In response to the editorial that appeared on this website on October 1, 2013, I would like to say that criticizing the company that has revitalized the Woodlands and stopped the country club from closing its doors back in 2011 is extremely irresponsible.
For those who think we would never have closed, please reconsider. I was the General Manager at the time ClubLink took over and we were literally days from locking our doors. In the past five years over 500 golf courses have closed in the U.S., 167 last year alone and the number will continue to grow.
All we need to do is look a little east of our community to see what the view from our backyards could have looked like with the closing of the Monterey and Sabal Palms Golf Courses.
If we want our community to grow and improve, we need to work together in a collaborative way and not publicly criticize one of our largest stakeholders.
ClubLink has come in and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve our golf courses and provide some much-needed stability to the course and our community. Home prices have increased 18 percent over the past 12 months and rental prices have been increasing at a rapid rate as well. Perhaps we should be writing public comments to show our appreciation for ClubLink rather than publicly criticizing them and hindering their efforts.
Has this individual wondered what would have occurred in our community if our golf courses had closed and we looked outside our homes to see weeds and brown grass? What would our home values have been? Who would have been living in our community in five years? We should be asking ourselves how we can support the club to keep it from getting into the same position it was only two years ago.
If you are still telling yourselves that the courses would never have closed please consider this: Just weeks prior to the ClubLink Acquisition of the Woodlands, we had to dismiss our Golf Course Superintendent. By April in 2011, we were quite literally days away from closing the club doors and this expectancy was being planned for.
Please join me in thanking ClubLink for their very valuable contribution to our community and let’s make a commitment to support them so that they may stay healthy and viable for many years to come.
May I also suggest we try to put our personal needs aside and consider a bigger picture? From everything I have seen of ClubLink, they will respond to issues that arise in a responsible manner. It may not meet everyone’s personal expectations and timelines, but they will respond. Please remember they are still very new to this area, so let’s try to be patient.