[David Schmiel]

Those GCAers in the WDC area, take note of this article from the Washington Post at the link below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/15/AR2008091502838.html?wwparam=1221565546

The history here is that at one point, this course (currently named The Presidential), was to be called Bear National (guess whose design company worked on it) and was going to be paired with Beacon Hill outside Leesburg, which was a Johnny Miller design and has already been discussed.  It was going to be a "two-fer" membership structure.  This article from 2002-03 timeframe gives some more detail. 

http://www.golfthemidatlantic.com/story/47

Now of course, Beacon Hill has gone under and is going to seed, and it looks like The Presidential is following the same path. 

I know that Private Clubs are and have been a topic discussed at length here and given the current finanical state of affairs on Wall Street, the ripple effects are being felt in a lot of different areas.  What does the future hold for the golf industry in these regards?  Did the late '90s - early '00s construction boom oversaturate the market?  Will we be seeing more new courses going the way of Beacon Hill and The Presidential? 

[Jim Tang]

Well, the # of people who play golf hasn't really changed one way or the other for some time now.  There is no growth in that regard.  Couple that fact with the current financial downturn, and I think the game of golf is at a crossroads.

How many more golf courses can be built, both public and private, with no real growth in number of players?  There will always be the hot new course serious players have to visit such as the 4th course at Bandon or Chambers Bay.  And every now and then a private course will open, such as Ballyneal, that guys will join becasue the golf is just unbelievable.

I think the more run of the mill private and public facilities are going to have it tough in the next 5 years.

[Chip Gaskins]

The Presidential is 100 yards from my office. 

Supposedly the staff were working away as recent as Friday (course construction, membership marketing, facilities building) and on Monday an email went out saying that was it. 

Now there are no cars in the parking lot and a lot of stranded bulldozers sitting around.

[Jonathan Cummings]

I hope it stays in business for a few more days.  I'm going out there tomorrow to see the place and interview the staff.  I have an article on Pres due soon for VA golfer!

JC

[Steve_ Shaffer]

The course will reopen next year as upscale public with a new name- 1757 Club:

http://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/Article/Casper-to-manage-Virginia-course/1493/Default.aspx

[Peter Wagner]

Unfortunate timing with a business plan aimed at exclusively looking at corporate memberships.  Tough sell in this market.

I haven't seen that concept before - a club filled with only corporate members.  From an ownership perspective I find that interesting, but from a private member standpoint I find it distasteful.  Can you imagine how many guys would hit you up with sales pitches on a daily basis?  Oh man, not for me.

I wonder if this mover-and-shaker membership idea would have worked say 5 or 10 years ago?

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