[Tom Allen]

Latest news:  Following up on a topic we talked about last year, Weatherwax's owner has now sold the property to a non-profit land trust entity.  Following expiration of the lease to the current course operator, the property (456 acres) will become green space, to be used for cross-country meets, equestrian events, etc.  It is the 7th course (I think) in southwest Ohio to close in the last couple of years. Sad end to this 36 hole Arthur Hills design, but finances are finances, and the city could no longer justify losing money on it each year.  Would love to have seen a golf course operator purchase it, but that did not happen.

[JLahrman]

That is a shame but it seemed to be the inevitable conclusion to the story. I had hoped they could retain 18 holes but I'm not surprised that it's going to be shut down.

I'm not much of an Arthur Hills fan but I always liked Weatherwax, dating back to playing in the Dick Hadley and Ohio district tournaments in high school. There were a lot of solid holes there with no real eye-rollers.

[Matt Frey, PGA]

What a shame...a fine public golf course.

[Jon Wiggett]

I wonder how much it will cost to maintain the park area and how they will generate money from the new park to cover this cost?

Jon

[JLahrman]

I wonder how much it will cost to maintain the park area and how they will generate money from the new park to cover this cost?

Jon

I doubt the park will be any sort of money maker for the city, but I would have to assume that the maintenance costs will be quite a bit lower than they were to maintain a golf course.

[Nathan Gingrich]

I can't imagine anyone wanting to drive out there for really any reason. There are plenty of parks in the area and no need for another one in west Middletown. I left the area a long time ago but I have heard that even Browns Run is struggling and that used to be regarded as one of the best in the state which in Ohio is saying a lot.

[JLahrman]

I can't imagine anyone wanting to drive out there for really any reason. There are plenty of parks in the area and no need for another one in west Middletown. I left the area a long time ago but I have heard that even Browns Run is struggling and that used to be regarded as one of the best in the state which in Ohio is saying a lot.

Browns Run is a very solid course, hopefully that's not true but I wouldn't be surprised if it is.

Weatherwax's location isn't great but why can't courses like Pipestone get closed instead???

[JJShanley]

Perhaps I visited the wrong site, but I wouldn't get too excited about the possibility of playing there given how they advertise it.  If I didn't know any better, I'd say that someone wanted it to fail...

[Nathan Gingrich]

The whole area has some good golf but is depressed from a customer standpoint. Shaker Run used to be one of my favorite courses anywhere and to say that it has fallen into a state of disrepair is putting it mildly. Along the lines of one of the other threads the new clubhouse/ 9 holes killed that place financially and it never recovered.

[Mark Jackson]

What a shame to hear of the poor economic state of all of these courses so close to my hometown. I will be sad to see Weatherwax go - I have many fond memories of playing out there during high school for matches or district tournaments. Most of all though, my grandfather who passed away several years ago always talked very highly of Weatherwax. I grew up playing the game on public courses with him. He taught me how to play the game and, no matter how hot or humid the weather was in the summer, he insisted that we always walk when playing together. I know my enjoyment of the game and preference for walking when playing came from him. It was always a treat when he would schedule a tee time for us to drive down to Middletown to play Weatherwax. 36 really solid holes at that facility.
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[/size]I remember Browns Run as having a pretty interesting set of greens for the area and was always in pristine condition (hopefully it can pull through). Shame to also hear about Shaker Run falling into disrepair - must have really fallen off as a few years ago I heard a rumor that the owners were considering taking it private.

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[/size]With so much economic development along the I-75 corridor between Dayton and Cincinnati that has occurred in the last 10 years or so, too bad some of it hasn't trickled out to the golf courses in the Middletown/Monroe/Lebanon area to keep those courses viable.
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[/size]JLahrman: I agree about Pipestone. The second hole out there is one of the absolute worst par 5's I have ever played.

[JLahrman]

JLahrman: I agree about Pipestone. The second hole out there is one of the absolute worst par 5's I have ever played. [/size][/font]

And that's just the tip of the iceberg! 2 is bad, 6 is awful. 9 was terrible although I believe they at least cut down those weeds since I last played it. 12 is strange. 18 is horrible. There is very little redeeming about the course.

[Mark Jackson]

JLahrman: I agree about Pipestone. The second hole out there is one of the absolute worst par 5's I have ever played.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg! 2 is bad, 6 is awful. 9 was terrible although I believe they at least cut down those weeds since I last played it. 12 is strange. 18 is horrible. There is very little redeeming about the course.

Not to take this thread too much off-topic from Weatherwax, but you're completely right! I almost forgot how bad No. 9 is with the fairway abruptly ending, crossed by a cart path, and weeds or rough all over the place from 100 yards in. 18 is an abomination. Just a truly awful set of par 5s at that course.


The worst part about Pipestone is how many times I had to play it in high school matches. When high school was over, I vowed to never pay my own, hard-earned money to play out there. Yet, I moved back to the Dayton area for a few years after I finished school and I had a friend that lived in an apartment complex around the corner from Pipestone that loved the place. Of course I got stuck playing there multiple times per year because it was so convenient to where he lived.

[Tom Yost]

A link to the previous GCA thread:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57892.0.html

A link to Thursday's Journal-News article about the sale:
http://www.journal-news.com/news/news/sale-of-weatherwax-property-to-metroparks-is-end-o/nnmfb/

What I find most interesting, the statement:
"... However, due to restrictions placed on the use of the property by the grant funds used to acquire it, golf will no longer be possible there once the present golf lease expires and park ownership begins..."

Who is behind this grant money and why the exclusion on golf?  Why is golf contrary to the offering of public recreation?

[Tom Yost]

Of course, I need only read the article to find the source of the grant money, The Trust for Public Land.  Who are these people and why do they hate golf?

http://www.tpl.org/

[Tom Allen]

Thanks for adding the links.  "Who is the TPL, and why do they hate golf?"  Not sure.  This transaction was literally the first I had ever heard of them.

But I do know the City is no longer involved, so maintenance costs of the park will not be an issue for them.  They sold it a couple of years ago, to get out from under the costs of maintaining the course.  The purchaser (the only bidder if I recall correctly) was an auctioneer, with no known interest in maintaining it as golf course.  We all assumed it would be developed ASAP, but at least that did not occur.  We were fortunate to have two local gentlemen who leased it from the purchaser and ran it as a golf course for a couple more years.

Purchaser then turned around sold it to the TPL, a national non-profit who will maintain it as a park.  They will maintain with their funds (some donated, and I'm assuming some type of grant money based on the stipulation).

The operators and the City did not want the course to fail, but they really had no choice.  The recession hit this area  in particular very hard (heavily reliant on manufacturing); the leagues left when employment went down; golf itself went a little stagnant.  With no one playing the course any more, they lacked revenues to pay for the employees, chemicals, water etc. keep the course in top shape.

I agree with most of the sentiments expressed above.  Shaker is a sad shell of its former self, and Pipestone has some flaws in design.  We still have Heatherwood, Yankee Trace, Walden Ponds, and many other public choices.  For most of us, losing Weatherwax is mostly sentimental.  We are not losing a Doak, C&C, or MacKenzie course, but more a piece of local history to those of us from the area.

I was a member at Brown's Run for about 13 years.  Loved the place. The greens are great, and the fairways are immaculate (but always too wet for my tastes).  (I left because my children's activities took away my evening 9 holers and weekend time, and I could no longer justify the cost, not because I did not like it).  It is still operating, and like all courses around here, would love to have more members.  But it will not fail any time soon; there is a good strong core group of members there who will continue to fund it, despite the costs.

[Criss Titschinger]

For most of us, losing Weatherwax is mostly sentimental.  We are not losing a Doak, C&C, or MacKenzie course, but more a piece of local history to those of us from the area.

This.


Losing Weatherwax was probably inevitable. The whole Dayton and Middletown area has been hit hard the last few years, and it has more courses than it probably needs. I haven't been overly sad with the courses that have shut down in the last few years in the southwest Ohio area. I can say that now that Piqua CC is back up and running. But, losing Weatherwax still hurts a bit.


All the times I played, it was in decent shape. I can't say though that there's anything too memorable out there. Perhaps it's my Arthur Hills B.S. bias. The last time I played it, I did all 36 holes in one day. I can't say there was any hole that stuck out in my mind. A lot of monotony out there.


There are still public and private options in Middletown. I enjoyed Brown's Run the two times I played it, though there are a lot of doglegs. Almost like Hueston Woods in that sense. I only played it in March, so it would be unfair of me to criticize it for being too soft. I haven't had a chance to play Wildwood GC yet, so I can't comment on that course.


I don't think I'll get back up to Weatherwax before it closes for good. From the westside of Cincinnati, it's a good hour to get up there in good traffic. I am glad the intent is to keep it open space.


Long live Weatherwax.

[Tom Yost]

Purchaser then turned around sold it to the TPL, a national non-profit who will maintain it as a park.  They will maintain with their funds (some donated, and I'm assuming some type of grant money based on the stipulation).

The way I understand it, MetroParks of Butler County  purchased the land with help from grant money from the TPL. 

I assume MetroParks is a department of the Butler County government (?).

MetroParks also owns the adjacent property that was formerly Middletown's Sebald Park along with other recreation areas in Butler County.

[JLahrman]

All the times I played, it was in decent shape. I can't say though that there's anything too memorable out there. Perhaps it's my Arthur Hills B.S. bias. The last time I played it, I did all 36 holes in one day. I can't say there was any hole that stuck out in my mind. A lot of monotony out there.

I can't agree with monotony. Weatherwax wasn't going to be on any must-play lists, but I never found the holes monotonous.

I generally do not care for Arthur Hills courses either. Usually when a hole on a Hills course sticks out in my mind it's not for good reason. There are (or were) some holes at Weatherwax that could have been better. But on other Hills courses I've played there are multiple holes where I stand on the tee, shake my head, and roll my eyes. There is nothing nearly that bad at Weatherwax. A few holes needed to have fairways extended and trees cut down, but apart from that I always found it a pretty solid place to play. I used to be in a group that was half Cincinnati/half Dayton guys. I played there a ton.

[Criss Titschinger]

But on other Hills courses I've played there are multiple holes where I stand on the tee, shake my head, and roll my eyes. There is nothing nearly that bad at Weatherwax.

I will agree with this. Given the choice of 10 rounds between any Weatherwax 18 or Shaker Run's Original 18, I'd do Weatherwax 9-1.

[BHoover]

But on other Hills courses I've played there are multiple holes where I stand on the tee, shake my head, and roll my eyes. There is nothing nearly that bad at Weatherwax.

I will agree with this. Given the choice of 10 rounds between any Weatherwax 18 or Shaker Run's Original 18, I'd do Weatherwax 9-1.

I'd probably skip both and play Longaberger. Never did play Weatherwax, but I did play Shaker a couple times. I know Longaberger is nor everyone's favorite, but the property is very good and I think it's a lot of fun to play.

[JLahrman]

I'd probably skip both and play Longaberger. Never did play Weatherwax, but I did play Shaker a couple times. I know Longaberger is nor everyone's favorite, but the property is very good and I think it's a lot of fun to play.

I only played Shaker's original 18 once and didn't come away impressed. To the point that I barely remember it.

I can't comment on Longaberger since I haven't played it, though I do know that it's probably 2 and a half hours from the other two so I'm not sure that I'd put it as a pick one vs. other unless I lived in Columbus. In which case I'd be playing something around town!

[BHoover]

I don't disagree, J, but I'm saying that I'd pick Longaberger over any other Arthur Hills course I've played.

And if in central Ohio, there are obviously several great private courses from which to choose. But on the public side, the field is not as deep. I think Longaberger is the best public option in central Ohio.

[JLahrman]

I don't disagree, J, but I'm saying that I'd pick Longaberger over any other Arthur Hills course I've played.

And if in central Ohio, there are obviously several great private courses from which to choose. But on the public side, the field is not as deep. I think Longaberger is the best public option in central Ohio.

I'll take your word for it...when I lived in Cowtown it was back in the day when you had to call within 10 minutes on opening day to get a tee time at Lonagberger at any point during the year. So I never got out there.

Around Columbus there aren't a lot of great public options...just a matter of if you're willing to make the drive and pay the $ at Longaberger as opposed to staying at some of the closer options...personally I'm the type that is far more likely to stay close to home.

[Criss Titschinger]

Looks like the final nail in the coffin at Weatherwax: www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/butler-county/middletown/middletowns-weatherwax-golf-course-closing

This, despite 105,000 rounds played over the last two years at the 36 hole facility; even with rumors of its uncertain future. I know # of rounds doesn't equate to automatic success, but I think it's a telling stat.

[Joe Zucker]

This is too bad.  While not the most architecturally significant course in Ohio, it was a net positive for golf judging by the number of rounds.  As a junior golfer in Ohio, they hosted the Optimist tournament every year and made for a fun week.

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