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Date: 30 Oct 2006 00:47:26
From: Dave Lee
Subject: Green on Hole #2 Burns
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I believe that this is basically a correct statement. But first some
background info.
I learned the game of golf in the early/mid 60's on a 9 hole muni-type
course (Ozark Hills Golf Club) located between Farmington, Mo and Flat River
(now Park Hills). It was actually a privately-owned course where you could
join for an annual fee or pay daily greens fees. This was a pretty low-rent
kind of course, but I loved every minute that I spent there. Sometime around
1970 would have been the last round that I played there.
The owner (Doc Pickett) died some 25-30 years ago and the course was
acquired by a "mysterious stranger". In this area most any outsider with no
known ties to the area would qualify as a mysterious stranger. However, the
mysterious stranger leased the course to a local couple who put huge amounts
of sweat equity and non-trivial personal capital into the course. It was (as
I understand things) under-going both a utilization and conditioning
turn-around.
Around 1985 the mysterious stranger decided not to renew the lease with no
explanation that I am aware of. And the course just sat there and died.
Nothing was done with the property (other than occasional mowing for hay)
and eventually there was absolutely no indication that this place used to be
a golf course. More recently an access road that parallels Highway 67 was
built across the property and there are obvious indications of some kind of
development being built on the property.
I was home this past week helping my aging parents with fall chores (damn,
it is a long haul from NC to Mo). My path home goes up Highway 67 right by
the old course and when I glanced over I saw, right where the green on hole
#2 used to be, a huge, basically green sized, pile of trees and scrub-bushes
that a bulldozer had cleared off - and it was burning.
Kind of sad, even though the course had been dead for many years.
dave
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Date: 30 Oct 2006 15:07:57
From: Roger Thaat
Subject: Re: Green on Hole #2 Burns
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Dave Lee wrote:
A nice piece about a dying golf course...
However, personally owned 9-holers are often a method used by some to
warehouse land for future development. Drive-in theatres used to be a
favourite for this purpose. More recently, Mini storage facilities are
the vehicle of choice.
--
Roger Thaat
You may remember me. I used to be called Howard U. Dewing, but only one
guy ever answered the question.
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Date: 30 Oct 2006 16:43:37
From: Dave Lee
Subject: Re: Green on Hole #2 Burns
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"Roger Thaat" <Nevermind@server.it > wrote in message
news:hzo1h.226020$R63.143289@pd7urf1no...
> Dave Lee wrote:
>
> A nice piece about a dying golf course...
>
> However, personally owned 9-holers are often a method used by some to
> warehouse land for future development. Drive-in theatres used to be a
> favourite for this purpose. More recently, Mini storage facilities are
> the vehicle of choice.
>
>
>
> --
> Roger Thaat
> You may remember me. I used to be called Howard U. Dewing, but only one
> guy ever answered the question.
That probably is the answer. My best guess is that 'the mysterious stranger'
had a deal in the works (or thought he could find one) in the mid-80's and
it fell through. I know that the folks who leased the property never got an
explanation - but such is the way of "mysterious strangers" in small towns.
dave
ps. For the sake of completeness the following is something that I posted
some time back is about this course (and another that still exists that I
played once with my aging father earlier this year)
http://tinyurl.com/y2uz3q
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