Florida land for building golf course

[jeffwarne]

  Florida has lots of mediocre golf, but it also has more distinctive courses than one might initially think. Sand base should eventually result in the construction of more architecturally interesting  golf. Courses like Streamsong point the way.
 

Unfortunately, most course developers don't have the luxury of a deep pocketed corporation looking to remediate land.
especially in an area where good golf can be had for $25
It takes a huge investment to acquire, build a course, house the players and bring in the labor to a place such as Streamsong.
Certainly a long time before any money is made-if ever-depending upon your accounting of course.

It's funny, people used to rave and get excited about water features and chastise older courses without any as not challenging enough
Who knew nobody really liked water infested OB strewn courses?

Re:the turf argument
even common bermuda can play firm and fast if the water is limited.
and certainly 419 which has been around a long time can.
I learned all of my running  links shots on common bermuda in Georgia on either parched, compacted, or dormant turf, (or all three at the same time

[Jim_Kennedy]

Finicky business golf. Reclaim an old phosphate mine halfway between Orlando and Tampa and near a major highway, hire a well known and well liked architect to transform it into a very good golf course on sandy soil, few trees, exposed to the wind, and charge a reasonable price to play it. Sounds like a winning formula, but not for the now-defunct Golf Club at Bridgewater which was built in 2007 by Steve Smyers.

Times seem to have changed a handful of years later.

Makes me wonder if the only way a 'linksy' course can happen today is if it's built in a remote area and is expensive to play/stay.

[Peter Pallotta]

Jim - you and I must be equally out of touch with modern day economic theory/models. Apparently we're amongst the last to know that the "reasonably priced" are the first to go. Market/sell either to those with more disposable income than they know what do it with or to those who comprise the dollar store crowd and you've got it made; you'll be raking in the dough. But try to charge a reasonable price for a reasonable product/service to reasonable people and you're dead in the water.   

Peter

[jeffwarne]

Jim - you and I must be equally out of touch with modern day economic theory/models. Apparently we're amongst the last to know that the "reasonably priced" are the first to go. Market/sell either to those with more disposable income than they know what do it with or to those who comprise the dollar store crowd and you've got it made; you'll be raking in the dough. But try to charge a reasonable price for a reasonable product/service to reasonable people and you're dead in the water.   

Peter

Pretty simple.
Build 2 great courses
AND
Have the backing of a 19.3 BILLION dollar company behind you and you can weather any short and long term pitfalls.


Peter.
Those who try to charge a rate that is deemed "reasonable" by local nearby markets are doomed as oversaturated markets drive prices far below what is needed to survive..
 Normally this would correct but many/most golf courses are operated as a labor of love and continue through second and third owners until they find their level. This doesn't do you much good if you are a first owner competitor, especially with debt.

Kind've like being early(and right) in a stock that craters every day
"the market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent"

[BCowan]

  Florida has lots of mediocre golf, but it also has more distinctive courses than one might initially think. Sand base should eventually result in the construction of more architecturally interesting  golf. Courses like Streamsong point the way.
 

Unfortunately, most course developers don't have the luxury of a deep pocketed corporation looking to remediate land.
especially in an area where good golf can be had for $25
It takes a huge investment to acquire, build a course, house the players and bring in the labor to a place such as Streamsong.
Certainly a long time before any money is made-if ever-depending upon your accounting of course.

It's funny, people used to rave and get excited about water features and chastise older courses without any as not challenging enough
Who knew nobody really liked water infested OB strewn courses?

Re:the turf argument
even common bermuda can play firm and fast if the water is limited.
and certainly 419 which has been around a long time can.
I learned all of my running  links shots on common bermuda in Georgia on either parched, compacted, or dormant turf, (or all three at the same time

What about World Woods?  Great land and solid courses and in good shape.  You don't have to mortgage your house to play it either.  I would have been better if they routed it better for walking, but I still walk it.  With Ocala and WW, I am a happy man.  ''Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart.  Just gotta poke around''.  It's refreshing to hear Rees and a few others talk about other courses other than Streamsong.

I'm sorry to hear Diablo is closing.  

[Tom_Doak]

Jim - you and I must be equally out of touch with modern day economic theory/models. Apparently we're amongst the last to know that the "reasonably priced" are the first to go. Market/sell either to those with more disposable income than they know what do it with or to those who comprise the dollar store crowd and you've got it made; you'll be raking in the dough. But try to charge a reasonable price for a reasonable product/service to reasonable people and you're dead in the water.   

Peter:

The problem is that most of the courses you cite are only "reasonably priced" because they are struggling to bring in business ... so they are the ones that are likely to fail. 

If they were full up, they'd probably be charging more so they could make back some of the money they invested.

[Derek_Duncan]

Sugarloaf, Bridgewater and El Diablo are closed/closing? Florida public golf just dropped a notch because those were three of the most interesting/different courses in the state. Sad.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Sugarloaf, Bridgewater and El Diablo are closed/closing? Florida public golf just dropped a notch because those were three of the most interesting/different courses in the state. Sad.

Fire ant mounds now dot the landscape at Sugarloaf, Bridgewater closed in 2011, and El Diablo closed this past summer.

[Daniel Jones]

I'm sorry to hear Diablo is closing.  

Officially closed as of last year, I'm afraid.

Which sort of demonstrates what we're talking here. I'm 45 minutes from El Diablo and played it twice in 15 years. It wasn't worth the time to drive over there when a product I deemed of similar quality was 2 minutes away and $5 cheaper. There's just too much golf here in Florida making it hard for a premium product to be able to charge a premium price, unless they're attached to a resort/destination.