Delaire CC (Joe Lee) in Delray Beach, FL

[Steve_ Shaffer]

A friend is interested in buying a house there in this golf community of 27 holes designed by  Joe Lee  in the 1970s.

Any comments on the course?

http://delaire.org/course_tour.php

[Brian Potash]

Steve,

I have a friend who has probably played 100+ rounds at Delaire.  I reached out to him. If he has the guts to forward a review I will post.

I can tell you that the Tongue Sandwich is exceptional. 

Brian

[Patrick_Mucci]

Steve,

It's probably the last course to really offset the homes from the golf course and the homes from each other.

The residential area has a northern feel to it due to the spacing.

The golf course is a "nice" residential golf course with the added benefit of 27 holes

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Pat,

Thanks. The club recently opened memberships to non residents after an extensive and expensive clubhouse renovation. The residential component there is 300 or 350 which isn't bad for 27 holes.

Brian,

I am not a Tongue fancier but I'm sure the F&B there is outstanding. Pastrami is my favorite.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Steve,

The food is very good.

But, for those looking to retain that northern neighborhood flavor where the homes aren't on top of one another, Delaire is terrific and unusual for Florida.

They have renovated the clubhouse several times and I'm sure that more renovations are in the future.

Courses all over, including wealthy enclaves, need more members.

Golf Clubs, Universities and other entities kept on expanding and increasing the number and extent of the services they provided to their constituents without thinking about the annual fuel necessary to fund perpetual capital and operational expansion.

Clubs need to streamline operations, and eliminate some of the luxuries added over the last few decades.

I don't see "clubs" returning to the halcyon days.
I think golf clubs have been changed.................forever.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Pat,

There still seems to be a market for a high end residential luxury Country club on the east coast area from Boca to Jupiter in Florida- take Mirasol in PBG, for example. The club is doing very well according to my friend who is on the Board there.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Pat,

There still seems to be a market for a high end residential luxury Country club on the east coast area from Boca to Jupiter in Florida- take Mirasol in PBG, for example. The club is doing very well according to my friend who is on the Board there.

Steve,

I don't disagree that there's a market for high end residential luxury country clubs on the gold coast, but, is there a saturation of them to the degree that individually, most are in trouble, or certainly not at the levels they were at 10 years ago.

As to your friend, would he tell you if it wasn't doing very well ?
And, does he really mean, treading water ?
There's a difference between being on the decline, holding your own, doing well and doing VERY well.
I don't know any club, with a few exceptions, that's doing VERY well
On the day I played there, in Mid March, it was anything but crowded.

I've sat on numerous boards for over 30 years and I'm not so sure that everyone, board members included, has a firm grip and understanding of the finances.  Especially at a mixed use club and not a strictly golf club.
The other problem with Florida, perhaps a problem of the past, is that so much new product was being built.
Each year another residential golf community seemed to take form.

If you look at the deed sales published by most communities, you'll see that the value of most residential golf community homes has plunged over the last few years.

IMHO, I don't see Florida clubs recovering so soon.
What they do have going for them is the aging population up north, linked to retirement and advancements in medicine that are keeping older folks alive and active longer.  Hopefully, I'm one of the latter.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Pat,

You may  be right about those other clubs treading water. All I know is  that people are paying low six figures to get into Mirasol...plus real estate since non residents are not permitted to join.

Delaire got a large influx on non residents from the high rises in Boca and Higlhand Beach(particularly Toscana) when they opened their membership.

I'm far removed from the "Gold Coast" as I'm in Arizona for the season.