Is Traditions Golf Course Closing?

[SoonerObsession]

I drove by there the other day and a sign said course closed. I was wondering if it was just temporary or what?

[Paperclip]

Yeah, it's been bought and closed. They're developing more homes, but leaving some areas green. The golf course is done though.

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

Maybe doing some upgrading. airraiting (sp?) the greens, closed on Mondays, closed for winter :rolleyes:

Many things .....

:edit: I had no idea, but ^ he knows obviously

[Paperclip]

Traditions Golf Club is making way for new housing and retail additions

By Richard Mize
The Oklahoman

Most of Traditions Golf Club will become housing, but about a third will remain as green space, said new owners of the property on the northern edge of Oklahoma City.

A resident of Traditions housing addition, which developed alongside the golf course - but under separate ownership - complained that property values will drop.

Ronald J. Wigington and Terry Givens, owners of Jake Development LLC, said the worry is groundless.

Property values will go up, not down, they said, because of the large amount of green space at The Lakes at Traditions, the new addition on 122 acres next to the first one.

The new addition will have a small office component and some small-shop retail fronting NW 150, but no convenience store.

The Lakes at Traditions will have 45 acres of former golf grounds with trees, a new lake - two in all - and a tributary of Chisholm Creek running through it, Wigington and Givens said Tuesday, a day after a resident aired his complaints publicly.

“We could have pulled all of this out of the flood plain and developed it,” Wigington said of the green space.

In addition, Wigington and Givens said, property values will be lifted by the new houses, to be constructed by select builders. New homes are planned at about $140 per square foot, he said, compared with $100 average present value for existing homes.

Jake Development LLC bought the golf course from Traditions Golf Club LLC in December, paying $5.04 million for the 9-year-old course, and closed it. Wigington and Givens essentially bought out the shares of developer Bill Rose of Dallas-based W.R. Rose Investments and another equity owner, since Traditions Golf LLC comprised Wigington, Givens, Rose and the silent partner.

Rose also was a partner in an early developer of the original Traditions addition, but Wigington and Givens said they were not.

Wigington said the course was losing money in a market glutted with golf.

They said they were surprised that complaints arose. They said they held a well-publicized meeting open to all Traditions homeowners. They said they decided to leave a strip of open space alone, rather than develop eight lots on it, to preserve the view of several homeowners. City records reflect that the Oklahoma City Planning Commission passed the changes Thursday with little formal opposition.

Wigington said he knew of no other housing addition in Oklahoma with so much green space. Former golf paths will be jogging trails, he said, and homeowners will have access to it, when they did not have ready access to the golf course.

“We’re not that naive. We know that some people are not going to be happy with change,” Wigington said.

[SoonerObsession]

Son of a B! Excuse me for using harsh letters, but it's a mile from my house and it's the only lighted driving range within 25 minutes. They are always busy during the summer too. Wow! Couldn't developers go somewhere else?

[Jimminy Crimson]

Yeah, it was a decent course with arguably the best practice facilities in the area. Sad shyte. Makes you wish they never tore down Golf World USA. :(

[SoonerObsession]

Anyone want to go into business with me and put in a lighted driving range in Edmond? It's gotta be a money maker!

[AlbqSooner]

Lemme see - you pay premium $$$ to build your dream home on a golf course and the golf course becomes a housing development. No more golf course front home but your property value went up????

Same thing happened in the St. Pete/Clearwater area when they closed the Bardmoor South course and the values dropped substantially.

[Mixer!]

More bad news. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/nyregion/21golf.html)

[Soonerus]

As much as I love golf, I hate how long it takes to play a round anywhere...

[CtheB]

Kickingbird's driving range and practice area is now lighted.

[bluedogok]

What has been an interesting development down here is the number of Country Club "style" racetracks that have opened or are planned down here. In the past 5 years there have been 3 built in the DFW area, 2 in the Houston area, one in San Marcos (that opened this year) and another planned out in Blanco County. There have been a few others announced but some seem to have fallen through. Some are doing residential development around the tracks as well.