County Can't Afford Another Golf Course

As of Friday, May 20, 2011

Golf is in a slump. The equipment manufacturers know it. Golf associations know it. The Carolina Golf Association (CGA) has been losing member clubs at a net rate of two per year. Its player membership has declined 12.5 percent in 10 years. The National Golf Federation reports its numbers declined steadily for the past three years. In 2010, the number of U.S. golfers declined another 3.6 percent.

The failed and failing Moore County golf courses know golf is in a long-term slump. The Pit: closed. Foxfire and Whispering Pines: facing foreclosure. Courses in neighboring counties: struggling. Some may simply close.

The Moore County Board of Commissioners know golf is in a slump. More importantly, they hopefully understand that Moore County needs more golf courses now like a drowning man needs a cinder block. We implore the the commissioners to recall that Moore County golf is slumping — with no end in sight — when they evaluate the countless other factual reasons not to approve the proposed Pine Forest development.

The project must not go forward. Smart industries don’t add capacity when their industry is in a slump. The last thing that Moore County needs now are two more golf courses (and the health and business risks these particular golf courses carry with them).

John Boesch

Pinehurst

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None 2 years ago

John... it's all about politics and what an elected position can do for those who take office. Plain and simple. Larry Caddell and Southern Software, Inc. sell software and hardware applications like the Municiple Software used by the county. More water and sewer lines the more sales. Jamie Boles introduced legislation [H-665] that allows Funeral Directors or employees to obtain life insurance information to allow an up-sale of services while the family member is laying on a cold table just feet away. Always a good time during times of distress to up-sale from an economy to gold plated coffin.

When Larry Caddell was Mayor of Carthage, the town went half-way to Pinehurst to buy Little River Golf Course. Since then it has been aquired by out of state companies and turned over a couple times to new investment groups. A couple million dollars are litterly in the pipeline to install two lift stations and water lines from Carthage to ~ yep, you guessed it ~ Little River Golf Course. The money was part of the Limited Liability Bond approved by the MCBoC last year. User fees are supposed to pay for the new infrastructure. Wonder if that debt will be paid off in 20 years by the useres of LRGC? I doubt it! Do you or anyone else think for a minute that our elected politicans are working in the best interest of taxpayers? Then I have some swamp property in Florida I would like to interest you in at an introductory price.

Bflat 2 years ago

TPo3 JAIL project is more important than properly planning for and funding education in the county. The #1 school is being closed due to a $500,000 budget shortfall. Just watch that the year round program will be discontinued due to budget shortfalls. Yet there will be a shiny federal sized JAIL in downtown Carthage. Has anyone driven by there lately to see the size of the buildings and the money pit being built on site with artesian wells? Yes, golf courses are struggling right now in the face of a very bad economy.

Another golf course is not needed right now and probably won't be for several years. It's a bad idea.

irishman 2 years ago

Local government does not have the authority or capacity to determine for a business what the optimal time is for an investment. It's not the job of the county commissioners to decide if we have too many golf courses, that job is left to the marketplace. If the development fits within the scope of the rezoning, then rezone. A golf course is only a small part of the project.

MonkeyJunction 2 years ago

Irishman I beg to differ. It is in the purview of the county commissioners to look at the overall impact of a project a project on other businesses/residences/citizens when considering zoning requests. It's what we the citizens of Moore County elected them to do. If you don't believe that's the case then why not have a strip club or 7-eleven on every corner. The failure of the adjacent Dormie Club to live up to it's promises of jobs, the unsold houses sitting on the market, not to mention the capital expenditures that would be needed, etc. is a prime example of the area not being able to support not only a new golf course but new homes or retail construction. Moore County doesn't need to get bigger...just for the sake of getting bigger. If you allow continued unchecked development then it won't be long before our tax rates will be raised to compensate for the perceived increase in need of services. Also just look around Moore County....The marketplace has already decided that it can't support more, homes, retail, and golf courses or do you just don't see the empty storefronts, homes for sale signs or poorly maintained golf courses (not to mention closed and bankrupt ones)

None 2 years ago

irishman May 24, 2011 at 5:36 a.m. - I agree with MonkeyJunction's summation of local government. In the case of Dormie Club as well as other non-local investment companies, who request the use of taxpayer funds through grants to have water and sewer resources made available to their projects are not held liable for non preformance. I use the near bankrupt Little River Farm, one of Larry Caddell's pet projects, as an example. Two lift stations, and miles of water line will be run from Carthage to Little River. The property doesn't perk and that was a known issue from the outset. Now, taxpayers’ dollars will be used to enhance the project. Larry Caddell should explain publicly how the limited number of homes and a clubhouse would pay down the million-dollar taxpayer debt through user fees in the next 20 years. I have said many times, when these investment groups ask for funding for infrastructure at the expense of taxpayers, they should be required to post a performance bond [which is legal] in the amount they are requesting. The only exception would be for manufacturing companies that will bring jobs to this area. Partners for Progress are still out to lunch on jobs for the 9.7% of unemployed Moorecountians; another example of Moore County politics in action!