Dauphin Highlands, Harrisburg, PA still for sale...3 years on market

[Steve_ Shaffer]

or worse:

www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2008/02/campaign_on_to_save_golf_cours.html


www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2008/02/dauphin_highlands.html


35,000 rounds/year and 10M in debt!!!!!

[Mike_Cirba]

Lord, that's terribly disappointing.

I think that course is a little gem, and after playing Bill Love's Laurel Hill GC in Lorton, Virginia earlier this week I'm even more sold on his talents.

Unlike Jim Coleman last night who told us that Inniscrone closed because of its poor architecture, I'd say the Clintons (unfortunately) were right.

It's the economy, stupid!

[Jerry Kluger]

Mike: I think it's more a question of irresponsible economics.  Everyone thinks that they can just build a golf course during a golfing boom and they will make money - there's a lot more to it.  People make stupid investments, ones they can't afford or try to get rich the easy way and eventually someone has to get burned.  Golf was on a downward trend long before the economy soured.  10 million in debt is simply ridiculous and whoever did their business plan really needs to find another line of work.

[Joe Bausch]

Unlike Jim Coleman last night who told us that Inniscrone closed because of its poor architecture, I'd say the Clintons (unfortunately) were right.

Mike, I'm sure you didn't mean to cause any confusion with your comments about Inniscrone closing.

I just want to say, even though Jim Coleman might wish Inniscrone went out of business and still thinks it is b/c of bad architecture, Inniscrone is still alive.  I urge some of you that have never played, or only played it once, to give it a shot.  This course is wonderful, but yes perhaps flawed in a couple of places.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

I'd like to play Inniscrone again but for me it's a distance challenge: 2.5 to 3 hour round trip PLUS perhaps $60 for gas at the ever increasing prices,even at the local WaWa Superstations.

[David Kelly]

I see that the course was built and is owned by Dauphin County.  Judging by the amount of debt that is on the course despite it doing 35k rounds a year and being highly regarded it appears that the government agency was out of their depth on this deal.

Rather than a poor economy bringing down courses like this one, I wonder if it was the relatively good economy of the last half decade that propped up these ill conceived projects.

[George Freeman]

sounds very similar to the situtation surrounding Rackham Golf Course, a Donald Ross designed muni in metro Detroit.  As far as I know, after many months of turmoil, the course is here to stay...

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Back on the market again after zoning change:

http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2010/09/zoning_change_puts_dauphin_hig.html

[Mark McKeever]

Sad to see.  I haven't played DH in a few years, but its a pretty neat track in my opinion.  A lot of good memories there from High School Golf days!

Mark

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Still for sale. No bites.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/07/publicly-owned_dauphin_highlan.html

[Carl Johnson]

Why don't the folks who want to save DH put together a group, buy the course, and take it private?  Seems simple enough to me.  In other words, let them "put their money where their mouth is."

[Steve_ Shaffer]

The course is way overpriced for a golf course use. It's a real estate play for the 230 acres.

[Richard Hetzel]

The course is way overpriced for a golf course use. It's a real estate play for the 230 acres.

So I guess I need to hurry up and play it the next time I am passing through?