A private investor purchased the Rochester, N.Y., golf club, which operated as a nonprofit before the Board of Directors opted to sell. The club can now host public functions to generate additional income, which was legally limited when it had tax-exempt status.
A proprietary water desalination system developed by STW Resources Holding Corp. is converting 700,000 gallons of brackish water into freshwater daily for the Midland, Texas club. The system uses technology adapted from oil and gas fields to produce rainwater-quality H2O for fairways and greens.
The Rio Rancho, N.M., club is scheduled for an online property auction on May 29, with a minimum bid of $850,000, or a little more than $3,600 per acre. A city assessment using 2010 data indicated the club would need $5 million of improvements, plus $1.5 million a year in operating expenses.
Equity members of the Winter Haven, Fla., club voted to sell the club to a new equity group for $50,000 apiece, and reopen the property as the Country Club of Winter Haven. Plans for a $4 million redesign of the golf course, two clubhouses and tennis courts hinge on the deal, but if not enough new members buy in, the club could go up for sale.
Paul Scheiwiller and Tom Holtsberry formed a partnership to buy the Lima, Ohio golf course, combining five courses under one ownership group. Through the new partnership, the owners hope to bring golfers multi-course memberships, traveling leagues, tee time flexibility and custom outings, while keeping operational costs down.
Golf course operators in the Port Huron area are hoping for rain and warm nights to hydrate courses and try to compete with last year’s early season opening numbers. Some managers are hoping that a rough winter and slow start to spring will have golfers even more excited to hit the links once the weather cooperates.
Improvements at the Bandon Trails golf course, construction of a large putting course known as “Punch Bowl,” and new decking for the clubhouse round out the latest list of updates for the Bandon, Ore., golf resort. Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore redesigned Bandon Trails’ 18th hole, lowering the dune and green, and softening a severe slope after guests frequently noted the hole’s difficulty.
Under the new pricing structure at the Scottsdale, Ariz., club, the cost of membership will fluctuate according to supply and demand rather than a set initiation fee. The member-owned and controlled club’s Board of Directors unanimously agreed to put the new strategy in place, and the President noted that other North Scottsdale golf clubs “have seen positive outcomes” from the same approach.
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