Windsong Farm Golf Club closing for now

[John Crowley]

Rumor of a couple of days ago confirmed by attached Mpls. Star Tribune article.
When there is smoke fire is quite often found.



http://www.startribune.com/local/west/135554893.html

[Rick Shefchik]

The historic parallels are kind of eerie. Back in the 1930s, when golf's first boom went bust, Twin Cities courses Westwood Hills, Northwood Country Club, the original Bunker Hills, Hilltop and Matoska all struggled and eventually failed. Yet during the same era, Midland Hills, Minneapolis Golf Club, Golden Valley, Oak Ridge and Minnesota Valley managed to hang on by their fingertips.

With some luck, Windsong could become one of those Minnesota clubs that got back up again after tough times.  

[Dan Kelly]

The historic parallels are kind of eerie. Back in the 1930s, when golf's first boom went bust, Twin Cities courses Westwood Hills, Northwood Country Club, the original Bunker Hills, Hilltop and Matoska all struggled and eventually failed. Yet during the same era, Midland Hills, Minneapolis Golf Club, Golden Valley, Oak Ridge and Minnesota Valley managed to hung on by their fingertips.

I wonder which clubs are hanging on by their fingertips today....

[Mark Johnson]

I am saddened but not surprised here.

Windsong's biggest issue is location.   It is probably an hour from downtown minneapolis and 45 minutes from the first ring western burbs (edina) where many of the people who could afford the club live.   So for many (if not most) members it is a 2nd club.   For those who can afford a 2nd club, not sure I would know anyone who would pick it over Spring Hill which is in a similar area (though closer to the metro)


It is a very good golf course, but probably not a great one.    It is probably somewhere between 9-12th best course in the metro.   Not sure anyone would be leaving a membership at Minnikahda, Interlachen, Minneapolis, Hazeltine, Woodhill, etc. to join here.


Long-term I think the best solution for the course would be to take it public.   There is a huge high-end niche which Rush Creek is winning in a big way.   (Nearly impossible to get a weekend tee time at between 75-$110 a throw).   I think Windsong could price a little bit higher here and carve out a niche.   I know it is probably not what most people in the treehouse want to hear, but it is probably the best option for all involved.

[John_Conley]

Mark, I take it you got lost the day you went to Windsong!  It is 25 miles from downtown MInneapolis and only 30-35 minutes because 394 is a good road.  20 years ago I used to drive from Edina to play Timber Creek, a nearby public course, and could make it in 30 minutes like clockwork.  (Check in with caddiemaster, go play 18 holes, and still get back in time for an early afternoon loop.)  You can still do it on Hwy 7.

It is on the outskirts of the Minneapolis side of the Twin Cities.  Nobody would call it otherwise.  Just not as far as you mention.  Of course, if you are stuck  getting out of the office or something that's a different story.

The golf course is terrific.  Like you, I see it remaining open in some fashion.  The club has ceased operations, so it means changes are on the way.

[Ben Kodadek]

I am saddened but not surprised here.

Windsong's biggest issue is location.   It is probably an hour from downtown minneapolis and 45 minutes from the first ring western burbs (edina) where many of the people who could afford the club live.   So for many (if not most) members it is a 2nd club.   For those who can afford a 2nd club, not sure I would know anyone who would pick it over Spring Hill which is in a similar area (though closer to the metro)


It is a very good golf course, but probably not a great one.    It is probably somewhere between 9-12th best course in the metro.   Not sure anyone would be leaving a membership at Minnikahda, Interlachen, Minneapolis, Hazeltine, Woodhill, etc. to join here.


Long-term I think the best solution for the course would be to take it public.   There is a huge high-end niche which Rush Creek is winning in a big way.   (Nearly impossible to get a weekend tee time at between 75-$110 a throw).   I think Windsong could price a little bit higher here and carve out a niche.   I know it is probably not what most people in the treehouse want to hear, but it is probably the best option for all involved.

Mark, I agree with John C. that your time frames are way off.   I took some buddies from FL out for a round in July. From the time we threw our clubs in the trunk until we were in our seats at Target Field watching the Rays thump the lowly Twins was inside of 50 minutes.   

With regard to wanting to join Windsong over the other clubs you mentioned (with a small asterisk held out for Hazeltine) the answer is simple:  it's a GOLF club.  There was no BS at Windsong, no carts, no old ladies, no banquets, no weddings, no cell phones, etc...

Additionally, it attracted the strongest players in the metro area.  I played in The Invitational there for a number of years.  In 2009, my index was 2.3 and my host's was 5.4.  We were in the THIRD flight.   

I'm really bummed out that the club folded.  However, I truly believe that it will come back as a private facility in the near future. 

[Jason Topp]

I have played at Windsong 5-10 times a year and have many friends there.

While I am not as big a fan as others with respect to the golf course, it has always been the ideal golf club to me.  It has a ton of great players as Ben noted.  It has a modest clubhouse and dining facilities and the range has always been packed with kids with great swings.  One of the best tests of a great golf club is when you bump into a single and start playing together.  I have had that happen several times at Windsong and found the individuals we joined to be both surprisingly good players and very enjoyable company. 

I am surprised that the article indicates they had problems attracting dues paying members.  When they gave deep discounts on the downstroke, they added alot of members within very short time windows.  I believe they added 50 in one day a couple of years ago and I know they added a large number again last winter.  The location wasn't great but it is better than Hazeltine for a large percentage of the metro.

For whatever reason, it seems that the terms under which they purchased the land were too expensive for a thriving club to overcome.

It is tough to see any club close but particularly tough to see one that had grown a terrific membership, created a great culture and avoided spending money on the frills.     

[Dan Kelly]

I just spent a minute at the Windsong Website (minimal in the extreme, unless something more elaborate has already been taken down):

Here's what I found under "Guest Info":

Dress Policy
It is expected that members and their guests will dress in a manner consistent with the traditions of the game and the mission of the Club. Male golfers are asked to have their shirts tucked in and hats worn forward.  Denim and cargo shorts or pants are not permitted. Gentlemen are asked to remove their hats when entering the Clubhouse.  The professional staff is required to ensure appropriate attire is worn.

Cell Phones
Cell phone use is not permitted on the property except in designated areas.  The designated areas include; in your vehicle, the sitting/communication area of the Men's and Women's locker rooms, or the main office of the clubhouse. Members and guests with a need to receive urgent messages during a round should notify the professional staff, who will relay the information to the member/guest.

----------------------- Isn't that Just Right?

And they have a great address, too:

18 Golf Walk
Independence MN 55359

Here's hoping they figure a way to keep such a club up and running.

[Brad Klein]

I hate cell phones, iPhones, whatever on the golf course, but for all the lauded tradition involved, a club that seriously enforces that policy probably loses some modest percentage of the rounds it would otherwise have, maybe 5-10% And if they really insist on total compliance they'll end up creating a harsh atmosphere.

For better or worse, I suspect this is one of those sacred rules of the golf industry that will erode over the next few years. A club guided voluntarily by the gentle admonition to act (and dress) like ladies and gentlemen is clinging to a very small niche these days.

[PCCraig]

According to http://www.twincities.com/walters

Delano High and University of Minnesota grad David Meyer, whose family owns the public Pioneer Creek Golf Course near the private Windsong Farm Golf Club west of Minneapolis, has bailed out the financially troubled Windsong Farm.

Under the deep-pocketed Meyer, who is CEO of Fargo, N.D.-based Titan Machinery, plans are for Windsong to have a $15,000 initiation fee for members 40 and over this year, with a national membership fee of $2,500. Regular annual dues will be $7,600.

[Jason Topp]

Good to see it confirmed in the paper.  I know several members that are excited about this development.

[Mark Johnson]

great news for MN golf.

[Jason Topp]

I'm not sure there is much in this story from the MGA website:

http://www.mngolf.org/windsong_announces_new_owner_financing_continued_membership_organization.html