club moved to a new site altogether.

I am in contact with the club and no mention to me of moving.

Melvyn

« **Reply #19 on:** July 01, 2011, 11:21:04 AM »

Jeff

More good links. Thank you. Just across the street from Wild Wing, Burning Ridge Golf Club is another victim and they have filled in the golf corridors.

« **Reply #20 on:** July 01, 2011, 11:50:36 AM »

Robin-
According to a recent article (link below) in Denver Business Journal, Green Gables CC, an old Denver-area club, has been sold to developers, and speculation is that it will soon close for redevelopment. May not be strictly what you're looking for, and obviously changes would be still in future, but it might be of interest to you to follow its progress.

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2011/06/17/green-gables-country-club-sold.html?s=print

« **Reply #21 on:** July 01, 2011, 12:53:29 PM »

It was never much of a course, just a little par 3 deal, but El Caro in Phoenix was closed several years ago, went unmaintained for a few years, and now is being developed (very recently the whole area has been razed and a gas station built on a portion of the course). There were some condos that abutted the course that did advertise golf course views, back when it was a golf course. I would be surprised, given the area, if at least some of the area that used to be golf course doesn't become residential in some fashion (condos or apartments).

2222 W Royal Palm Rd Phoenix, AZ 85021-4923

« **Reply #22 on:** July 01, 2011, 02:11:27 PM »

I spent a couple of hours last week with a young man who is working on his Masters of LAR at UGA. His project is how to rework golf courses into housing. His name is Mario Cambardella and his email is mcambardella@gmail.com. Send him a note. He has compiled a great deal of info.
Also, I attend some of the CNU (Congress of the New Urbanism) events in Atlanta and hear what they have to say about saving the world in the near future. Duany, who wrote the book has just done some layouts of capturing golf courses with housing on both sides of the fairways and saving the world from our past evils by all sorts of ways. Check it out at http://www.cnu.org/

« **Reply #23 on:** July 01, 2011, 02:21:12 PM »

Robin,
If you are interested in the paper that Mario wrote please send an email and I have permission to send you a pdf. Or anyone that wants it.

« **Reply #24 on:** July 01, 2011, 02:26:55 PM »

Robin,

I have updated the English NLE thread. It's with Ran for posting on the site. It should be here shortly.

Mark.

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