Photo by Karen Pearlman/San Diego Union-Tribune Michael Schlesinger, a developer who bought the El Cajon, Calif. property in 2015 after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection four years earlier, has applied for approval of a three-phase, 10-year project that could potentially yield $40 million. But local residents have organized to fight the plan, citing…
City Briefly Turns Off Water at StoneRidge CC
The city of Poway, Calif., cut the water supply to the club on September 27 for lack of payment of its water bills. The supply of raw water used to irrigate the golf course as well as its potable supply of water were switched back on later in the afternoon after a certified check for…
Owner Warns StoneRidge CC Will Close if Measure Fails
The initiative, which needs a majority vote to pass, seeks to rezone a portion of the Poway, Calif., property to allow 180 high-end condominiums. Property owner Michael Schlesinger said it would not be financially possible to keep the club open without the housing. The StoneRidge Country Club will be closed and surrounded by a fence…
StoneRidge CC Plans “Off-Site Solution” for Tennis, Pool Facilities
A plan to build up to 180 luxury units on 15 of the Poway, Calif., property’s 117 acres would displace the club’s tennis and swim facilities. Owner Michael Schlesinger is looking to offer tennis and swim members access to the Rancho Arbolitos Swim and Tennis Club, which would include relocation incentives and facility improvements.
StoneRidge CC Reaches Agreement with Neighbors
Michael Schlesinger, who owns the Poway, Calif., property, has reached a three-point agreement with a group of neighboring homeowners that calls for an improved 18-hole golf course to remain open on the land, with a renovated clubhouse. The plan limits a potential housing development, stipulating that it be built on no more than 12% of the land.
StoneRidge CC Gauges Community Interest in Development
Michael Schlesinger, owner of the Poway, Calif., property, is polling residents to determine if they would be interested in allowing development of part of the club property in exchange for gifting the golf course and other amenities to the city. Schlesinger purchased the property in 2013, and has been trying to sell it for more than a year without success.
GolfAdvisor Lists Top 25 Clubs for Off-Course Amenities
Reviewers for the website that publishes course reviews and ratings “for golfers, by golfers” for clubs that are open to the public combined ratings for food and beverage and the conditions of the overall facility to issue its list for 2015. Yoche Dehe GC in Brooks, Calif., part of the Cache Creek Casino, took the top spot.
Troon Facilities Raise $12.6M for Charitable Causes in 2014
Whirlwind Golf Club at Wildhorse Pass in Chandler, Ariz., reported the most money raised by a single property with $2.3 million to benefit national and local philanthropic organizations.
California Water Districts Keep Golf Course Usage Data Private
The Palm Springs Desert Sun’s request for information was denied, with the agencies citing “a constitutional right to privacy and an obligation to protect individual customer data.” Meanwhile, low groundwater levels forced wells to be shut at Maderas Golf Club.
Fluid Situation
Golf course superintendents are learning to keep their heads above water while taking a larger role in helping to manage this precious, but increasingly capricious, commodity—not only for their properties, but also for their communities and regions.
Coachella Valley Task Force Targets Golf Water Conservation
A group of golf course managers and water district officials have formed the Coachella Valley Golf Industry Water Conservation Task Force, to focus on reducing the water footprint of the Southern California area’s 124 golf courses. In Poway, Calif., city council approved a conditional use permit to allow Maderas Golf Club to start pumping ground water from its wells after being forced to stop in 2011.
Shifts In San Diego’s Private Club Market Highlighted
More “forward-thinking, contemporary” management approaches that involve “running [clubs] with a little more business sense” reflect movement away from “your father’s country club,” notes a special report that includes insights from GMs of The Farms GC, La Jolla CC and The Santaluz Club.