Vanity Golf Courses - Personal, 1-Owner, Tiny Membership, Etc.

[hollabachgt]

[quote name='Mula' timestamp='1425315416' post='11061157']
[quote name='jptruck' timestamp='1425126236' post='11046191']
I was trying to remember the name of that one yesterday. Definitely fits the bill. Interesting that they are hosting events.

There's got to be more "backyard" courses out there. Hell, there's 2 within an hour of where i live. This is DC though
[/quote]

what two in DC are you referring to
[/quote]

Anne Arundel Manor would be one, the only other in the area I'm aware of would be the backyard pitching green RTJ built at Camp David.

[I_HATE_SNOW]

NOt sure if it fits the description, but kind of cool.

http://www.golfingnebraska.com/course_description/potter_prairiepines.shtml
Prairie Pines is Nebraska's only seven hole course. The greens are watered and roll slow. The fairways are not irrigated and the locals play winter rules through out the year. Number 3 is very drivable par 4 which gives the possibility for an eagle. However, the small pond that sits in front has swallowed up a lot of balls and hopes for good rounds. For the longer hitters the down hill number 6 is also drivable, but again there is a pond in front daring you to try.



Green Fees Weekdays Weekends Riding Carts 7 Holes $5.00 $5.00 $9.00 14 Holes $10.00 $10.00
$16.00



From what I've gathered, a couple of brothers have built this course and have added a hole every now and then.

[jptruck]

[quote name='hollabachgt' timestamp='1425320820' post='11061867']
[quote name='Mula' timestamp='1425315416' post='11061157']
[quote name='jptruck' timestamp='1425126236' post='11046191']
I was trying to remember the name of that one yesterday. Definitely fits the bill. Interesting that they are hosting events.

There's got to be more "backyard" courses out there. Hell, there's 2 within an hour of where i live. This is DC though
[/quote]

what two in DC are you referring to
[/quote]

Anne Arundel Manor would be one, the only other in the area I'm aware of would be the backyard pitching green RTJ built at Camp David.
[/quote]

This one is Upperville is a real sleeper. No information on it, anywhere. This is 30 minutes west of Dulles

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9822585,-77.8596002,1577m/data=!3m1!1e3

[crazy8golfer]

[quote name='Matt J' timestamp='1425177603' post='11050819']
I think Kenny Roger's ranch outside of Athens, GA. only has 9 holes. He lost in a bankruptcy around '97 or '98 if memory serves. I'd guess there are more private 9 hole layouts out there than you could shake a stick at.
[/quote]It only had 9 greens, but 18 different tees from different angles and lengths and yes, it was lost in bankruptcy.

[crazy8golfer]

[quote name='knock it close' timestamp='1425177900' post='11050849']
Sage Valley. Didn't the owner not get into Augusta and then decided to build Sage?

Alotian probably fits the bill aswell.
[/quote]You are correct and it's awesome !!

[knock it close]

[quote name='crazy8golfer' timestamp='1425326357' post='11062535']
[quote name='knock it close' timestamp='1425177900' post='11050849']
Sage Valley. Didn't the owner not get into Augusta and then decided to build Sage?

Alotian probably fits the bill aswell.
[/quote]You are correct and it's awesome !!
[/quote]Yea I heard Sage is real good, a good buddy played in the Junior Invitational their last year, said it was pure.

[Jaylasvegas]

This has been my dream ,I want to replicate Amen Corner on some land I will acquire I thought about doing 9 holes of various design but figured doing less holes but putting much more detail into it would probably work out better. also less land would be needed.

[jim rockford]

[quote name='hollabachgt' timestamp='1425315059' post='11061107']
There are not that many full 9 or 18 hole Estate courses across the country, but quite a number of hybrid courses that have not been mentioned

Shadow Creek - Oklahoma CIty, OK

Wildflower - Stuart Island, BC

Abramson - Blue Bell, PA

Frogs Breath - New Liskeard, Ontario

Schonfeld Estate - Old Westbury, NY

Asherwood - Carmel, IN

Coeur Du Boise - Caldwell, ID

Sunnylands - Rancho Mirage, CA

Pocantico Hills - Tarrytow, NY

Three Pond Farm - Bridgehampton, NY
[/quote]

forgot about dennis washington on bc island... so he and macaw have/had their own courses on BC islands. they both look nice. mccaw's looks really nice although the overhead photo suggests to me it isn't 18 holes and full length.

gonna check the frog's breath in new liskeard.... i assume that's peter grant (grant forest products)... i think he built a $70MM house in the middle of nowhere (i.e. no one else will buy it from him).....

[lumberman2462]

Regardless of who didn't get in whatever club and the motivations behind building your own personal golfing track....the best run clubs are generally those where one guy with a pile of money decides to build it and run it properly. Eventually financial circumstances change, founders die and their kids don't want to mess with it or any other number of unforseens happen and those clubs end up being run by a Board of Directors and that's about the time things go to @($#*.

I'm a National Member at a pretty nice place that was built by one guy. There is now an Advisory Board but everyone on there knows that it doesn't matter what it thought or said that the man that built our place is in charge....and Thank the Good Lord for that. Everything is is pristine and taken care of.

[jptruck]

Mine was started by a handful of guys, but one guy runs the show (rightfully so). That's not uncommon. The one-owner courses with little or no membership is truly an item for person that doesn't care if they start a bonfire with a couple of million bucks. I'd say most are vanity projects, but some are just for the really, really private person that wants their own playground and can afford it.

[oregongolf]

Ellerston Golf Club would certainly qualify.

[Duffner's Waggle]

I don't know numbers, so don't quote me, but The Honors course in Chattanooga Tennessee is one, IMO. I lived there for 10 years, and unless it was the Sr. Women's event they held or the NCAA Championships, you'd be hard pressed to find many who said they played it. If you volunteered for the womens' event you got a 1 day pass to play, but no guests and no amenities from what I understood.

The story around town goes that the guy wanted in to Augusta, think he was somehow tied in to the original Coca Cola folks, and ANGC told him no, so he built his own in Chatt. Caddies wear full length white jumpsuits, no carts. Supposed to be beautiful. I never had the chance to play.

[lumberman2462]

The exclusivity of The Honors has diminished over the years. Not impossible to get on anymore. It is an amazing track.....only problem is that it's in Chatanooga.

There's kind of a brotherhood amongst these high end places and some unwritten reciprocal rights: The Honors will let a group from the Golf Club of TN come down and then reciprocate.

There is also a network of former assistants that have moved up to head pro at another top notch club and they can usually get you on somewhere pretty exclusive. Obvioulsy there is a group of Top Tier places where that stuff rarely happens. You're not getting on Augusta or Pine Valley that way....or the super exclusive place in Carmel.

[jptruck]

Honors is a normal club. I have friends in their 30s that are members there, and have been for quite some time. It's really nice, but not in this category

[knock it close]

[color=#111111]Memphremagog (Magog, Quebec) and Domaine Laforest (Chavleviox, Québec)[/color]
Both built by the same guy. Domaine Laforest has no members and memphremagog has 50 at 200,000 initiation and 30,000 yearly dues.

Goodwood (Uxbridge, Ont.)
[color=#111111]Built by a Calgary oilman under 100 rounds there per year, no members[/color]

[jim rockford]

tim horton major shareholder ron joyce with a really nice course on/near ocean in nova scotia, canada... either his own course or very very small membership....

this is more of a very exclusive, semi-destination type course... but i see sagebrush, which i've seen very high in canadian ratings and 3 hours east of vancouver, isn't going to open as scheduled this year. big big financial problems. not well thought out from the beginning. going to sell small number of very expensive memberships in an area where no one lives and very few have vacation property. and also you can't play course if you aren't a member so i'd swear tons of potential members have never played it. too exclusive from the beginning... semi-contradicting myself but not that far from tons and tons of good courses where the population isn't that great and there isn't huge amounts of money.

[OrlandoSean]

Erin Hills started out this way for almost 18 months it was just for the owner his buddies...then he went broke.

[Slagathor]

[url="https://goo.gl/maps/JzXK8"]https://goo.gl/maps/JzXK8[/url]

Not sure what the name of this place is, but it belonged to the Craig McCaw family a few years back. Assuming it is still held within the clan.

[rbhan12]

Question, who owns Augusta National?

[avgjoe]

[quote name='Chile Dip Master' timestamp='1425147824' post='11047905']
[b]The Sanctuary [/b]in Colorado.... one owner and one member. It is owned by the owner of REMAX...rumor is he was not allowed into Castle Pines so he built his own course right down the road. Article from 97' .... turned down PGA event talks.

[i][url="http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/1997/04/07/story6.html?page=all"]http://www.bizjourna...6.html?page=all[/url][/i]
[/quote]



lol... I played in one of those charity events mentioned in the article

[jptruck]

[quote name='rbhan12' timestamp='1425906967' post='11107275']
Question, who owns Augusta National?
[/quote]

Not one person, thats' for sure. Who knows. It's probably a corporation. I doubt the membership owns it via "equity" stakes. The buy-in for that would too rich for even the wealthiest member of that club.

[G Ham]

I know a real estate tycoon built a sweet course on his estate next to Crooked Stick. I google earth stalked it once and it looked incredible! Very creative design with multiple ways to play it. It's currently forsale.

[hollabachgt]

[quote name='G Ham' timestamp='1426297551' post='11139749']
I know a real estate tycoon built a sweet course on his estate next to Crooked Stick. I google earth stalked it once and it looked incredible! Very creative design with multiple ways to play it. It's currently forsale.
[/quote]

It's called Asherwood

[Conrad1953]

Interesting thread! If I had billions, why not?

Does Willie Nelson have his own course, too? I think I
heard some sound from him about it a few years back
commenting on how each day he decides what "par"
is, lol.