Hey all - 2 spots open at Shoal this Saturday! Times are between 10 and 1040, so we can be a little flexible. Hit me up
1 spot. Come enjoy the 96 degree weather.
Ah, good you found it. Now I don’t have to worry about getting a certain someone in trouble for sharing the new Hillcrest member pitch when it says you shouldn’t. @tnord get in here and give us your thoughts too!
Not sure if you got to read through the whole slideshow (I refuse to use the term deck), but $30 mill makes sense now. This is gonna be a brand new course meant for a crowd who care about where the nearest private airstrips are.
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If I were to comment:
- wow that is a whole new golf course
- little sad to lose basically all of Hillcrest’s holes but some of those holes (ten especially) look sick
- how are they going to do this by 2026 since they are only reusing 6 greens (2,6,8,11,12,16 granted they are all of the best greens on property besides 17) and apparently re-grassing, reshaping, and reirrigating the entire property
- did Jackson County already agree to sell/lease them the extra property? If so, kinda surprised since the they didn’t sell Ken Block property for Oakwood’s new driving range.
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Think Robb cleaning up swope park for soccer played into them giving up some land for this?
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Maybe but pretty sure Swope Soccer Village is owned by KCMO not the County. Also, that was a moderately controversial project when the City approved it since it used excess TIF revenues from a nearby project (weird business park just east) that could have instead been redistributed to the Raytown School District, County, Library, and Community College District.
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I think it’s a bad idea and I’m glad I’m not an investor.
Kinda reminds me of the old GCOK days (or Cottonwood out in Hutchinson) when they had grand plans, wanted a bunch of money, had a few people sign up but then eventually backed out and it all fell apart. I don’t know the origins of the silo and what the situation is over there these days.
As far as the golf course goes, I made it through the first 4 holes and had seen enough. I do not like where it’s headed. The new golf course might end up being fine. We’ve all discussed ditching the lower area if hole 2 wasn’t so good, and they’re pretty much putting 1 where 10 is, and 18 where 9 is as far as I can tell.
I’d kinda be surprised if it gets off the ground. It’s a preposterous amount of money (more than the Southern Hills renovation), and I think it’s going to be a tough sell, even to wealthy people. At 30M you’re looking for $120k from 250 people. Say the owners front (borrow) half of it, it’s still $60k to start moving dirt, and you’ve got $500+ of debt service per member for the next 10 years.
I don’t know the state of things over there though.
I heard somewhere that the city would make the land available for development around Hillcrest, which could be part of the reason Price wanted it. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got to build the golf course over that property. I had a totally different plan for it. Develop the current undeveloped land into an actual park (including reclaimed native habitat areas, which the state already gives money for), close the golf course on Monday for maintenance and to give the public access to walk dogs, play frisbee, do whatever. But I would want some money from Parks & Rec to open the place up.
If it worked, you’d be making a big step towards maintaining private-course-like conditions, but be able to keep your green fees down. The city gets more parks/green space it doesn’t have to maintain, and improves living conditions for that area of the city.
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I am pretty bummed they are going to get rid of pretty much all of the Ross design. I’m fairly certain they could have spent a hell of a lot less to renovate the course and ended up profitable as a top dollar public course. The clubhouse sounded like it had to go regardless, so maybe $5mill to renovate the course and another $5mill to demolish and build a modest clubhouse?
I think I will be less surprised to see this project proceed, mainly because I’ve learned I constantly underestimate the number of millionaires and billionaires out there and their desire to have a high dollar playground just to themselves. Its still overly ambitious and risky as hell, and it would be funny to watch it fall flat on its face since they’ll never let a guy like me in there.
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I’m not sure $30M will be enough, which is a whole 'nother issue.
I heard estimates of $20-$25M to tear down and build a new clubhouse at Blue Hills, and that was a couple years ago. I’d have to guess they’re going to spend something in the same range at this new place.
We’ve had estimates of $1.5M just to do our bunkers. I think we spent $10k last year on new zoysia sod for 1 acre. I think we have 20 acres of fairway, and 75 acres of rough. I don’t know what bent sod costs, but it can’t be less. We’re getting up near $30M before moving any dirt.
If they’re re-routing, that means all new irrigation. I know of another course that just did all their irrigation for $5M, on a site that’s exponentially easier to trench than it is in KC.
I just don’t think blowing it up and starting over is the way to go. I mean, if you’re going to do that, why not find a different/better site? Throwing that much money at that part of town seems like a fools errand.
Not to mention, I think you’re devaluing your property by eliminating any and all historical ties.
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Yeah, fair enough. It could be the $30mill only what Heineman’s group was putting up and he’s asking for more from founding members.
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Ask Zac Blair how he went this amount OVER on The Tree Farm build and as a result, it has a new PE owner. (Allegedly)
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With what things cost right now, it just doesn’t make sense to embark on any major project if you ask me.
The level of absurdity we’re seeing, when the $25M Southern Hills spent less than a decade ago now seems like a BARGAIN, is incomprehensible.
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You don’t think you’re getting a Gil Hanse build and hydroponic heating and cooling system under the greens on new builds for under $25mil in 2024?
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I personally don’t think we can understand or appreciate (the grandiose meaning) the scope of what he is going for here.
This isn’t gonna be private
It’s gonna be super ultra lux to the max private and with that come folks who aren’t gonna even blink at this kind of money
I’m not here to comment on the architecture, but it’s very plain to me what is the end game and goal here and I personally believe we are all selling it a bit short of how “ultra” this project is gonna be
Also not here to say if that is good or bad, just have a feeling we are underestimating the project’s entirety and overall goal IMO
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I agree that $60k or $120k isn’t a big deal to these folks. But these are the same folks that have unlimited choices for where to travel to and join. Why in the world, would these people chose to travel to Kansas City of all places? And not just Kansas City, but THAT PART of Kansas City?
Prairie Dunes attracts some of these folks, because they have a historic, world class golf course. What they’re doing here isn’t that.
I don’t think there are enough people here locally that would be interested, and those that are, probably are already at KCCC, Mission, Wolf, Loch Lloyd, Hallbrook, or Oakwood. Why would you leave any of those places to go play here?
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If they actually get the top 100 ranking they are aiming for, that would be one reason. I don’t think this could happen super quick after they open (or even at all), but if they could host a PGA tour event that would be another. Given all the other posturing they’ve been doing, it wouldn’t surprise me if that is quietly another goal of their’s.
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Who did they retain for the course?
I happen to know of another place in town that’s already moving in the direction of hosting a tour event.
But of course, all it takes is somebody willing to sign the sponsor check and they can make it happen.
Tripp Davis = Course Architect
Pearson Construction = Course Contractor
Hufft = Clubhouse Architect
Luke Draily Construction = Clubhouse Contractor
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Never under estimate the egos of these guys!
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