Hidden Creek Sold

[Nick Ribeiro]

Hidden Creek announced they are selling to Dormie Network. This brings the North East into play for the Network. Should be interesting to see what's next!

[Tim Martin]

Quite a sweetener for those that are on the fence. It's a fine golf course with proximity to casinos, beaches and airports with Philadelphia only sixty miles away. Addionally there are a bunch of other good courses close by and it seems now like the next logical choice to plant a flag is California or Oregon.

[Jeff Loh]

Where did they announce it?

[Kevin McLaughlin]

Hasn’t been announced officially.   My understanding is that they announced to the Hidden creek members today.  In the bylaws of the original membership agreement the members have first right of sale.  So if members step forward and want to buy it out they have the right.  (My guess on no insider intel is that is unlikely to happen).

[Jeff Loh]

If it's not official is it prudent to "announce" it on this web site?

[Kevin McLaughlin]

A fair question. 

[Nick Ribeiro]

If it's not official is it prudent to "announce" it on this web site?

Yes... Otherwise I woudn't have done it... 

[Jeff Loh]

Nick
Are you a spokesperson for the DN?

[Nick Ribeiro]

Nick
Are you a spokesperson for the DN?

Jeff,


I am NOT a spokesman for the DN, but what a job that would be!? Does any club in the world have that position??? Perhaps Augusta maybe? I have friends that are part of the Network and admire anyone who goes into business with a completely different model then what the industry is accustom to and finds niche success. I always assumed this was a "Discussion Group" as labeled and didn't know any news had to be presented in the form of a press release?


A friend of mine who is a member at Hidden Creek simply forwarded me an announcement from the Owner and an announcement from the Dornmie Network regarding the sale. I thought the news was exciting for many reasons, primarily the fact this will be the first North East Club in the network and the network now has 2 Coore Crenshaw designs.


Sorry for breaking the news to you.....

[Ed Brzezowski]

Good job Nick, once announced to the member of the club it's fair game.

ed

[Jeff Loh]

Have the members voted on it and agreed to sell?

[Don Tappan]

I am a member of the club and also got the notice yesterday.


The club has been solely owned by Roger Hansen so no vote to sell. However, as mentioned, the membership has a right to match an offer which they sent around a survey to gather expressions of interest.


I am most curious about how the club fits into the Dormie Network's set-up as "destination" clubs. A lot of the HCC membership is somewhat local folks who either live outside of Philadelphia or have houses along the Jersey Shore. But having access to some other stellar clubs would make some future vacations interesting.

[JESII]

From what I've heard of the Dormie Club business model, I expect Hidden Creek to be a great addition to their portfolio while delivering great value to the current and prospective local members of Hidden Creek.


Good stuff!

[Ronald Montesano]

Is Jeff Loh a lawyer? Tenacity was the first word that came to mind.

[John Kavanaugh]

As a Dormie Network member I am super excited about this addition. With the ongoing improvements in Atlantic City this club will be a huge draw for me and my fellow members. If anyone ever needs a fourth give me a call.


Just last night I was trying to convince my wife why we need to take the family to San Antonio for Christmas. Not this time but I have a feeling that by next year there will be a destination that even she can't resist.

[Kevin McLaughlin]

From what I've heard of the Dormie Club business model, I expect Hidden Creek to be a great addition to their portfolio while delivering great value to the current and prospective local members of Hidden Creek.


Good stuff!

I would agree with this sentiment.  A lot of members use HC as their second (third, etc) club so the model of Dormie Network would seem to fit that dynamic and offer additional opportunities to them.  My impression has been that Dormie has also invested in their member clubs a fair amount in both maintenance & amenities, so If pricing isn't material different, I could only see it as a positive for the majority of HC's membership.


JK, I am also am a member of the Network (joined this fall) would be very interested in planning a HC meetup (with the assumption the transaction goes through) with other GCA'ers in 2019.

[corey miller]

Kevin


What makes you think it could only be a positive for present HC members? 


I guess their dues could go down and they could have access to other properties but there are clear negative implications to having 100's of others with their guests visiting the club.


What I would be interested in knowing (and where the value may lie with current members), is to what extent they can continue to be "local", have all the same benefits (at roughly the same price) and then have access to the network. 

[Kevin McLaughlin]

Kevin

What makes you think it could only be a positive for present HC members? 

I guess their dues could go down and they could have access to other properties but there are clear negative implications to having 100's of others with their guests visiting the club.

In short, I am not as pessimistic about the prospects of the course being overrun by out of town play / guests more than to the extent it is today.   (Perhaps wrong, time will tell) My instinct is that members of the DN that are not within a reasonable driving distance playing on a singular day would be held in check by numbers of rooms available onsite.  Yes, people can stay elsewhere but a large appeal of the network is the luxury & benefits of staying onsite. 

[John Kavanaugh]

You always want to play with fellow members instead or renters. Play it like a rental is the motto of many concierge type clubs.

[John Kavanaugh]

While it never pays to be happy on the internet, I'll say that I am thrilled with every step the Dormie Network has taken at Victoria National since the purchase. For the first time in quite awhile I am excited for next year.


They even stocked the bar with Pappy.

[Mike Hendren]

They even stocked the bar with Pappy.

Even I have a bottle of the ten year.

Bogey

[John Kavanaugh]

Me too. But like I told them, Pappy classes a place up. It's a positive step.

[John Kavanaugh]

I also had the best Hot Brown of my life on Saturday when I was the only golfer of the day. It's always the little things that matter. Join for the food, stay for the golf. It's an old world model.

[Jay Mickle]

I also had the best Hot Brown of my life on Saturday when I was the only golfer of the day. It's always the little things that matter. Join for the food, stay for the golf. It's an old world model.

You played ansan single? How did that make you feel?

[John Kavanaugh]

I also had the best Hot Brown of my life on Saturday when I was the only golfer of the day. It's always the little things that matter. Join for the food, stay for the golf. It's an old world model.

You played ansan single? How did that make you feel?

That is an excellent question. I was feeling quite lonely when it dawned on me that I was experiencing the peace and quiet that I had always yearned for. Just as I settled into what could be a beautiful thing I came upon a redneck Christmas party just commencing in a nearby cottage. In the true spirit of the season I embraced their frivolity, lit up a cigar and toasted the innocence of their youth. I then promptly invited a friend to join me on Sunday. In other words, it was God awful.