I doubt that anyone is as sorry to see this as I am, but it's probably been inevitable since the start of the recession. Not enough members, not enough visitors, too much debt.
I hope that no one here tries to sort out things out publicly, since there maybe as many interested parties as there are members. All of the debt is privately held, but that may make it harder to sort out, and not easier. A bank would have an immediate interest to sell at whatever price it could get, but the various factions here all have their own ideas on what to do. I am not interested in playing favorites in any of that, since my sole priority is to try and help the eventual owner succeed and preserve the course. [I'm sure Rupert thinks I didn't do enough in that regard, and I'm sorry if that's the case, even though that story is just as complicated as the members' stories.]
As Jim Colton said in his blog, the people I feel for the most are Dave Hensley and Matt Payne, who have done tremendous work to make the golf course what it is, and who currently have no idea where their futures lie. Hopefully, it's still at Ballyneal.