[Eric Strulowitz]

Hoping to make a Florida trip in a few months and  was planning on getting a round in there..  Anybody played it?  The pictures sure  looked great

http://www.ocala.com/news/20180711/abrupt-closure-for-adena-golf-amp-county-club

[Ryan Farrow]

Does anyone know what happened here?


I think it would be great if we could talk about the failure of a 50 Million dollar country club that was designed by its billionaire owner. Who played it, what do you think? Why did it fail? Would a better design resulted in success?

[Tom_Doak]

Does anyone know what happened here?


I think it would be great if we could talk about the failure of a 50 Million dollar country club that was designed by its billionaire owner. Who played it, what do you think? Why did it fail? Would a better design resulted in success?

Ryan:


I never saw the course, only the breathless write-up here a couple of years ago by a poster we had never seen before (or since).  I was skeptical, not because it was unlikely the owner could have built a great course himself, but because it was unlikely that anyone would care.


How successful do you think Streamsong would have been if they had marketed Bruce Hepner and Keith Rhebb (who ran the job for me and for Bill) as the designers?  Would the golf magazines have tripped over each other to praise the place and decide which course was better, or would they have ignored it, as they did Adena?  I'd guess somewhere in between; Adena, being a private club, was not going to get the same level of coverage as a resort with a large marketing budget.


I'm not saying it's all about marketing; quality matters, and the best-known firms have been putting out some great work.  But in my experience it seems like it was easier for a lesser-known architect to attract attention as an underdog when the big names were churning out 5 courses a year, than today when their marketing power is undivided.

[Paul OConnor]

Perhaps not everyone was aware that the chairs in the clubhouse were designed by Pinninfarina, which, in case you didn't know, is a symbol of sophistication found in Maserati.

Maybe if this were more widely known the club would still be open. 

[David Wuthrich]

I played it.


It was ok for Florida.


Would have been a better course if TD had worked on the land!!  Just saying!!


DW

[Kyle Harris]

The non-quarry holes were fun, as were the one-shotters.


A unique hole was the third, with a full canopy of Live Oak so high they didn't affect shots. You played through a tunnel under the tree limbs. I've never quite seen anything like it and may not ever. It worked. It worked well.

[Kirk Gill]

I never saw the course, only the breathless write-up here a couple of years ago by a poster we had never seen before (or since).  I was skeptical, not because it was unlikely the owner could have built a great course himself, but because it was unlikely that anyone would care.

That poster was John Moochie: http://www.johnsmooshie.com/

"If a business wants to survive, it needs to tell a compelling story.  That’s what I do!"

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[Steve Lapper]

The non-quarry holes were fun, as were the one-shotters.


A unique hole was the third, with a full canopy of Live Oak so high they didn't affect shots. You played through a tunnel under the tree limbs. I've never quite seen anything like it and may not ever. It worked. It worked well.

Interesting remark Mr. Harris...given that 3 of the one-shooters were in or at the quarry. The routing was essentially a donut but it worked. The third was indeed unique and almost felt like a bowling-alley but it certainly was unique and interesting. The hole was distinguishably iconic and hardly any Live Oaks were elsewhere on the course. I would add that the par 5's were moderately interesting as well.




The clubhouse and property was spectacular. The level of service exceptional. I wonder what the real story is behind it's abrupt shuttering??

[Steve_ Shaffer]

From Robert Vasilak's World Golf Report:


     Just three years after it opened, Adena Golf & Country Club has gone belly up. Frank Stronach, the Canadian billionaire who reportedly spent $50 million to create the club, his self-designed 18-hole golf course, and whatever else he managed to finish at his 420-acre property in Ocala, Florida, has decided that he can’t stomach any further financial losses. In a farewell address, Adena told its members that it had hoped to become “the finest private club in all of Florida,” and it apologized because it could “no longer bring you the first-class membership experience that you have come to enjoy.” Stronach made his money (Forbes says he’s worth $1.5 billion) in auto parts, and it seems that his true sports passion is thoroughbred horse racing.

[Kyle Harris]

The non-quarry holes were fun, as were the one-shotters.


A unique hole was the third, with a full canopy of Live Oak so high they didn't affect shots. You played through a tunnel under the tree limbs. I've never quite seen anything like it and may not ever. It worked. It worked well.

Interesting remark Mr. Harris...given that 3 of the one-shooters were in or at the quarry. The routing was essentially a donut but it worked. The third was indeed unique and almost felt like a bowling-alley but it certainly was unique and interesting. The hole was distinguishably iconic and hardly any Live Oaks were elsewhere on the course. I would add that the par 5's were moderately interesting as well.




The clubhouse and property was spectacular. The level of service exceptional. I wonder what the real story is behind it's abrupt shuttering??

I especially appreciated that the first one-shotter was uphill, semi-blind, and used the quarry in an interesting way. Certainly unexpected given the hype machine around the place. Downright tasteful, in fact. The subsequent drop shot one-shotters became a bit redundant but given the restraint on those holes I found them palatable. Yardage pleasantly varied, too.

10 and 11 were real clunkers, though.

It could have been a rather interesting course for match play. I find that when the finishing holes are tamer than the lead up holes, the matches are more interesting.

[Jeff Schley]

So I wonder how much the initiation fee that the members saw go poof was?

[David Kelly]

In the last 20 years Frank Stronach has had a lot of influence on the horse racing industry in the United States - mostly negative - so it is probably for the best that he doesn't become a player in the golf course business. 

[Steve_ Shaffer]

And here's the rest of the story...

Business tycoon Frank Stronach suing family over fortune




https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45806257

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Litigation still pending:


https://www.ocala.com/story/news/local/2020/08/11/suit-accuses-stronachs-of-plot-to-kill-golf-course-deal/42204651/




Settlement on other assets:


https://www.ocala.com/story/news/local/2020/08/17/stronach-settlement-keeps-frank-in-charge-of-marion-assets/42223577/

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