Reality Bites

Rock Outcroppings on the 12th at Stone Canyon

It is a harsh reality for our industry to swallow that golf is in a desperate fight for survival. In addition to the modern day challenges of disposable time for both the avid and recreational customer, the opportunity for new courses to appear within the landscape came to a screeching halt over the past 4 years with the downfall of the credit market that in prior times blindly doled out cash for ill-fated projects using golf as a catalyst to build real estate developments.
You all know what I'm talking about. Take a drive through any large community and see green fairways paired with empty lots and deserted parking lots. You may even see a few trailers operating as a "temporary clubhouse" and even a gravel parking lot as a former sign of a transition period before "things get better."

Well, for the case of Stone Canyon in Missouri, it didn't get any better, and now the bank is the proud owner of a busted development and golf course. Its a shame to see projects like this happen, but unfortunately, there's all too many out there with many more on the way to the morgue in communities all over the country. Our industry followed the "build a new golf course everyday" advice that was so improperly given from the industry experts, only to see stagnant player growth, and what is now a sad tale of the piper coming to town calling.

 I joined a friend of mine, Bill Cromwell, who authors a local golf publication for a round at Stone Canyon. The site was the former Jackson County landfill that was a reclamation project from a previous developer and the Greg Norman design group. The original purpose of the project was to provide the area with an upscale residential development with a private club featuring a named-designer.

It sounds sooooo 2000.

Oops. Its 2011.

I won't get into details on the overall rationale behind the project other than this:

1. The developer was not a golfer
2. The area was completely overbuilt in the past 5 years with new daily-fee facilities in a market where the average household income does not exceed $60,000.


3. They were trying to get $15,000 (well over 5 times market price) for their new masterpiece.

4. The golf course was to be a "core" experience with the majority of houses located adjacent to the lay-out.



A great opener at Stone Canyon



In this area of the country, the natural limestone outcroppings, creeks, foliage, and elevation change offers a lot of intrigue for which I see the Norman group liking in exchange for working on a former landfill site. As I mentioned, the overall operation was to be a private club with a core golf experience featuring residences close by. After playing the facility, the one thing that truly struck me was the space between holes. The developer gave the group a TON of space to work with, and it still featured a cart-only course (walking would KILL you) that had 400-500+ yard breaks between holes. Other than not knowing the environmental challenges, I simply don't understand why the lay-out was provided in such a rugged fashion for what was going to be a members-only course. Who wants 7,000+ yards from the back with massive breaks between holes that only offer a challenged "hike" during the transition? Sherpas for hire? It just doesn't make sense.

So we fast-forward to today. The Club opened in 2009 as a private facilty and is now in the hands of the bnk just a short 24 months later. It is being operated as a daily fee facility, and it will be a tough road ahead. A difficult golf course with highly undulated greens, elevation changes, extensive bunkering, and forced carries will decimate the average golfer's scorecard. Yes, there are some pretty holes out there, but the reality for the new owner is staggering: You are buying a difficult golf course with no clubhouse in a market that will not support you at a sustainable fee level.

Holes of Note:

Hole 1:  A great opening hole by any standards. The downhill, dog-leg welcomes the player with an elvated tee shot and a solid approach as you arrive to the green. The fairway is nestled in a valley surrounding by native trees and limestone outcroppings. Its a great opportunity to start your round off with a birdie.



Green-side at Stone Canyon's 12th

 Hole 5: Although simliar to many of the par 3's throughout the layout, the mid-length hole features a very strong-set green site with a ton of undulation and a smart bunker on the front right.

Hole 12: Its a pretty hole, but suprisingly short. This par 4 features a green settled amidst a limestone-wall amphitheature and a punishing green which is surrounding by ominous bunkers.

Hole 18: The only question I have is WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?? The driving range is located right next to the hole completly un-protected giving players a view of a largely un-finished range...not the impression you are looking to finish on.

Overall, the course offered some interesting features, but gave me yet another working example of the nightmare for which 1990's golf offers....a graveyard.

VERDICT:  Whoever is inspired to purchase this property next will have a tough road. In addition to needing to build a clubhouse that will be able to accomdate group events for business (add another $1million+) and a difficult lay-out, Stone Canyon's fate may be unclear for sometime. There are some good holes out there, I just couldn't make sense of the routing and wasted space.