How to Develop a Golf Course Master-Planned Community
Many avid golfers and others dream of having a home on a golf course and permanent lifetime membership to the clubhouse so they can play golf every day. If you love the sport of golf, you also love to play it, be near a golf course, and hang out with others that like to play it also.
Houston has many terrific golf courses because, except for the winter time, the average temperature for spring, summer, and fall is around 70ºF and there are about 250 sunny days each year. The popular ones include Augusta Pines, BlackHorse Golf Club, Brook Park Golf Course, Clear Creek Golf Club, Columbia Lakes Resort, Cypresswood Golf Club, Eagle Pointe, Golf Club of Houston, Gus Wortham, Hermann Park Golf Course, and many others.
Golf Course Development
Many master-planned communities start with a major PG golf course as their focal point to attract residents. Lots on or near a golf course are highly desirable. Living next to a golf course is like having acres of your lawn taken care of by expert maintenance so that it is always fresh and green.
To create a new golf course development you need land and lots of it. The average golf course that is the PGA championship style of 18 holes or more needs about 150 acres of land and about half of that land will be maintained as turf, with the greens and tees needing special care. When designing a new golf course, besides acquiring enough land, the main consideration is having an ample supply of water.
Golf Course Designer
Many professional golfers, who established themselves as world champions, extend their careers by offering to put their name on a new golf course. One of the most famous ones is the Arnold Palmer Design Company named after one of the most famous (before Tiger Woods) golfers of all times.
Water Resources
Access to water for irrigation is critical to have a lush green golf course. The water can be reclaimed and reused from municipal sources. If the course is located near the coastline, even sea water can be used. There are strains of grass that have been successfully installed that are resistant to the toxicity of the salt from sea water.
Location
You will want your new golf course to be near enough to a major metropolitan area (within one hour’s drive), but outside of its legal jurisdiction. County regulations are much easier to gain approval for a new golf course than working with the severe permitting process within a municipality.
The idea is to establish a brand new community and use the golf course as it main attractor. This has been done in many parts of the USA, including desert land surrounding Las Vegas that was turned into thriving communities by using a golf course to attract residents.
Financing
The real estate bust in 2006 caused financing of new golf course developments in the USA to come to a standstill. The U.S. markets have recovered and it is now possible to get financing for a new golf course development. The houses need to be priced well to attract new residents and there needs to be plenty of advance sales of empty lots to support the roll-forward of the financing for the build-out of the new community.
Summary
It is not easy to create a new community based on a golf course; however, it has been done hundreds of times before. It helps to partner with a major landholder so that the carrying costs of the land are not a burden. Then it is a matter of marketing to attract enough buyers to pre-sell lots, contract for the building of custom homes, and pay for membership in the golf club in order to make the project viable.