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Alex Miller

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What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« on: February 13, 2013, 01:43:06 PM »
Generally it seems that the lower the cost to build a golf course, the better the golf course is. That's likely because the land is more suitable for a course and the architect was able to use the lay of the land to the fullest. Property value obviously has a huge impact on overall cost to the project, but the construction of some courses has been REALLY expensive.

What are the exceptions to this rule (if it is a rule, which it may or may not be)? Was it worth the cost, and why?

I'll offer up Shadow Creek. Although I have only seen pictures it is widely praised and the cost was enormous. Others?
« Last Edit: February 13, 2013, 04:07:02 PM by Alex Miller »

Mark Saltzman

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2013, 01:46:20 PM »
I suspect courses like Gozzer Ranch and Mountaintop cost a lot of money to build and both are among GD's 100 greatest.

Emile Bonfiglio

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #2 on: February 13, 2013, 01:50:31 PM »
Liberty National ::)
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Peter Ferlicca

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2013, 01:53:38 PM »
The Club at Black Rock-  Waterfalls everywhere and shaping galore.  Don't like the course, but others do

Trump National- I hate it but cost somewhere like 250 million

Alex Miller

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #4 on: February 13, 2013, 01:54:22 PM »
Liberty National ::)

Oooh oooh! Bayonne!

Can anybody compare and contrast Shadow Creek and Bayonne? They seem like compliments to each other. One dug out of the desert and one built on reclaimed lands.


Peter,

Do you mean Trump LA? I said BEST most expensive.  ;)

Howard Riefs

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #5 on: February 13, 2013, 01:56:39 PM »
Sebonack at ~$100 million
"Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: Taking long walks and hitting things with a stick."  ~P.J. O'Rourke

Chris Roselle

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2013, 01:59:33 PM »
Liberty National ::)

Oooh oooh! Bayonne!

Can anybody compare and contrast Shadow Creek and Bayonne? They seem like compliments to each other. One dug out of the desert and one built on reclaimed lands.


Peter,

Do you mean Trump LA? I said BEST most expensive.  ;)

Trump LA might be the HARDEST most expensive that I have ever played.

John Ezekowitz

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2013, 02:10:48 PM »
I am pretty sure Cornerstone, the Greg Norman course near Telluride, was fairly expensive to make. This is based on just looking at the property/routing and the way they had to run some of the cart paths. Anyone have more information?

Mark Bourgeois

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #8 on: February 13, 2013, 02:26:07 PM »
Yale
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Steve Burrows

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2013, 02:37:34 PM »
I recall reading that Riviera cost astronomically more than most others at the time of construction.
...to admit my mistakes most frankly, or to say simply what I believe to be necessary for the defense of what I have written, without introducing the explanation of any new matter so as to avoid engaging myself in endless discussion from one topic to another.     
               -Rene Descartes

Mark Bourgeois

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2013, 02:46:42 PM »
I recall reading that Riviera cost astronomically more than most others at the time of construction.

Wasn't that just the clubhouse?
Charlotte. Daniel. Olivia. Josephine. Ana. Dylan. Madeleine. Catherine. Chase. Jesse. James. Grace. Emilie. Jack. Noah. Caroline. Jessica. Benjamin. Avielle. Allison.

Steve Burrows

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #11 on: February 13, 2013, 03:45:54 PM »
I recall reading that Riviera cost astronomically more than most others at the time of construction.

Wasn't that just the clubhouse?

You might be right, though the club website suggests that it was an incredibly expensive golf course irrespective of the clubhouse.

http://www.therivieracountryclub.com/html/history.cfm?history_ID=2.  

If no one beats me to it, I'll check the club history book when I get home tonight and see if says anything more specific.
« Last Edit: February 13, 2013, 03:53:32 PM by Steve Burrows »
...to admit my mistakes most frankly, or to say simply what I believe to be necessary for the defense of what I have written, without introducing the explanation of any new matter so as to avoid engaging myself in endless discussion from one topic to another.     
               -Rene Descartes

Paul Jones

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #12 on: February 13, 2013, 04:05:29 PM »
I have no clue on how much Whistling Straits cost, but I heard it was a flat piece of land.
Paul Jones
pauljones@live.com

Alex Miller

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #13 on: February 13, 2013, 04:07:51 PM »
Original post ammended to satisfy my curiosities.  :)

Jeb Bearer

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #14 on: February 13, 2013, 04:13:40 PM »
Wasn't Banff one of the most expensive courses ever at the time?

Carl Nichols

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #15 on: February 13, 2013, 04:35:16 PM »
Sebonack at ~$100 million

That includes the cost to acquire the land, I assume?  If I were Alex, I'd assume away that cost in my question.

archie_struthers

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #16 on: February 13, 2013, 04:41:48 PM »
 ;D ;D ;)

Two that could qualify , Trump National Scotland.  (Have not played ).     

Cascata.    Las Vegas.     Have played

Mac Plumart

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #17 on: February 13, 2013, 05:12:35 PM »
Lido
Sportsman/Adventure loving golfer.

Sam Morrow

Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #18 on: February 13, 2013, 11:50:59 PM »
Didn't Fallen Oak cost something like 40 million? In Mississippi that's a pretty impressive number.

Jim Colton

Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #19 on: February 14, 2013, 12:25:39 AM »
Yale

Jim Nugent

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #20 on: February 14, 2013, 12:56:12 AM »
Ferry Point in the Bronx.  Still not finished, NYT says will cost $97 million to complete.

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #21 on: February 14, 2013, 07:48:09 AM »
Yale and Banff and Lido were the three old-time courses that were always talked about as having been enormously expensive to build.

In the past decade or two, expensive has been the rule and not the exception.  Every course built out West that was sand-capped was very expensive.

Sebonack was a hugely expensive project ($100 million plus), though 40% of that was the land acquisition, and a bunch more went into the clubhouse and cottages.  The golf course also cost way more than it should have, due to paying two designers and making expensive environmental promises and building things the most expensive way possible -- and, on top of all that, because it was in the Hamptons and you pay double for everything out there.  But, even with all that, there are modern golf courses that cost twice as much to build as Sebonack.

P.S.  You are just talking U.S. here.  Pretty much every course built in Korea in the last twenty years, and in Japan in the 80's and 90's, cost $40 million or more to build.  I just don't know that any of those count as "best".

jeffwarne

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Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #22 on: February 14, 2013, 07:53:52 AM »
Yale and Banff and Lido were the three old-time courses that were always talked about as having been enormously expensive to build.

In the past decade or two, expensive has been the rule and not the exception.  Every course built out West that was sand-capped was very expensive.

Sebonack was a hugely expensive project ($100 million plus), though 40% of that was the land acquisition, and a bunch more went into the clubhouse and cottages.  The golf course also cost way more than it should have, due to paying two designers and making expensive environmental promises and building things the most expensive way possible -- and, on top of all that, because it was in the Hamptons and you pay double for everything out there.  But, even with all that, there are modern golf courses that cost twice as much to build as Sebonack.

P.S.  You are just talking U.S. here.  Pretty much every course built in Korea in the last twenty years, and in Japan in the 80's and 90's, cost $40 million or more to build.  I just don't know that any of those count as "best".

Tom,
Can you elaborate on which golf courses cost $200 million to build?
In the US?
wow
"Let's slow the damned greens down a bit, not take the character out of them." Tom Doak
"Take their focus off the grass and put it squarely on interesting golf." Don Mahaffey

Anthony Butler

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #23 on: February 14, 2013, 08:17:29 AM »
Yale and Banff and Lido were the three old-time courses that were always talked about as having been enormously expensive to build.

In the past decade or two, expensive has been the rule and not the exception.  Every course built out West that was sand-capped was very expensive.

Sebonack was a hugely expensive project ($100 million plus), though 40% of that was the land acquisition, and a bunch more went into the clubhouse and cottages.  The golf course also cost way more than it should have, due to paying two designers and making expensive environmental promises and building things the most expensive way possible -- and, on top of all that, because it was in the Hamptons and you pay double for everything out there.  But, even with all that, there are modern golf courses that cost twice as much to build as Sebonack.

P.S.  You are just talking U.S. here.  Pretty much every course built in Korea in the last twenty years, and in Japan in the 80's and 90's, cost $40 million or more to build.  I just don't know that any of those count as "best".

Nine Bridges on that Island off Korea and the Mission Hills courses in China..

The Cut in Western Australia was pretty expensive for that part of the world. Of course, we should mention Ellerston, where Greg Norman was given an unlimited budget yet somehow exceeded it.

And let's not forget Pine Valley which bankrupted the owner George Crump and pushed him to commit suicide... Speaking of which, Tom,  is it possible you might be able to talk to Gil Hanse before he starts in on Doral?
Next!

Patrick_Mucci

Re: What are the best most expensive golf courses?
« Reply #24 on: February 14, 2013, 08:38:56 AM »
Anthony Butler,

Have you ever met or had any personal dealings with Donald Trump ?

Why do you suppose Mr Hawtree agreed to do the second course for him  in Scotland ?

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