If anyone has advice on how to work a motion through the system, my DM’s are open. As a non-Nashville resident, Idk how much power I have to make an appeal myself but I’m frustrated enough to do a ton of leg work.
With so many tourists coming to Nashville, MPS is missing the opportunity to capitalize on tourists that choose to go to resorts courses or public courses 30-45 minutes outside of Nashville, resulting in outrageous rates at these resorts courses and clogged golf courses and spiked rates for the locals surrounding Nashville
Metro Parks is doing a disservice to every golfer within a 90 minute radius of Nashville with their current operation
For sure this ^^^. From the first tee shot it is a bizarre routing/course. #2 lost all the trees so now it just looks “naked.” I actually think #3 is decent. #4/#5 are shoe-horned into the course. #6 is an insane (not in a good way) valley hole. #7 is fine. #8 is almost permanently soggy in the shoulder seasons. #9 is meh. #10 is a slightly better version of #1. #11 could be pretty good as it has a cool greensite. #12 is ok. #13 needs a lot of work to make that hole even remotely fun. #14, to me, is no bueno because you are pretty much forced into a severe downhill lie for your second shot. #15 is fine. #16 needs the fairway graded/benched for it to play properly. #17 is the worst hole on the course. #18 I think has a fairly interesting tee shot but there is NOTHING going on with the green/2nd shot in.
So what do you do there? Expand the greens like they did at Percy? Ok. How does that solve any of the problems above (other than #11 and maybe #13). Are they going to add a bunch of sandtraps/waste areas? Ok, I will speak my fear that I have about Percy Warner along with doing the same type thing at Shelby. “What will those bunkers look/play like in 3 years?” Deeper, softer sand bunkers like that require a lot of upkeep and I am dubious that Metro (like @leftysauce pointed out) is going to be on top of that. Personally, and I don’t like the idea of eliminating golf in Nashville, I think that Shelby would do better as a 9 hole golf course with a PROPER lit driving range/practice area like Harpeth Valley. Make 9 really decent golf holes and re-route it a bit and get some range ball fees that I think would drastically out earn the golf out there. If you live in east nashville, where else can you hit balls? Vinny has a terrible range that is basically permanently on mats and goes straight uphill with balls that look like they have been through a nuclear holocaust. Just my two cents that no one asked for. Also, if you re-route the course, holes 4 and 5 will be the obvious holes that have no chance of surviving.
Also, since i am already way deep into this post, would they be funding a shelby reno with private money? I don’t feel like there is the same deep-pocketed reverence for shelby as there is for Percy. Even as a golfer, I don’t think spending public money to refurb Shelby is going to be a good long term investment. If golf interest wanes, that is the first course that is going to suffer (it already is suffering) but I agree it can’t stay in the limbo it is in right now. It is largely unplayable for most anyone.
According to the Tennessean, they’re spending $2 million on 15 tees boxes, irrigation, cart path, and tree removal… that’s it, and no mention where this money comes from… (upload://60Pvo7azD9g50TwNHeCc9zFDVtW.jpeg)
But you’ve brought up a great point with the TGA… does everyone else see the massive “charity” tournaments they put on? Like Scott Stallings’ Rally in the Valley? Almost all these events benefit Kids Play Free, which is cool, but first of all I’m curious how much they actually raise through those events. Secondly, it’s great to service kids but at some point you have to service the general population too… You can’t hop on their social media and not see kids smattered all over the place from the Sneds Tour, but if you weren’t looking for it then you would have missed the TGA Mid-Am Fourball altogether.
All that to say, it’s not all on Metro Parks, I think the TGA needs to reevaluate themselves as well.
This, in my opinion, is throwing good money after bad. Again, with almost no thought to the ramifications, this could easily be a 9 hole course with a big range. That would save you a ton on the greens, maintenance, irrigation and I don’t know if you could or would sell off any of the unused land as residential land but that would probably fetch some decent coin (likely in a flood zone though so whatever). Course doesn’t seem much more fun but at least you could focus on these holes to make them better and see how that range does financially.
The article from the Tennessean acknowledges that it’s the least played muni in the system, what on earth makes them think that’s going to improve simply by changing a few tees and “converting winter and summer greens into one surface”?
This is a massive waste of money, and they haven’t even proved their improvement model to be successful through their project at Percy Warner. All of this could be a huge waste of time in 3-5 years
With the addition of so many simulator bars, I don’t think this is a very profitable business model in the future. There’s just too much overhead with equipment and staffing needs.
Even if it’s a machine dispenser, someone has to be there to keep the balls picked and the driving range maintained.
I like @VandyLand suggestion of taking a current 18 hole facility and bringing it down to 9 with the addition of a driving range, but we’re all wasting these good ideas on air unfortunately
Not sure if this info is available elsewhere, but the The Fried Egg is reporting that Bruce Hepner has been hired to rennovate and restore Shelby Park and Vinny Links. I expect after he is finished, Shelby will be one of the best golden age munis in the Southeast.
I just don’t see how anyone does anything good with that piece of land… I thought the report I read said most of the funds were going to tee box and cart path repairs, so I’m perplexed how in depth this project will actually be
The High Cotton Club’s holiday celebration finds a new venue this year — Golf House Tennessee’s Little Course at Conner Lane.
Players will compete across two loops at The Little Course, with the top three in a Tilt leaderboard earning Vessel x HCC shoe bags, as well as Yeti prizes for 4 Closest to the Pin Contests and a (gross) skins game with cash payout. Tee times will begin at noon, with a max expected pace of play of 1hr20m for each loop.
Entry fee for Santa’s Slam is $75, and includes golf, entry into the prize pool and skins game, and donation to Youth on Course through the High Cotton Relief Fund.
Aaand, since it’s our holiday celebration… All players will also participate in a Secret Santa, with a $20 limit for gifts. (*This was so much fun last year, and I still grin every time I see the gift I received from @Boomersooner523)
Registration is OPEN and closes November 19. All payments must be submitted by end of Registration on 11/19 via Venmo to @highcottonclub (business). If you’re not already a member of the High Cotton Club, check the link below to register.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to myself, or @acrid, aka Mr. 402, with any questions or concerns. We hope to see you in Franklin in December and look forward to celebrating the end of the year with you all!
this is awesome news on Ted Rhodes adding a range - they have the space for it. now if only they could get one out at Two Rivers (feels like there is space for one as you drive in on the right side)
Lots of thoughts, we’ll be breaking it down on the Roost pod with one of our resident muni rats - @Beahrs - if anyone wants to drop questions on IG @thehighcottonclub
Anyone know the guys out of Memphis? Posted in their community page and ive seen zero traction. Going to be there a week would like to get out and play.
Ive driven by it a few times and get the same sense. I did get told to play Mirimichi from the tips at 7400 just not sure I want to hate myself that much.
VIBE SWITCH