Posts tagged Course
Hunter heads for golf course, bids farewell to MSDC
Apr 1st
Roy Hunter planned to play golf Friday, April 1.
After almost 12 years serving as executive director of the Marshall-Saline Development Corporation, Hunter retired.
The past 12 years have had good moments — Hunter said his greatest accomplishment was the ConAgra expansion — and more than a little under the gun, an embattled leader on a ship that many people thought just couldn’t sail the stream.
During Hunter’s tenure, the nation experienced the Dot Com bubble bursting, 9/11 and the great recession.
“Three years ago, we knew it was coming, but we didn’t know how bad,” Hunter said. “But we reached that cliff and it becomes difficult to determine if what you are doing is the right thing or if you throw it all out and start again.
“It was very frustrating. In an already difficult environment, it made it more intolerable. You can’t let up. You have to stay out there. You have to keep pushing. If you aren’t out there, you’re not visible and people don’t know about you. Ninety nine percent of the people don’t know anything about Marshall. You have to resell Marshall every time.”
Economic development professionals have a high burnout rate, Hunter said. At almost 12-years, Hunter is an old-timer in the business.
“I give credit to all the other people in all the other communities who are economic developers,” Hunter said. “If you haven’t done it, it is the worst absolute worst sales job a man or lady could ever want. If you want to go into marketing and someone said take a look at economic development and you seriously looked at it, you ought to have your head examined. If you look at your failure rate, it is horrendous.”
Hunter got his start selling ag.
“My thought was it would always take you five visits to that farmer’s place to convince him he should at least try your product. And that was tough. Your success rate in this is so poor. If you’re in a rural community you are going to get beat up 99.99 percent of the time. And the project you lose takes just as much time as the project you win.”
And that is why the turnover in economic development is so high, Hunter said. “It’s hard to keep yourself up, keep yourself focused. It is easy to get depressed.”
For his critics during the past 12 years, Hunter says, “If you haven’t done this job, you don’t have a clue. I don’t begrudge anybody for having unkind things to say because they don’t know. They don’t know the difficulties of the position or the complexities. It is a difficult position and you are graded on your successes.”
Achieving success in the turbulent times of the 21st Century’s first decade hasn’t been easy, but Hunter says Saline County and Marshall specifically are in a strong position to come out of the recession.
“We haven’t been hit as hard as other communities,” he said. “There have been communities and states that have been hurt a lot more than us and that desperation causes them to give more than they would otherwise. Although you have to be as competitive as you can, this community has never wanted to give so much that it took away from our citizens, our taxpayers or our existing businesses.”
Hunter didn’t say it directly, but he was obviously referencing the recent coup achieved by Moberly when the city snatched a project for which Marshall was a finalist by taking on an obligation for millions of dollars in bonds. At the time, Hunter questioned if the deal was even legal.
Going forward, Hunter sees strong potential for MSDC.
“They are in a reorganization process. They are engaging in planning and focusing their efforts — it should be successful. The key is that people continue to be a part of promoting the community for development. It can’t be one person sitting here or the directors, it has to be everybody doing their part. Everything matters when it comes to the choice of your community over another community.”
For the future, Hunter said he expects to remain involved with the community and maybe do some consulting.
“I have some entrepreneural ideas I’d like to follow up on,” he said. “Project Little Rock.”
The office and title have changed, but Hunter is still scouting opportunity.
Contact Patrick Nolan at pnolan@marshallnews.com
From www.marshallnews.com
UPDATED: Men jailed over Brighton golf course murder
Mar 31st
UPDATED: Men jailed over Brighton golf course murder
12:50pm Thursday 31st March 2011
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A drug user who killed and then disposed of his victim’s body on a golf course has been jailed for 19 years.
Sean Iran, 21, of St Richard’s Road, Portslade, was found guilty of killing heroin addict Stefan Welch by a jury at Lewes Crown Court earlier on this afternoon. He was also found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
His father Babak Iran, 44, and brother Navid Iran, of the same address, were jailed for seven and six years respectively, after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
Mr Welch’s burnt body was found on the Dyke Golf Course, Brighton, between the 17th and 18th holes, on September 4 last year.
The 36-year-old had sustained ‘catastrophic brain trauma’ caused by a heavy blunt object and probably died in less than an hour.
The day before he died, he had spoken to his probation officer about his drug debts and said he had been threatened over them.
The Irans will all be sentenced at 2pm today.
Would you like to pay tribute to Mr Welch? Call Anna Roberts on 01273 533529 or email anna.roberts@theargus.co.uk.
From www.theargus.co.uk
NDP proposes golf course for VG, commercial centre for Gun Greek
Mar 23rd
REPORT A TYPO | SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK | TEXT SIZE | PRINT | SAVE | EMAIL Dr. Hurbert O’Neal. Photo: VINO
ROADTOWN Tortola, BVI, March 23rd 2011 – Speaking on NDP Radio programme last evening Monday March 21, 2011, 9th District Candidate under the NDP’s slate Dr. Hubert O’Neal disclosed that the golf course will be the first for the Virgin Islands which everyone will take advantage of and it will come as a complimentary to the developments in the North Sound, including Oil Nut Bay, Little Dix and the other villas.
Dr. O’Neal said “this is my development trust” and once his party is successful he will be very instrumentally involved in the development of the “whole North Sound area” also and the Gun Greek Port of Entry as a commercial centre.
The 9th District candidate explained that with all the traffic of Oil Nut Bay, Biras Creek and the other resorts passing through Gun Greek, it is an opportunity for the people to set up businesses in the area.
He added that the NDP will develop the infrastructure and commercial spaces to set up restaurants, gift shops and other businesses to support such an initiative.
Dr. Hurbert O’Neal. Photo: VINO
Dr. O’Neal further stated that with the NDP’s trust to develop Virgin Gorda, it will raise the tourism level for the island and opportunity for its people to improve their financial spending.
He said he has the vision of transforming Virgin Gorda into a “commercial paradise”, a plan which could be the “grand development” that Leader of the Opposition Dr. D. Orlando Smith often speaks of.
Dr. Smith, who was also a guest on the programme, stated that it was very important to have Gun Creek as a Port of Entry which will immediately increase the activities in that area. He also pointed out the need for a sea plan dock at Gun Creek as another area his party will be looking at.
The last time the subject of a golf course for the Virgin Islands surfaced, it was related to the five-star resort and development that was slated for Beef Island of which the golf course was to be a part of the project. The project became a highly controversial issue that has since been subject to legal barriers.
In 2009, after a two-year legal battle, the Virgin Islands Environmental Council (VIEC) won their case, where Justice Indra Hariprashad-Charles handed down a judgment finding the approval of the Beef Island Project to be illegal.
The two year legal battle began in July 2007 when VIEC, filed an application in the High Court seeking judicial review of the January 2007 decision by former Chief Minister, Hon D Orlando Smith granting planning approval to Quorum Island BVI Limited to construct a 5 star hotel, marina and golf course on Beef Island.
The golf course and marina were located next to and partially within the Hans Creek Fisheries Protected area.
Justice Charles ruled on September 21, 2009 that Hans Creek is a Fisheries Protected area within the meaning of the Fisheries Act which provides that no development activity can take place which may or is likely to adversely affect a fisheries protected area. Any contravention of the Regulations is an offence under the law.
She ruled that since certain aspects of the proposed development activity are certain to adversely affect the protected area, the planning approval was thereby rendered illegal.
However, the developers can re-submit a a planning proposal for the Beef Island development and the Government can approve such a proposal once it is within the law.
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From www.sknvibes.com
Pinellas commission to decide fate of Airco Golf Course
Mar 22nd
By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: March 22, 2011
Updated: 47 min. ago
CLEARWATER – The Pinellas County Commission is expected to decide this morning whether to shut down the Airco Golf Course, an 18-hole public facility next to the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.
County Administrator Robert LaSala is recommending the board shut down the course as of May 16 because it has been losing money, according to a memorandum LaSala wrote the board.
The golf course opened in 1961 and was privately operated through a lease with the county. When the lease ended in 2001, it was agreed the county would operate the course on an interim basis while officials figured out the best use of the land as it related to the airport.
A study was conducted, and the board heard the results in 2008.
Airport director Noah Lagos told the board that, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, revenues from the operation of the airport could not be diverted to support a public golf course.
That meant the golf course had to be financially self-sustaining, which hasn’t been the case. According to LaSala’s memorandum to the commission, fewer rounds of golf have been played at Airco with each succeeding year.
From fiscal 2002 through fiscal 2007, Airco averaged about 44,000 rounds of golf a year. In fiscal 2008, a decline began, with 42,470 rounds played. In 2009, 36,040 rounds were played. In fiscal 2010, Airco had 28,761 rounds played.
As a result, less money has been made. In fiscal 2008, there was net income of only $611, LaSala’s memorandum said. In 2009, Airco experienced an operating loss of $133,957, and in fiscal 2010, $216,955.
From July 2001 to September 2010, Airco has lost $572,417, his memorandum said.
“Significant reductions have been made to operating expenses over the past three years, but the loss of round play could not be overcome,” LaSala wrote.
“During the first quarter of fiscal year 2011, Airco lost $81,089,” the county administrator wrote. “It is anticipated that if Airco were to continue to remain open for the remainder of the fiscal year, the loss could once again reach or exceed $100,000.
“However, by terminating its operation on May 16, 2011, at the completion of the normally busy spring season, the golf course is projected to lose $10,000 to $15,000,” LaSala wrote.
Stay with TBO.com for updates.
From www2.tbo.com
Boys accused of damaging golf course
Mar 19th
3/19/2011
By ERIN MATHEWS Salina Journal
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Two 15-year-old boys were arrested Thursday, accused of causing thousands of dollars of damage overnight at Salina Municipal Golf Course, the East Crawford Recreation Area concession stand and a nearby construction site.
Daniel A. Sims, of Abilene, and Tristen J. Howard, 737 Fairdale No. 5A, were released to the custody of their parents, said Capt. Mike Sweeney, of the Salina Police Department.
Sweeney said police were called to the golf course at 6:21 a.m. on a report of burglary and criminal property damage. While at the golf course, an officer saw two juveniles driving a club utility cart on the course, Sweeney said.
The boys took off on foot and the officer lost them, he said. Two bookbags full of candy were found on the course, he said. One of the bags contained information that assisted police in locating the suspects, Sweeney said.
Sweeney said the candy, some cash and assorted soft drinks had been stolen from the East Crawford Recreation Facility concession stand at 1201 Markley.
A serving window was damaged, as well as a metal roll-away door and frame, and the padlock on a cooler and large tote, Sweeney said. Loss and damage at the concession stand was estimated at $810.
Trucks, utility carts damaged
At the municipal golf course, a window air conditioning unit was pushed in to gain entry to a maintenance building, where keys to a 1970 Dodge truck and a 1999 Ford F250 truck were obtained, Sweeney said.
An overhead door was opened and three utility carts were removed. All three carts were damaged and all three were found on the course, Sweeney said. Damage to the carts was estimated at $10,000.
A padlock on a fuel hose was cut and 25 gallons of gas had been pumped into the carts, he said.
Tracks on the grass and turf of the course showed that both trucks had been driven on the course. The 1970 truck was not damaged, but the 1999 truck sustained about $3,000 worth of damage to the front bumper area and the undercarriage, where fluids were leaking, Sweeney said.
About 300 feet of grass and turf were damaged by tire tracks, two flag sticks were broken and the cup on Hole 18 was torn out of the ground, Sweeney said. Three trash cans and benches were damaged, and one trash can and one bench were thrown into a pond.
Total damage at the golf course was estimated at $14,184, Sweeney said.
Fence run over
At 1204 Larkspur, William Sheppard, owner of Sheppard Construction, reported that 420 feet of silt fence placed around a construction area appeared to have been run over with a golf cart.
Also, a construction trailer on the site had been accessed through an air vent. Damage at the construction site was estimated at $2,050.
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From www.saljournal.com
Some or all of Wicomico golf course may be privatized
Mar 18th
Some or all of Wicomico golf course may be privatized As first step, bids likely to be solicited for contract to run restaurant and bar operations at county-owned facility Friday, March 18, 2011
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Some or all of the operations at St. Mary’s county-owned golf course may be privatized, despite support of its neighbors to keep it under day-to-day county government control.
For years, Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R) has pushed to stop the county government from running the restaurant and bar at the Wicomico Shores Golf Course. Commission President Jack Russell (D) said this week it’s likely that operation will be put out for private bids.
“It’s time to be looking at this,” Jarboe said Wednesday. “I’ve consistently said we need to look at the bar and the restaurant” and now perhaps even the entire golf course, he said.
Jarboe has long opposed St. Mary’s County government’s holding a liquor license at the golf course. He said the county shouldn’t be enforcing alcohol laws while serving booze. “It never seemed to make logical sense to me,” he said.
“Sometimes as you say things at the table and you say them enough people start to recognize ‘let’s look at this,’” Jarboe said.
In recent years, the Riverview restaurant and clubhouse has been losing money, but those losses have been covered by golfing fees. In fiscal 2010, the restaurant lost more than $65,000. The restaurant had its own food and beverage manager for a time, whose salary was about $48,000. He was let go in 2009.
Phil Rollins, director of the St. Mary’s County Department of Recreation and Parks, said he expects the restaurant to come close to breaking even soon.
The Wicomico Shores Golf Course Advisory Board met last week about privatizing operations there. “They don’t think it’s the right time to do it,” Rollins said. About 40 people from the Wicomico Shores neighborhood attended the meeting. When asked if any supported privatization, “No one put their hands up,” Rollins said.
“I think we’re going to shave a lot off the [food service] deficit from last year,” he said. The latest deficit was $55,874.
The golf operations there are self-supported; no tax dollars are used.
As for the request for privatization, Rollins said, “My sense is they’re really looking at the restaurant.”
Whoever has the liquor license at the clubhouse also needs to have it for the golf course. There can’t be two licenses on the same property, Rollins said.
The license has been under Rollins’ name for 22 years and there has never been a reported violation there, he told the commissioners last month.
Jarboe, for the 13th time, voted against the liquor license renewal, which costs $603.
jbabcock@somdnews.com
From www.somdnews.com
March Meadows golf course on the block
Mar 18th
Forty years ago, Jim Peterson and some partners mowed down a massive field near Lake Cowichan and paved the way for the March Meadows nine-hole golf course.
Now, ready to play more golf and relax a little, Jim and Carol Peterson have put the course and the chance to carve another nine holes out of the landscape up for sale to a new generation.
“We love our golf course. We are very emotionally tied to it and it’s a hard thing to do to walk away,” said Carol Peterson. “But there comes a time when you have to look at reality and we would truly like to see somebody come in and continue with a progression of things.
“We just feel somebody new would probably advance it more, we are getting to the point it’s becoming a bit too much for us.”
The course, which the Petersons have been part of since Day 1, has the claim to fame of being the course where Dawn Coe-Jones mastered the game.
Coe-Jones, who joined the LPGA tour in 1983 and was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2003, still has an annual junior tournament at the course. Peterson said there is plenty of room for another nine holes on the 50-hectare property, but the kind of time and effort required to make that happen is best left to a new generation of owners.
The property is listed at $1.95 million and includes the 3,259-yard course, a licensed clubhouse, pro shop, practice green and practice range.
There has been plenty of early interest, according to Ross Marshall of DTZ Barnicke, which has had the property quietly listed since late fall.
“We’ve had a reasonably good response considering we haven’t done a big push,” he said, noting advertising and promotion will increase as the weather improves.
Marshall said interest has come from investors who simply see 50-hectares for less than $2 million and from golf pros and course owners from out-of-province who see an owner-operator opportunity in a region where golf can be played year-round.
“There is also a lot of potential to increase income through the clubhouse and pro shop,” he said, adding the Petersons never really pushed the course on the tourism industry meaning there is a lot of room to grow. “There is definitely an opportunity to improve income.”
As for expansion, Marshall said the Petersons have already mapped out what another nine holes would look like. However, Marshall noted establishing a residential component of any size could be more difficult. “As far as substantial residential development you would have to go through rezoning and dealing with [the Agricultural Land Reserve],” he said.
The property currently carries tourist-commercial zoning and golf course-agricultural zoning.
Peterson said the timing for expanding the course is probably good considering the growth near Lake Cowichan.
“The place is changing, there are people coming to retire here and people building homes around the lake. In a few years it will be very different especially if the development of the Youbou lands gets going,” she said. “It will be a real positive thing.”
The Petersons, who intend to continue to live in the area, expect to play more golf, garden and relax.
aduffy@timescolonist.com
From www.timescolonist.com
Osceola golf course upgrade in full swing
Mar 12th
The city’s golf course has a drastic overhaul teed up and ready to go.
Osceola Municipal Golf Course will close on Tuesday as a $750,000 renovation begins. It is scheduled to reopen on Sept. 1, which would have the course up and running for the cooler, more golf-friendly fall months.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Mayor Ashton Hayward, who took part in an official ground-breaking ceremony at Osceola on Friday afternoon. City Council members Maren DeWeese, Ronald Townsend and P.C. Wu were also in attendance, along with city parks and recreation staff.
“We’re going to be able to generate more revenue and it’s going to be a better golf course,” Hayward said. “For me, with golf being something that has always taught me a lot of things, it’s very special that we’re doing this for the community and the region.”
The renovation will be the first significant improvement to the facility since a new clubhouse was built in 2000. Osceola has long been budget-friendly with greens fees at $35 or less, but it has also been the area’s most outdated track.
“Every golf course has to have a certain level of playability, and I think we’ve dropped below that,” City Parks and Recreation Director David Flaherty said. “There are some courses (that operate) with much higher playability. We need a certain standard of playability, and (the renovations will) allow the modest golfer, the young golfers, the senior golfers and retirees a playable golf course which they enjoy coming to. And you price it right, and it’s a place you can go to on a regular basis.”
Designed by Ponte Vedra Beach-based Signature Golf Design and constructed by Daytona Beach-based Lepanto Gold Construction, the project will address several key issues on the 86-year-old course:
n For the first time in its history, Osceola will add a full-length, 1-acre driving range. It will have the ability to accommodate up to 70 golfers at once, making it one of the largest facilities in the area.
“The range that we’re building is going to be one of the best in the area,” said Osceola course manager Adrian Stills, who also cited a better ability to accommodate youth golf programs, like The First Tee of Northwest Florida, with the new range. “There’s nothing like it on this side of town and there won’t really be anything like it in Pensacola. It’s going to be a win for the amount of service we can do for people out here and it’s going to be a financial win for us also.”
From www.pnj.com
Clanton council purchases part of golf course, another lot
Mar 11th
Clanton council purchases part of golf course, another lot By Stephen Dawkins Published 6:55pm Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Clanton City Council voted to purchase two pieces of land at a meeting Thursday—though one of the purchases was strongly opposed by one councilmember.
The council decided to purchase 23 acres of land from the Clanton Country Club for $260,000. The land is basically what the golf course, which is facing financial woes, uses for a driving range, according to discussion at the meeting, which was moved up from March 14 because of spring break.
Though the city would own the land, councilmembers indicated the country club would continue to operate the driving range.
In voicing opposition to the purchase, councilman Jeff Price said he couldn’t justify spending that amount of money when residents have problems like potholes and streetlights that are out.
Price said the purchase will put the city in a predicament because it won’t be able to do anything with the land in the future without hurting the golf course.
“I don’t want the golf course to fail, but I don’t see how this benefits the city in any way,” Price said.
Price also disagreed with the principle of giving more money to a group—the course is owned by 26 stakeholders—that has found itself in debt.
Mayor Billy Joe Driver and councilmembers Greg DeJarnett, Bobby Easterling and Mary Mell Smith all voted for the purchase.
Price voted against it, and councilmember Bobby Cook abstained because he is a stakeholder in the course, he said.
Councilman Greg DeJarnett voiced concerns over the future of the city’s money.
“If it’s not (well managed), and you are back in here in a year or two years and I’m still on this council, I have a good, good idea for which way my mindset is going to be,” DeJarnett said to course officials attending the meeting at Clanton City Hall.
The council also voted, unanimously, to purchase about two acres of land off Second Avenue for $40,000.
The land could be used to build a recreation center similar to the one the city owns off Lay Dam Road.
In other business, the council:
•Voted to participate in the state sales tax holiday in August.
•Hired Evan Moates and Caleb Driver as part-time employees to help at City Park during the summer.
•Hired Darrell Bone, Derrick Bone, Tara Mayfield, Jessica Mims and Charlie Sanders as part-time police officers.
•Endorsed the Public Safety Technology Fund, a local initiative that, upon approval by the Alabama Legislature, would add $10 onto the cost of court fees for citations and arrests in the county for local police departments’ technology funds.
•Heard complaints about road conditions, the lack of streetlights, an ongoing sidewalk project and other issues from four Lomax residents who live on Old Henry Road, Reed Street and Carver Avenue.
From www.clantonadvertiser.com
Woods maintains family time keeping him off course
Mar 10th
DORAL, Fla. — Tiger Woods often says he needs more work, getting additional reps with a golf swing he’s changing from driver to putter. Yet his schedule hasn’t added one stop since his return from a scandal-induced hiatus 11 months ago.
The reason: Family time. Or at least a single father’s time with his kids.
“I have a family,” Woods said succinctly when the topic was broached after this morning’s practice round at the TPC Blue Monster. “I’m divorced. If you’ve been divorced with kids, then you would understand.”
Woods has played just nine competitive rounds entering this week’s WGC-Cadillac Championship — not atypical for recent years, but contradictory to what he has been saying since starting work with swing coach Sean Foley.
“Unfortunately, I just haven’t been able to carry it to the golf course yet at a consistent level,” he said. “I hit spurts of it where it’s really good, and then I lose it for a while.”
There had been talk that Woods might enter last week’s Honda Classic, especially with his pending move to a 12-acre estate nearby on Jupiter Island. Previous commitments, though, nixed that.
Ditto for next week’s event near Tampa, according to agent Mark Steinberg. Woods’ next stop almost certainly will be the Arnold Palmer Invitational, near his Isleworth home outside Orlando.
Amateur shift: The U.S. Golf Association is changing its traditional date for the U.S. Amateur, moving it up a week to reduce an overlap with the first week of most colleges’ fall semester.
Starting in 2012 at Cherry Hills, the Amateur will end on the third Sunday of August. As the competition has evolved to mostly a college-age field, more and more players were missing classes.
“Our intent is to give students a chance to compete and begin their fall class schedules on time,” USGA competition chief Jeff Hall said.
Tap-ins: Reigning U.S. Amateur champ Peter Uihlein, preparing for his Masters debut, has accepted a sponsor invite to next week’s Transitions Championship. … Pinehurst No. 2, named to host both the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open in 2014, has reopened after a yearlong project to restore parts of the Donald Ross layout to original dimensions.
— Jeff Shain
From www.chicagotribune.com
