Kingsley Club sold

[Jerry Rossi]

I talked to a member today and was told that Escalante Golf is buying Kingsley Club in Michigan.


I'm a huge fan of the course as well as the vibe at Kingsley but know nothing about Escalante Golf, I just hope they don't mess up a great place.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

I know I have heard less than glowing reports for many years from a friend who is a member at one of their courses.


You are right about the vibe at Kingsley and I hope it remains unscathed.

[Tim_Weiman]

I know I have heard less than glowing reports for many years from a friend who is a member at one of their courses.


You are right about the vibe at Kingsley and I hope it remains unscathed.

Daryl,


What have been your friend’s concerns?

[Anthony_Nysse]

I talked to a member today and was told that Escalante Golf is buying Kingsley Club in Michigan.


I'm a huge fan of the course as well as the vibe at Kingsley but know nothing about Escalante Golf, I just hope they don't mess up a great place.

This is disappointing.

[Jerry Rossi]

I talked to a member today and was told that Escalante Golf is buying Kingsley Club in Michigan.


I'm a huge fan of the course as well as the vibe at Kingsley but know nothing about Escalante Golf, I just hope they don't mess up a great place.

This is disappointing.

I totally agree

[Bill Seitz]

I talked to a member today and was told that Escalante Golf is buying Kingsley Club in Michigan.


I'm a huge fan of the course as well as the vibe at Kingsley but know nothing about Escalante Golf, I just hope they don't mess up a great place.

Can confirm.  No details on what this means for current membership.  Biggest concern for me is that the staff is treated properly.  There are plenty of positive and not so positive opinions of current ownership, but whatever one's opinion, we have a top notch group, and we've lost really no core staff in the 10 years I've been there (outside of one retirement), and I think that says something.  What the future holds for me means a lot less than what it holds for them.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I don't know much about the new owners but their stable of clubs is underwhelming.


https://escalantegolf.com/properties


I love the club and course and was hoping someone else would have purchased it.

[Bob_Garvelink]

I have been lucky enough to play Kingsley a few times and have considered joining over the years.  My kids and distance to the club have kept me from doing so but as I get closer to retirement I had always dreamed of calling Kingsley home. 


Hopefully this sale benefits the members and it would be a shame for the course to lose some of its key members.  I can say that guys like Dan Lucas and David Plassman were very impressive when I met them and made me feel like Kingsley "gets it".


Kingsley is a special place no doubt and hopefully someday its my home club.

[Jerry Rossi]

I don't know much about the new owners but their stable of clubs is underwhelming.


https://escalantegolf.com/properties


I love the club and course and was hoping someone else would have purchased it.

I’ve only heard of 2 of these - are any of them private?


I hope Kingsley stays private - maybe build a real clubhouse, but nothing huge and add some more lodging.   But mostly - just don’t change the course or it’s conditioning!

[JohnVDB]

I don't know much about the new owners but their stable of clubs is underwhelming.


https://escalantegolf.com/properties


I love the club and course and was hoping someone else would have purchased it.

I’ve only heard of 2 of these - are any of them private?


I hope Kingsley stays private - maybe build a real clubhouse, but nothing huge and add some more lodging.   But mostly - just don’t change the course or it’s conditioning!

Jerry,


Most of them are private I believe. 


A number of big events have been held at them over the years.   Pumpkin Ridge has had 5 USGA championships, and a number of Korn-Ferry tournaments.  Shadowhawk hosted the US Mid-Am.  The two clubs in Arizona held the PGA Tour Match Play and a lot of tour pros are members.  The Houston Ooen has been held at another course, etc,

[Ronald Montesano]

Looks like they need something in North Dakota or Montana, and they've got the lower 48 covered.


I have heard of the majority of them. That's quite a portfolio.

[Bob_Garvelink]

I have a buddy that is a member joined Dormie and he just texted me and told me that Zach Peed/Dormie Network were in the mix for buying Kingsley or at least that was the rumor with the membership.  Not sure if he got outbid or backed out of the sale.


I cannot find anything about Kingsley being up for sale.  Was this public knowledge?

[Tom_Doak]

I have a buddy that is a member joined Dormie and he just texted me and told me that Zach Peed/Dormie Network were in the mix for buying Kingsley or at least that was the rumor with the membership.  Not sure if he got outbid or backed out of the sale.


I cannot find anything about Kingsley being up for sale.  Was this public knowledge?

I don’t know about “public knowledge “ but I talked to someone else a couple of weeks ago who said he had been in negotiations to try and buy the club, to no avail.

[Bill Seitz]

I have a buddy that is a member joined Dormie and he just texted me and told me that Zach Peed/Dormie Network were in the mix for buying Kingsley or at least that was the rumor with the membership.  Not sure if he got outbid or backed out of the sale.


I cannot find anything about Kingsley being up for sale.  Was this public knowledge?

I don’t know about “public knowledge “ but I talked to someone else a couple of weeks ago who said he had been in negotiations to try and buy the club, to no avail.

Everything is for sale if the price is right.  I suspect the people who needed to know it was available were aware.  There are non-members who know far more about the rumors and inner-workings of the club than I, a member, do.  I generally don't concern myself with that stuff, but even I knew there was whispers of the need for some sort of succession plan in the air. 

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

I know I have heard less than glowing reports for many years from a friend who is a member at one of their courses.


You are right about the vibe at Kingsley and I hope it remains unscathed.

Daryl,


What have been your friend’s concerns?

I can't remember specific comments right now, I just know for several years since they took over he has been complaining.  I understand everything is a business, but I think he felt when they took over the bottom line became much more prevalent than previously.   I think they have been up and down condition wise over this time.  And I think they instituted a stay and play plan at a previously fully private club that was obviously not popular with the existing members.   I may not be exactly accurate but these are just things I think I recall from several years of hearing comments in passing.

[Bob_Garvelink]

Anyone have a rough estimate on how many members Kingsley has? 

[John Kavanaugh]

A word of advice from someone who has been through this a few times. If you choose to quit the club, which you eventually will, don't make it easy. Wait and or make the new ownership tell you to your face that they no longer want you around. It will make knowing that you will never return that much less painful.


Or, choose to be happy. Is there anything positive than can be said about the purchase? If I were to go over and buy a home at Black Diamond would I become a member of Kingsley? How can more and more and more access be a bad thing?

[Bob_Garvelink]

I reached out today to Escalante Golf to see what was happening with memberships at Kingsley and I must say the representative was a true professional over the phone.  I think the current members will be satisfied to find out that Escalante is not currently planning on having Kingsley as part of their "Icon" membership.  The Icon Membership allows members to play various courses in the portfolio without being a full time member.  The representative said that they wanted to keep Kingsley running they way it has been for years and not flood it with new "icon" members.


It also sounded like initiation fees were gonna take a pretty large increase and It sounded like dues would also be going up which is probably expected with a new ownership group.  I have been of the fence for a while with Kingsley and should of jumped at a chance to be a national member is 2008 when the fees and dues were probably the best value in all of golf.


Bottom line it sounds like the new ownership wants to keep the course and members the way that it always has been so that is good to know.  Kingsley is def a special place

[Doug Lionberger]

I know I have heard less than glowing reports for many years from a friend who is a member at one of their courses.


You are right about the vibe at Kingsley and I hope it remains unscathed.

Daryl,


What have been your friend’s concerns?

I am a member (soon to be former member as I just resigned to join a different course) of one of their courses in Houston (albeit nowhere near the quality of course as Kingsley).  I primarily joined due to its proximity to my old house and ease of introducing our kids to the game of golf.

From what I observed it’s really just about dollars and cents to them.  Which makes sense in that they exist to make a profit.  And they need to make a sizable amount to make acquiring new golf courses worth it.  However, that creates a very different atmosphere to a club than other places I’ve been apart of.  Employees aren’t always taken care of, maintenance/renovations deferred and I personally thought it led to the club having no real personality.  The club also has far too many members which goes back to the first point.

This specific course had a completely different vibe when I was around it growing up than it does now.  Hard to explain but hopefully that doesn’t happen to Kingsley because everything I’ve heard about that place makes it sound terrific.


Wish I had a more positive experience to add but that has not been the case.


Best,
Doug