What are the legal challenges to golf course redevelopment?
Legal challenges to golf course redevelopment are common and determining whether a course must stay a course often hinges on the restrictive covenants that apply to the course. Land use covenants restrict what landowners can do with their property.
What happens to golf courses when there are no golfers?
With fewer golfers paying to play the courses become unworkable, and ultimately, the homeowners surrounding courses are faced with the unknown. Through their HOAs, homeowners often engage in protracted, costly litigation to protect their backyard views and property values.
Does AB 672 threaten local control of public golf courses?
AB 672 is not one of them. It ignores locals control, threatens important programs and opened the door for future tax increases," Mayes said in a statement. Kessler said of the more than 1,100 golf courses in California, approximately 70% are public and 22% are municipal, meaning they are owned by either a city or a county.
Who is responsible for taking care of a golf course?
A golf superintendent is the one who is responsible for the routine maintenance and management of a golf course and golf facilities.
Who owns a golf course?
Ownership. Municipal courses are owned and/or managed by the city, town or county. Public courses are owned by individuals, real estate development companies, partnerships or corporations. Public courses may be owned by one entity and managed by another.
Are golf courses a waste of land?
Golf courses account for more than 5.1 million acres of land worldwide. That land that could be used as wooded areas, farmland, animal habits, wetlands and countless other activities that are far more useful to society than golf. Golf courses use 13 trillion gallons of water every year.
Are golf courses a good use of land?
One of those areas is golf courses. Recently, golf course land usage has become a topic of debate among environmentalists and golf advocates alike. Environmentalists argue that golf course land is not only a waste of space, but also harbors harmful impacts to the earth and environment, such as pesticide use.
How profitable is owning a golf course?
Profitable golf courses are generally selling for six to eight times EBITDA, while courses that aren't profitable tend to sell at 0.8 to 1.4 times revenue.
How do golf courses make money in the winter?
The most common income streams are green fees, membership fees, pro shop sales, and food and beverage sales. While increasing membership fees or green fees might seem like a good way to increase revenue, it might put off more golfers than the additional income earned.
Why golf is so bad for the environment?
Land Footprint Golf requires more land per player than any other sport. Environmentalists say that developers destroy natural habitats to build courses, removing native species and contributing to soil erosion and sediment runoff to nearby bodies of water.
Is golf Losing Popularity?
Golf is on the decline in America. That reality has finally smacked us in the face like a two-by-four. The number of core American golfers (those playing eight rounds or more per year) has fallen between three and 4.5 percent every year since 2006.
What does the average golfer spend per year?
Here's the crazy thing: A 2009 survey of the American golfer conducted by Golf Magazine found that the average golfer spent $2,776 per year on golf-related expenses. That means that, in real (aka inflation-adjusted) terms, the average golf spend in 2015 is not far off from the average spend in 1915.
How much of Earth is golf?
Estimates show that the amount of habitable land is about 24,642,757 square miles, so that would mean that about 0.016503835 % of the habitable land mass of Earth is covered by golf courses.
How many gallons of water does a golf course use?
In California, an average 18-hole golf course sprawls over 110 to 115 acres and conservatively uses almost 90 million gallons of water per year, enough to fill 136 Olympic-size swimming pools, said Mike Huck, a water management consultant who works with golf courses statewide.
What can you turn a golf course into?
Former golf courses are now being turned into residential areas, industrial spaces, parks, and detention ponds.
How many golf courses were privatized in Tucson?
The privatization was so successful that by the end of the year, the city privatized a sixth course. Neighboring Tucson, Ariz. also privatized five city-owned golf courses in January to help address the city’s $8 million annual budget shortfall.
What does selling a golf course mean?
Selling a golf course means no more deficits eating into city budgets. Let’s just do some crude math comparisons of what the city might get from various options: Current operations: Lose $200,000 or more per year; try to find money to fund improvements.
Is there a shortage of affordable golf courses?
Providing a golf course is not a core competency of city government. The area has no shortage of affordable golf courses that are open to the public. The only real question is what the city should do with the money-losing course.
Is golf open to the public?
As of 2010, the National Golf Foundation reported that the private sector owns about 80% of the U.S. golf courses that are open to the public (not counting private country clubs, etc.) Government-owned golf courses are a minor and unnecessary part of the market and often lose money. So it’s no surprise that privatizing golf courses is a popular option.
What does undervaluing a golf course in Seattle mean?
The undervaluing of the private Seattle Golf Courses means you, as a renter or homeowner, pay more property tax. Washington State property tax for a given parcel is based on two things: the government budget for a tax district and the value of the given parcel as a percentage of the value of all property.
How much is a golf course in Seattle worth?
Per the Department of Assessment, the golf course land is worth less than $5 million each. If we tack on the club buildings, the value of both golf courses amounts to $20.5 million. In 2019, Seattle brought in $15 million in fees from developers to pay for affordable housing. So let’s use 2020’s MHA funds to eminent domain ...
Is a parcel in Seattle worth more than one in King County?
So it stands to reason that a large undeveloped parcel in Seattle is worth more than one in rural King County. And indeed, the data backs this up. The most recent comparable sale used for golf courses is inside North Bend city limits, not far off I-90, and next to a park and river.
Should Seattle buy Sandpoint?
The City of Seattle should buy Broadmoor and Sandpoint golf courses via eminent domain, using MHA funds to do so, and convert them into housing and parks. Seriously. As The Seattle Times points out, buying new parks is normally extraordinarily expensive. But here’s an opportunity for us to buy parkland for cheap.
How many golf courses have closed down in the past decade?
In many parts of the country, golf courses are struggling to turn a profit: by some estimates, 800 have closed down in just the past decade.
How many golf courses have closed in 2018?
April 17, 2018. In many parts of the country, golf courses are struggling to turn a profit: by some estimates, 800 have closed down in just the past decade.
Where is Ocean Meadows Golf Course?
In the mid-1960s, developers dumped a million cubic yards of fill dirt on top of a thriving coastal wetland in central California to create the nine-hole Ocean Meadows Golf Course. Fifty years later, scientists know a lot more about wetlands’ crucial role in healthy habitat and climate resilience—and Californians are keen to connect to the coast. So in 2013, we helped purchase the flagging Ocean Meadows Golf Course and transfer the land to the University of California, Santa Barbara, which is leading a community effort to restore the buried wetland. Now called the North Campus Open Space, it forms a key link in a 600-acre stretch of connected coastal trails and open space.
Is Bergen County in the middle of the golf game?
According to the National Golf Foundation, Bergen County is smack in the middle of the most golf-crazy region in America. Just about nobody wanted to see the Emerson Golf Club close for good, and the Bergen County Parks Department—which operates five other public courses—knows a thing or two about the game. So when Emerson’s owners decided to sell, we worked with the county to acquire the land for the public. As the deal came to a close last year, one county administrator summed it up: "I think this is a win-win for Bergen County.”
What is a HOA in Florida?
A common model in Florida is for the community to be governed by a homeowners’ association (HOA) and the golf course is separately owned, operated and maintained by a golf club. There are two varieties of this model that developers commonly incorporate in an HOA’s Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (Declaration).
Is a community golf course profitable?
A community golf course benefits the entire community, although some non-golfer homeowners choose not to recognize it. Published data establishes that a profitable golf course favorably influences property values. However, this correlation between a profitable golf course and increased property values comes with consequences for homeowners when ...
Can a HOA fund a failing golf course?
HOA golf course ownership has not been without its share of controversy. Requiring homeowners to fund a failing golf course can expose the HOA to potential legal challenges from dissenting homeowners. There are various reasons that homeowners may disagree with the requirement of contributing to the operation and maintenance of a golf course.
Do all members of an HOA have to be members of a golf club?
Ultimately, without a requirement in the Declaration that all members of an HOA shall become members of the golf club and that they shall pay a golf club membership fee, the income generated at voluntary golf clubs is frequently inadequate to sustain the relatively high costs of operating and maintaining a golf course.
Is a golf club membership mandatory?
Under the first variety, members of the HOA are also mandatory members of the golf club. As mandatory members of the golf club, they are required to pay a golf club membership fee. Under the second variety, members of the HOA can voluntarily opt-in to become members of the golf club, but golf club membership is not a mandatory condition ...
Can a HOA acquire a golf course?
Some HOA’s have even acquired golf courses through passing amendments that annex the golf course to the HOA’s common area, and then HOA assessments collected for maintenance of the common area are used to help maintain the golf course. Because each HOA and its governing documents are different, and complex legal issues are involved, ...
Do homeowners have to pay for golf courses?
Some homeowners object to paying for a golf course that they do not use. They argue that they did not agree to pay a golf club membership fee when they purchased their home, and they claim they would not have purchased their home if paying a golf club membership fee was a condition of home ownership in the community.
What is the California golf course bill?
California Assemblymember Cristina Garcia is proposing legislation that would change the status of many municipal golf courses in the state, opening the land for residential housing. Garcia's bill , AB 672, targets municipal golf courses in high-density and park-poor areas and says municipal golf courses could be rezoned into housing developments ...
Is AB 672 a municipal golf course?
AB 672 is not one of them. It ignores locals control, threatens important programs and opened the door for future tax increases," Mayes said in a statement. Kessler said of the more than 1,100 golf courses in California, approximately 70% are public and 22% are municipal, meaning they are owned by either a city or a county.
Why are non golfers so conflicted?
There’s often a conflict because some demand financial independence of the clubs while others feel the community as a whole benefits from the club and all should support the club.
What happens if a club has the lowest dues?
If a club or community boasts about having the lowest dues, one can be certain that the level of services and the value in membership will be compromised. Often, a club has to choose between privacy/exclusivity and opening up to the outside.
What is a POA in golf?
July 16th, 2018. Many residential communities have homeowners associations (HOA’s) or property owners associations (POA’s) which govern architectural standards, common area maintenance and community rules. Since some have golf or club amenities, whether the HOA/POA owns the club or not it has a vested interest in the club’s economics.
What happens when a club is struggling?
In most cases, the owner/operator of the club requires a financial return (profit) and if the club is struggling, budget cuts are often employed to stop the bleeding, which can precipitate that decline.
Is it risky to open the gate to the outside?
In age-restricted communities there is often a concern for security and opening the gates to the outside can be perceived as risky. There is sometimes the option of simply raising the HOA dues given that all residents (whether they’re golfers or not) benefit from a thriving club in the community.
Does a HoA subsidize golf?
The HOA/ POA currently subsidizes the golf operations and seems to have established a limit as to how much they’re willing to contribute. Among the choices HOA’s/POA’s encounter are: Key to understanding the best way to go is comprehending the club’s “culture”.
Why are there lawsuits against Lakewood Township?
Homeowners adjacent to the 27-hole golf course have filed a lawsuit against Lakewood Township Committee, citing potential conflicts of interest and improper handling of the development plan. Department of Environmental Protection just approved a plan to build 1,034 homes on the site, but homeowners — mostly senior citizens — hope to stop ...
Is Lakota Canyon Ranch suing?
The Lakota Canyon Ranch recreation center, as pictured on the golf course development’s website.#N#Homeowners at New Castle’s Lakota Canyon Ranch and Golf Club are suing the development’s owner and homeowners association after they say the owner monopolized the HOA board and forced it to buy the community’s recreation center for more than it’s worth.
Why are third party golf courses the most easily redeveloped?
As a result, Third-Party Courses are the most easily redeveloped because there are no land use restrictions in place that restrict them to use as a golf course and the residents are unlikely to succeed in an action to restrict the course after it has been developed .
What is a third party golf course?
Third-Party Courses are distinct from Common Ownership Courses because the golf course developer was different from the planned community developer so there is no reliance argument that can be used to later restrict the course. As a result, Third-Party Courses are the most easily redeveloped because there are no land use restrictions in place that restrict them to use as a golf course and the residents are unlikely to succeed in an action to restrict the course after it has been developed.
Is a golf course a HOA?
In either event, there are times when a golf course appears to be an HOA Course, but the necessary land use restrictions do not exist.
Can a developer restrict golf course use?
For example, a developer of a golf course could restrict the land to only golf course use in perpetuity. Or, the developer could record a restriction requiring that the course be reserved as open green space whether people play golf on it or not. The different kind of land covenants result in three distinct types of golf courses.