By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities
Debgoonan@icloud.com
Homeowners, HOAs, and local governments debate what to do about struggling or dead golf courses in the U.S.
Homeowners near dry, overgrown golf course fear wildfire threat (CA)
Residents of the Adobe Creek HOA worry that four to five-foot tall dried grass creates a wildfire risk for their community. The Adobe Creek golf course has been shut down since 2017. It’s a public course with portions in Petaluma City limits, and other portions in the County.
While the current landowner is trying to gain approval for redevelopment including 55 new homes and a smaller executive golf course, the County’s Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District says it’s okay for the fields to go fallow, as long as the owner maintains a cleared fire buffer zone.
The HOA bears the burden of maintaining that buffer.
Homeowners probably never expected to pay a portion of their HOA fees to maintain a barrier between their homes and a fallow golf course.
Source:
Weeds at shuttered golf course worry neighbors
MATT BROWN
ARGUS-COURIER STAFF
August 18, 2019 12:01 AM
Business owner no longer cares what the HOA thinks, he’s selling the golf course (TN)
The golf course owner, Henry Luken, hoped that the HOA would buy the course. But very few homeowners of the Eagle Bluff community were active members when Luken decided to shut it down for good.
Luken accuses the HOA of doing everything in their power to make it difficult for him to rezone or redevelop the site, and says he no longer cares what homeowners think. He’s going to sell all 417 acres of land, whether they like it or not.
As the owner of several other golf courses in Tennessee, Luken says he’s tired of subsidizing operations at Eagle Bluff, to the tune of a quarter-million dollars each year.
As usual, homeowners insist that the main reason the golf course isn’t keeping memberships is because Luken has not maintained the grounds.
There may be a little bit of truth to both sides of the story. Clearly, there’s a total communication breakdown between Eagle Bluff homeowners and the owner of the golf course.
Sources:
Eagle Bluff golf course shuts down; Chattanooga businessman Henry Luken plans sale of 417-acre site
July 31st, 2019by Dave Flessner | Times Free Press
Eagle Bluff golf course in Harrison shuts down (TN)
by WTVC
Thursday, August 1st 2019
City Commissioners, Mayor kill $3.6 M deal to buy LPGA golf courses (FL)
Last month, C-Bons International Golf Group Inc., a Chinese company that owns 27 golf courses in the U.S., had a deal to buy two 18-hole golf courses at LPGA International (Daytona Beach) for $3.6 million.
But Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry and City Commission decided to delay their vote on transferring a $1 surcharge from the golf course’s current owner to C-Bons.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that local elected officials expressed reservations about selling the golf courses to a “foreign” company. They say that homeowners from the LPGA community fear that the new owner intends to redevelop the golf course and build new homes.
C-Bons insists that it’s in the golf business, and it was never interested in building new homes at LPGA.
GolfWeek reported that the deal was “likely dead,” after Daytona Beach City Commission insulted C-Bons. GolfWeek describes the company as “an American-based golf course management subsidy of a Chinese corporation.”
A week later, a short column in the Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Sports section confirmed that C-Bons has walked away from the deal, leaving the courses’ current owner, Consolidated-Tomoka, with little hope for a future buyer.
There’s no telling how long taxpayers will pay the consequences of open space land use restrictions agreed to in 1995.
Sources:
Daytona City Commission puts brakes on LPGA golf course sale
By Eileen Zaffiro-Kean
Posted Jul 18, 2019 at 8:53 AMUpdated Jul 19, 2019 at 11:36 AM
Deal to sell golf courses at LPGA headquarters likely dead
By: Bill Speros | July 18, 2019 2:35 pm | Golf Week
Another private Golf Club bites the dust (SC)
In a battle between homeowners of two Golf Country Clubs, Myrtle Beach City Council sided with Grand Dunes Members Club.
The owner and developer of the former Waterway Hills Golf Club. LStar Ventures, had plans to connect the two communities with a new private road crossing the Intracoastal Waterway. That plan would have allowed residents of the 888 future new homes — currently under construction —- to easily access Grand Dunes golf course.
But Grand Dunes homeowners wanted no part of it, and they made their wishes known at a recent Planning Commission meeting. That prompted a 4-3 vote by City Council against the connecting bridge.
Now LStar plans to convert Grand Dunes from a private club to a semi-private club, in order to boost earnings with fees from additional golfers.
Ah, but change is inevitable for homeowners and golf members in Grand Dunes. Either they’re going to see an increase in outside traffic on roads leading to the golf course, or they won’t. And if golf course revenue continues to fall, LStar may just decide to get out of the golf business.
Source:
‘The community will forever be changed’: Myrtle Beach votes down Grande Dunes project
BY ANNA YOUNG AND ALAN BLONDIN | The State
JULY 09, 2019 03:34 PM, UPDATED JULY 09, 2019 08:04 PM
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Golf Club members, HOA willing to make private contributions to preserve city’s 36-hole course (AZ)
Members of the Cañada Hills Community Association, a community of nearly 1,900 homes surrounding Oro Valley golf courses, propose making private contributions to keep the golf courses financially solvent.
Golf Club members say they’re willing to increasing their annual dues by ten percent, while the Cañada Hills HOA plans to raise its monthly fees by $9. Combined, these private subsidies could top $1 million, reducing taxpayer burdens for the city-owned golf courses.
Oro Valley leaders are mulling the offer, as they consider other factors affecting their annual budget decisions.
Homeowners in favor of the proposal say that, if they don’t help keep the golf courses afloat, the town may have to close 9 to 18 holes of the course, substantially reducing their property values.
As it currently stands, taxpayers subsidize the cost of the game for avid Oro Valley golfers. ♦
Source:
Local groups offer private subsidy to Oro Valley golf courses
Kathleen B. Kunz, Tucson Local Media
Jul 10, 2019