Thinking a bit of a no brainer for MK into HOF
Bias Disclosure, big MK fan working on the Sand Valley Project. Also a late-to-the game because my kid wanted to be Tiger, former Muny golfer who most recently sat on a private club leadership team that restored a sleeping classic Ross. I have blood on my hands, some still won't wash off.
I want to specifically use the Sand Valley project as my exhibit. Bandon and Cabot are obvious. On the surface, none of them made any sense. SV went against the MK formula, specifically, no ocean, no water within miles...There was however sand. Piles of sand, huge piles of sand. It is also within a 4 hour drive of roughly 15-Million people. This is a gateway drug to Coore-Crenshaw/DMK (And other players to be named later... TD?) I'm even resigned to exclude Michiganers who arguably don't need to travel across Lake Michigan to play world class public access tracks. I'm defining this player pool to west of Lake Michigan; Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago, Madison, Des Moines etc. Not many people can hop in the car and roll into Bandon within a few hours but you can get "Taste of Bandon/Sniff of Sand Hills" at Sand Valley.
Another important project aspect. The area was previously one of the poorest counties in the State of Wisconsin. Sand Valley has ignited a depressed local economy with an unprecedented level of job creation, construction, hospitality, food, beverage and tourism revenue. We native Cheezheads love our beer, Green Bay Packers, Fish Frys and Golf. Again, gateway drug, SV is not officially open but has already sparked some percentage of follow-on NEW CUSTOMER bookings to Cabot and Bandon. For consideration: I heard +1 Handicap plumber "looking to learn more about other courses this "Coore-Crenshaw fella" has done." (True Story that I will swear to under oath) Say it with me: "Coore-Crenshaw Fella".
There are some very nice public tracks within buddy trip striking range, Whistling, Lawsonia, a revamped Sentry World (Yeah I said it) and now US Open Famous Erin. The net effect anchors a cluster of public golf that compounds rounds and revenue into a depressed area of the state and region. It is most definitely a Grow the Game Play (Do we still say that?) on an out of place piece of geology. Herb Kohler didn't casually launch another American Club course on Lake Michigan on a whim. MK and MKII are delivering a game growing game changer. The math will speak for itself.
In Closing: I vote Yes for MK into the HOF for taking multiple nonsensical geographical risks and making architectural investments into spectacular PUBLIC golf venues that on the surface, make absolutely no sense in an overbuilt collapsing golf market. As for him making money off the venture... Hope he makes a ton and builds more courses.