Bulldozing Shaw Nee Slopes golf course in Calgary?

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Golf course sale fought

The owners of a second-rate course want to turn it into housing. There are some million dollar homes on that course. I wonder what they will be worth once the putting green behind them becomes a parking lot.

I have lived in the area all my life. The owners have been staging this for years - though local speculation has always been the course would be taken private, not turned into housing. The course could easily make money. though selling it or taking it private is obviously less than what building housing would fetch.

As a resident of the area I'm horrified. A community was built around this and now the rules are going to change decades later? I dunno. But the rampant capitalist in me says it is private land, and always has been.

[Wookie]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

Golf course sale fought

The owners of a second-rate course want to turn it into housing. There are some million dollar homes on that course. I wonder what they will be worth once the putting green behind them becomes a parking lot.

I have lived in the area all my life. The owners have been staging this for years - though local speculation has always been the course would be taken private, not turned into housing. The course could easily make money. though selling it or taking it private is obviously less than what building housing would fetch.

As a resident of the area I'm horrified. A community was built around this and now the rules are going to change decades later? I dunno. But the rampant capitalist in me says it is private land, and always has been.

Wow that would suck for the owners of current houses - but what "rules" are you referring to?

I agree with the capitalist in you. If they own it - geez, they can do whatever they want with it. But I can empathize for the others.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

"It's not for sale on the open market and we'll never put it on the open market because we want to do what's right for the community on this property."

Sounds like the "right thing to do" would be to sell to another golf course operator, if you're really worried about what's right for the community. The Sisters make profit, the community still gets a course, and Dad's legacy remains. Unless it's about making even more profit.

Still, that course does need a capital infusion badly. The buildings suck, and the course has not kept up with technology - it's on the short side.

I think the idea of the City taking it over for affordable golf is a fantastic one - if only the current administration wasn't so focused on building overpasses and roads for suburban commuters....

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by Wookie

Wow that would suck for the owners of current houses - but what "rules" are you referring to?

I agree with the capitalist in you. If they own it - geez, they can do whatever they want with it. But I can empathize for the others.

Rules of the game - not formal rules. People bought with one understanding and that's been changed. It happens I suppose.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Can't say I'm even remotely suprised. I worked there for a number of years, the owners of that course are BRUTAL. They cut corners on everything to maximize income and reduce expenses. The funny thing is, at least two of the homes along the course are owned by the people who own the course. One of my brothers best friends married one of the owners daughters, man, the stories I have heard about that place.

It would me a HUGE shame to bulldoze that course, it has so much potential if someone just invested the money in it. I get nostalgic every time I played it. It was the first course I ever played on, I love it there.

[Reaper]

FYI, the long time owners of the course sold it two years ago. The new owners are responsible for the changes and excavation. You just knew things were going to go downhill when the club started letting Fish Creek Nissan use a portion of the land near the street for their overflow vehicle storage.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

You sure? The article says otherwise.

[Slava]

I hope that they keep the course. I read the article in the herald this morning and this would be a shame. I am surprised that course doesn't make money though...its a bit short, but still not an easy course, and the prices are not too bad.

I thought that the course was not for sale at this point, but that maybe this is something that they are pondering?

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

You sure? The article says otherwise.

Yeah, I'm probably mistaken. The owners that sold were most likely partners of the original owners. The partners lived on the top of the hill where the current Highbury Towers are being built. When they sold their stake in the course they also sold the land where the towers are going to be built. They had their house moved out of town (their old garage has been moved to street level and is being used as a site office) and took their chunk of cash with them.

[The Bug]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Can't say I'm even remotely suprised. I worked there for a number of years, the owners of that course are BRUTAL. They cut corners on everything to maximize income and reduce expenses. The funny thing is, at least two of the homes along the course are owned by the people who own the course. One of my brothers best friends married one of the owners daughters, man, the stories I have heard about that place.

It would me a HUGE shame to bulldoze that course, it has so much potential if someone just invested the money in it. I get nostalgic every time I played it. It was the first course I ever played on, I love it there.

I live in Shawnee Slopes.

I have heard numerous times that the owners of the golf course (the Shaw family) are brutal to deal with, like the worst.

No relation to Shaw cable, although I have heard some things about those guys to.

I wouldn't be a bit suprised if the family decided to turn the golf course into row housing. They just don't give a crap about anyone but themselves.

I guess this attitude goes all the way back to when all of this area was the Shaw family farm.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by The Bug

I wouldn't be a bit suprised if the family decided to turn the golf course into row housing. They just don't give a crap about anyone but themselves.

It's their private business is it not? I don't see why property value for someone else should effect their choice of selling their own business.

[The Bug]

Originally Posted by Burninator

It's their private business is it not? I don't see why property value for someone else should effect their choice of selling their own business.

I think you might have a different attitude if you held property in the area.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by The Bug

I think you have a different attitude if you held property in the area.

Ah so when someone wants to sell their business it's selfish, and when someone doesn't want that person to sell their business because it might lower their own property value it's not? Right.

What do you guys want them to do? Not sell it? Sell it to another golf course? Sell it to the city? How come the community doesn't buy it?

[Dion]

The ideal situation would be for someone else to take ownership of the golf course. And since there's a lack of affordable golf in Calgary, the city buying it wouldn't be a bad thing. A win win situation for golfers and the community.

[The Bug]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Ah so when someone wants to sell their business it's selfish, and when someone doesn't want that person to sell their business because it might lower their own property value it's not? Right.

What do you guys want them to do? Not sell it? Sell it to another golf course? Sell it to the city? How come the community doesn't buy it?

These guys have a long record of giving the city and their surrounding communities the finger.

They are not corporate citizens and never will be.

Smart business people would tend to hold on to the large land asset and find a way to make it work. Possibly make some changes to the course to enable more high end single family lots along with high end multi-family.

Make application for gated golf course communities.....big, big bucks.

If anything, the land is going to continue to increase in value.

These guys are nothing but greedy money now problems later land developers that will turn their backs on any deal past and present to get the bucks in the bank.

They won't give a damn how things turn out in the end.

[DuffMan]

Didn't they lower the green fees this year. My cousin was a member there, and that's what he was telling me. Never heard of a golf course lower the prices.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by Burninator

What do you guys want them to do? Not sell it? Sell it to another golf course? Sell it to the city? How come the community doesn't buy it?

Sell it to the City, and run it at Muni rates. Most community Association are lucky to get $800 from a bottle drive, let alone buy a golf course. But since the City will probably built an interchange instead, hopefully the City will at least buy it and then lease it to an operator on the condition it offer cheap rates. Like Fox Hollow. (but for god's sake, don't play like Fox Hollow)

Hope these Shaw girls remember that community support and approval will be critical to any plans they have. Otherwise it'll be a slow, unpopular war, that they will lose, not to mention losses at the course with all the members bailing.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

nm

[HockeyPuck]

I know I would be greatly disappointed if they bulldozed the course, and my bro would especially... he got a hole in one on the 6th (?) hole (the one where you hit it over the ravine)

[4X4]

Originally Posted by HockeyPuck

I know I would be greatly disappointed if they bulldozed the course, and my bro would especially... he got a hole in one on the 6th (?) hole (the one where you hit it over the ravine)

Weird... Two weeks ago I almost did the exact same thing on that hole. I hit the flagpole though. I'm still hole-in-one-less.