More Course Closings - NGF Report

[Steve_ Shaffer]

From  http://worldgolfreport.blogspot.com/


Courses continue to drop like flies, and my backlog of recent course closings has reached historic proportions. Here are the ones I can document this month    –
Northwood Country Club, a ClubCorp-owned property in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, will go dark unless a buyer emerges to save it. ClubCorp called the Northwood’s demise a “business decision.” The 60-year-old venue features an 18-hole course that was co-designed by Willard Byrd and George Cobb.   
– Inverrary Country Club and its 36-hole, Robert Trent Jones-designed golf complex will go belly up in June 2020. The club, once the host of PGA Tour events, is reportedly being financially squeezed by the “oversupply of golf courses in Florida,” and its ownership group intends to develop its 292-acre property.     
– Valley Green Golf & Country Club, in suburban Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, will end its 55-year run at the end of the current golf season. Linda Rusnock, the club’s owner, told a local newspaper that she and her 18-hole, X. G. Hassenplug-designed golf course “had a great run.”     
– Indian Wells Golf Club, a 35-year-old venue outside Myrtle Beach, South Carolina that’s owned by Chinese investors, will shut its doors by the end of the year. Founders Group aims to develop the club’s 150 acres, currently the home of an 18-hole, Gene Hamm-designed course.     
– South Grove Golf Course, an 18-hole municipal track in Indianapolis, Indiana, will drop dead at a to-be-determined date in the future, probably after the 2024 golf season. The city pulled the plug on its nine-hole Riverside course earlier this year, and its entire golf portfolio is suffering from what the Indianapolis Business Journal called “steady declines in revenue, less interest in playing the sport, and millions of dollars in needed facility upgrades.”   
– Diablo Grande Golf & Country Club, having lost its Jack Nicklaus-designed course in 2014, is about to lose its remaining Denis Griffiths/Gene Sarazen-designed layout. Citing “financial challenges” and “reasons beyond our control,” the owners of the club, outside Modesto, California, called the closing “temporary,” presumably because they hope to find a buyer.   
– VanderView Golf Course, a nine-hole, executive-length layout in southwestern New York that’s said to be “a great place for beginners, a great place for women, a great place for seniors,” will close later this year. Tony Galeazzo, who’s owned VanderView since 1999, wants to retire, and he’s likewise hoping to find a buyer.     
– Silver Lake Country Club, a 95-year-old venue outside Grand Rapids, Michigan, was expected to close last month. A local television station reports that the club’s owners are negotiating a sale of their property to a developer.     
– Shawnee State Golf Course, an 18-hole track in Friendship, Ohio that was co-designed by Jack Kidwell and Michael Hurdzan, will host its final rounds at the end of the 2019 golf season. The state agencies that oversee the 40-year-old property believe it can no longer operate profitably and figure to replace it with recreational amenities.   
– Westpark Golf Club, a long-threatened 130-acre property in Leesburg, Virginia, will be sold to a home builder and replaced with housing. The club, which had been in business since 1968, features an 18-hole, Ed Ault-designed golf course.     
– Sinnissippi Park Golf Club has been recommended for what’s been called “permanent closure” by park district officials in Rockford, Illinois. The club, which features a nine-hole, Tom Bendelow-designed course that’s operated since 1912, will reportedly lose $100,000 this season.     
– Deer Ridge Golf Club, a 15-year-old venue in Brentwood, California that’s said to have experienced “huge losses through the years,” has now experienced “a permanent closure.” The owners of Deer Ridge, which features an 18-hole, Andy Raugust-designed golf course, blamed the club’s passing on “ever-increasing maintenance, operational cost, and lower revenues.” 


Add this one from Oregon: https://www.heraldandnews.com/news/local_news/reames-golf-club-to-close-its-doors/article_5b4cc9a0-2d35-5113-a658-e11d0f9421fb.html

[David_Tepper]

Sorry, but not surprised to see Diablo Grande closing. Centrally located in the middle of nowhere.

[Nigel Islam]

South Grove is a decent layout. Over 100 years old. Certainly suffered from being in very close proximity to two other munis.

[John Kirk]

Just repeating David Tepper.  I visited Diablo Grande once about 12-15 years ago.  It's hard to believe how remote it is.  One of their courses was once ranked in the top 25 in the state of California by Golf Digest.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Since the link for Inverrary is only for subscribers, I thought this venue deserves a mention:

After all, the East course hosted 15 professional events beginning with the Jackie Gleason Classic from 1972-80, The Honda Classic, the 1976 TPC and a LPGA event- since opening in 1970, all of which were televised.
Jackie Gleason at his best:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNauilZRzHk

Another case of the land being more  valuable than operating a golf course.


https://clubandresortbusiness.com/inverrary-cc-announces-shutdown-date/

[Lou_Duran]

Another case of the land being more  valuable than operating a golf course.

Not all course closings are due to poor financial performance/over-capacity/a bad supply-demand equilibrium.  "Highest and best use" has been undoing golf courses and other real estate for a very long time.  Rumors of my home club being on the market have been rampant for years, but the owner's "asking" price appears to be based on redevelopment as single-family residential.  The income it produces as a golf course does not support even half of what appears to be her estimate of market value.  My prior golf club sold to a warehouse developer who paid well over double for the land than it could fetch as a golf course.


A great danger also exists for golf as governments seek higher tax bases through the power of eminent domain (there was a relevant thread a few years back about Deepdale Golf Club).  Infield clubs such as Dallas CC which sit on hyper-expensive land but are taxed at a small fraction of market value have little to worry about because of strong generational political ties.  Others without pedigree may not be so lucky.  And as courses are driven further out, the logistics involved become another barrier to the sport.   

[Pete_Pittock]

It is not surprising that Klamath Falls lost a golf course, just that it is Reames. Nothing special about the course, but a bit out of the way. Always felt K Falls had too many golf options for a declining town. Probably losing memberships to Harbor Links or Running Y housing, and Shield Crest is a decent track east of town.


Broadmoor in Portland may go by the wayside next year

[Jim Sherma]

To add to the list: Locust Valley GC in Coopersburg, PA is set to close at the end of the season. Locust is an excellent William Gordon & David Gordon course that was a private Jewish club back in the day. Excellent set of greens and a solid walk-able routing. Rumors of the closing has been going on for many years and it appears certain this time.

[Joe Bausch]

To add to the list: Locust Valley GC in Coopersburg, PA is set to close at the end of the season. Locust is an excellent William Gordon & David Gordon course that was a private Jewish club back in the day. Excellent set of greens and a solid walk-able routing. Rumors of the closing has been going on for many years and it appears certain this time.

Not far from where Winnie grew up.

[Adam Clayman]

One could only hope it's the poor architectural presentations that are failing to grow a passionate client base.

[Tom_Doak]

I have not yet figured out whether Black Forest in Michigan is closed for good or not.  It was bought at auction last year for back taxes, but I've not heard anything from the buyer, so I assume they are not looking to fix it up.

[Lou_Duran]

One could only hope it's the poor architectural presentations that are failing to grow a passionate client base.

I suppose that for some hope springs eternal, but I suspect that the passion for gca expressed in this DG is of very little consequence to the subject matter.  My guess is that Location³, the condition of the greens, a favorable price point, and local economics have the most to do with it.  Ron Whitten wrote an interesting article years ago about the commoditization of golf, analogizing it to the pizza business.  A lengthy thread on this site ensued, but I can't find it or the story in the archives.

[Bill Crane]

To add to the list: Locust Valley GC in Coopersburg, PA is set to close at the end of the season. Locust is an excellent William Gordon & David Gordon course that was a private Jewish club back in the day. Excellent set of greens and a solid walk-able routing. Rumors of the closing has been going on for many years and it appears certain this time.

Jim ~
I agree having played this course a few times with my friends from the Lehigh Valley - was a good public course.   Pretty sold routing, interesting greens, hugs the terrain well.   Maybe a few weak holes and overgrown trees.


A little off the beaten track population wise and loads of courses not far away in the LV equates to not enough golfers.  Center Valley nearby went NLE several years ago.


Ironically, Sol Davidson - an older deceased long time friend of mine at Springdale was a former active member there.

[Bill Crane]

It is a shame to hear that solid tracks like this will be defunct.  Where will the public course golfer get exposed to good and walkable golf?

[Steve_ Shaffer]

The long, slow drain of U.S. golf properties shows no sign of letting up. Here are some recent closings:
– Gulf Hills Golf Club, a venue on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast whose lounge was once frequented by “movie stars, gangsters, and even Elvis Presley,” bit the dust last month. “If you don’t have people walking through the door, you can’t pay the bills,” a board member told WLOX-TV. Gulf Hills, which is for sale for $2.5 million, features an 18-hole, Jack Daray-designed course that dates from 1927.
– Reames Golf & Country Club, a private venue in Klamath Falls, Oregon, is scheduled to end its 94-year run this month. The Herald & News says that the club, which has an 18-hole golf course (the original nine was designed by Chandler Egan), blames its demise on “declining membership and other economic factors.”     
– Oak Lake Golf Course, a 34-year-old track in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has closed because its owners reportedly “wanted to do something else with their time.” The owners, the heirs of the late Bernie Conley, have been trying to sell their 18-hole, Fred Garbin-designed course for more than a year.     
– Willow Creek Golf Course, a 27-hole, Jim Spear-designed complex in Rochester, Minnesota, is now controlled by a local bank. “After four years of terrible weather, we just couldn’t sustain it any longer,” Wendell Pittenger, the venue’s owner, told the Rochester Post Bulletin. In 2013, financial struggles forced Pittenger to give up his lease on a municipal course in Red Wing, Minnesota.   
– Norton Knolls Golf Course, a nine-hole track in that’s operated in Oakland, Illinois since 1969. The course’s owners view golf as being on a “downhill slide” and expect to grow hemp for CBD products on about half their 65 acres.     – Spuyten Duyval, which is said to be “one of the oldest golf courses in the [Toledo, Ohio] area” (it dates from the late 1920s), closed on Halloween. The complex, featuring 27 regulation-length holes and a nine-hole executive-length layout, has been purchased by Metroparks Toledo and will be converted to parkland.   
– Rogala Public Links, a nine-hole course in Mattoon, Illinois, will draw its curtains on New Year’s Eve. “We felt we hung on as long as we could,” confessed Donna Meaker, who’s owned the property since 1974.   
– Locust Valley Golf Course, a 101-acre facility outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, will soon be the site of a 125-unit, seniors-only community. Robert Ashford says that his 18-hole course, designed by William and David Gordon and opened in 1954, will remain open at least through April of next year.     
– Aztec Municipal Golf Course, outside Farmington, New Mexico, will be shuttered by the end of the year unless the city can find a buyer. The 18-hole track, opened in 1950 as Hidden Valley Golf Club, has been struggling financially for years.   
– Willowbrook Country Club, in Connersville, Indiana, has hosted its last rounds under the ownership of Rob Fitzgerald and his siblings. “Nobody ever closes down a money-making business,” said Fitzgerald, who hopes to find a buyer. Willowbrook, now with an 18-hole, Bill Diddel-designed course, was established (as Connersville Country Club) in 1902.

[MCirba]

Steve,


Your like the GCA Grim Reaper.   


Liven it up, will ya?   

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Mike,


I do post new courses every now and then; however, the closings outnumber them...unfortunately. 


In my next life, I'll probably wind up as a funeral director. 

[Scott Weersing]

You can add Signature at West Neck, an Arnold Palmer Signature Design, in a retirement community in Virginia Beach. It reminded me a course in Palm Desert with condos and lakes on each hole.


https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/virginia-beach/the-signature-at-west-neck-golf-course-in-virginia-beach-to-close/


I do not know what will happen to the course.

[Kalen Braley]

Didn't want to start a new thread...

Wonder how many clubs closed because of shenanigans like this? Talk about chucking em under the bus...    Happened at Alpine in New Jersey. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/a-dollar30000-handbag-a-disastrous-wine-spill-and-now-a-country-club-is-suing-its-own-waiter/ar-BBWDWBd?li=BBnbfcL

[Steve_ Shaffer]

@Kalen  This is nothing more than one insurance company filing a cross-claim against another insurance company. This will keep insurance company lawyers in business for a awhile.


Getting back to courses closing, add WildCreek in Reno, NV








https://thisisreno.com/2019/11/opinion-wildcreek-golf-course-and-the-winds-of-change/

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[Matt MacIver]

Ballantyne Resort in south Charlotte will close sometime (soon or 1-2 years?) to make room for planned office/retail/residential community on highly valuable land.  Decent public course and well located, will push retail players further out to the countryside. 

[Andy Shulman]

I played Westpark in Leesburg, VA about two weeks before it abruptly shut down.  While it wasn't a great course and many of the holes wound through a faded residential development, it was better than several layouts in the DC suburbs and was a relative bargain.  The population of Leesburg has exploded in the last 20 years, so the demand for more housing (96 townhouses according to the linked article) is undoubtedly strong.  RIP.

[Ryan Farrow]

It is a shame to hear that solid tracks like this will be defunct.  Where will the public course golfer get exposed to good and walkable golf?

They will end up playing at the 2nd and 3rd tier private clubs when those eventually turn public. New real estate dev. is the biggest threat to golf courses now, as others have stated. If the economy sours then debt payments for recent renovations, clubhouse and course upgrades will be the next threat.

[/size]It will be interesting to see if local governments will try to retain the greenspace or let developers run wild and jam in as many units as possible.  [size=78%][/size][size=78%] [/size]


Does anyone have the hard number of courses closings over the past few years?

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Here's the National Golf Foundation's latest Report:




The total U.S. golf course supply declined by 1.2%, with the opening of 12.5 new 18-hole equivalent golf courses and 198.5 course closures. Closures have outweighed new openings nationwide since 2006, an ongoing correction of supply and demand within the market that followed an unsustainable 20-year building boom during which more than 4,000 courses opened, boosting the U.S. supply by 44%. The U.S. remains the best-supplied golf market in the world with 14,613 facilities and 16,693 courses – more than 75% of which are open to all players, the highest public-to-private ratio in history.





http://wearegolf.org/industry-news/national-golf-foundation-releases-2019-golf-industry-report/

[Kalen Braley]

Here's the National Golf Foundation's latest Report:

The total U.S. golf course supply declined by 1.2%, with the opening of 12.5 new 18-hole equivalent golf courses and 198.5 course closures. Closures have outweighed new openings nationwide since 2006, an ongoing correction of supply and demand within the market that followed an unsustainable 20-year building boom during which more than 4,000 courses opened, boosting the U.S. supply by 44%. The U.S. remains the best-supplied golf market in the world with 14,613 facilities and 16,693 courses – more than 75% of which are open to all players, the highest public-to-private ratio in history.

http://wearegolf.org/industry-news/national-golf-foundation-releases-2019-golf-industry-report/

Steve,

I think that 75% number is a bit misleading.  Aren't 99% of courses in the UK "open" to all players with a quick phone call or look at the website?

Its one thing to be privately owned and operated, its another thing to be truly private where the public has no chance to play without an invite or a Willy Wonka Style Golden Rater Pass...