Are the Sand Hills over saturated with golf courses?

[Carl Nichols]

Ballyneal is not in the Sand Hills. The foreclosure has zero to do with location.

I don't know anything about the foreclosure, but I do know that Ballyneal's location -- both how long it would take me to get there, and the fact that its season is shorter than and overlaps with the season of my home course -- is the #1 reason against my joining. 

[Tom_Doak]

The toughest thing about developing a golf course in the "Sand Hills region" -- as Dick Youngscap would be the first to tell you, and Chris Johnston probably the second -- is finding enough people to operate it.  The population base is so small that there just aren't that many people to hire, and the golf season is so short that the expense of housing your entire staff just does not compute well.  It would be different if the courses were right there in North Platte, instead of 50 miles up the road in Mullen, population 500.

[John Kavanaugh]

50 miles?!?  No wonder you can't build a drivable par 4.

[Chris Johnston]

Tom is 100% correct.  The "constraint" is people.  We are fortunate to have onsite housing for employees.  We even have a "Doak" Room!

The cost to build a course isn't the challenge - the cost for everything else clubhouse/restaurants/cabins are quite high.  People eat and stay here.  That is where the big bucks are spent.

We are lucky we don't have to charge a huge amount to join or remain.  That is the Sand Hills model and it works.  It also attracts a nice cross section of good people who love the game.

Kalen, we aren't too far from that today!  Dust off that wallet!

[Sean Leary]

Tom is 100% correct.  The "constraint" is people.  We are fortunate to have onsite housing for employees.  We even have a "Doak" Room!

The cost to build a course isn't the challenge - the cost for everything else clubhouse/restaurants/cabins are quite high.  People eat and stay here.  That is where the big bucks are spent.

We are lucky we don't have to charge a huge amount to join or remain.  That is the Sand Hills model and it works.  It also attracts a nice cross section of good people who love the game.

Kalen, we aren't too far from that today!  Dust off that wallet!

Chis,

How many rooms do you have onsite for members? The balance between having enough members at a doable dues level to pay the bills and places to put them seems somewhat difficult taking into account building costs.

[Chris Johnston]

Sean - we have 78 member/guest beds - 4 different unit types + 56 employee housing beds.  We also have expansion space to add up to 20 beds if demand dictates.

Kavanaugh always stays in the same room...so the ambulance knows where to go!

[Sven Nilsen]

Are the Sand Hills/Chop Hills over saturated with private courses during a down turn in the econonmy?  Yes - at this time it is apparent that the market can't support the current offerings.  Hopefully things will rebound.

Are the Sand Hills/Chop Hills over saturated with golf courses?  Sand Hills, Ballyneal, Dismal, Prairie Club, Wild Horse, Bayside, etc. are built on some of the best land in this country for golf.  As a proponent of F & F, I'd like to see more courses built. 

I'd travel out there to play Wild Horse and Bayside by themselves.  If you added four or five accessible (read access and cost) courses, the lure would be even greater.

[C. Squier]

It just takes too long to get to the first tee once you step off the plane. I want to get 36 holes in on both travel days....coming and going. It's just not possible at some.