Golfing Blues

Found it hard to believe that no one has had anything to say to you concerning this new blog mentioning a favorite subject, the Ravines golf course. I thought I might weight in for the sport of it. 

Today: Golfing BluesClay County has quite a few courses. Rumor says that they are all barely breaking even from a business standpoint (except probably the one on NAS Jacksonville. Lotta choices for us. I live on a golf course. A defunct golf course. Been defunct for over a year with no end in sight. Don't know if there is anyone out there with enough $$ and tolerance for suffering that would want to buy it. Probably the most beautiful area for golf in NE FL but...it is all overgrown with mustard weeds with a level of disrepair that has taken multiple owners years to achieve. But I have an IDEA:  

I have not lived in Clay County long enough to know for sure if the course was in as much disrepair in the past as it is now under the current ownership. 

Don't ever, ever, ever, EVER sell it to the county. The level of vision at the county government is staggeringly underwhelming. A local told me, quoting an old line, " they were born stupid and have been losing ground ever since!" :-) 

From the looks of the blogs on Clay County’s level of achievement, I would say you are right on leaving the County out of the list of options.

Buy all that acreage to the west of our subdivision and build homes - real NICE big homes along with town homes.  

Who should buy the acreage to the west?  Someone already bought it, already owns it; who knows what they will choose to do with it.  If they choose to build nice homes, so be it, it would provide possible members for the golf course.  I agree with the nice homes part, preferably with half to full acre lots that seem to prevail in the area and why some people moved out of the city; for larger lots and more privacy 

Use the leftover acreage for an additional 9 holes;  

I am not sure what you are calling the leftover acreage.  Leftover from building homes on the Ravines golf course or are you talking about building an additional nine holes to the 18 hole Ravines golf course? 

rebuild the Himalayas to be a world class, unique challenge. Get the Q School to do a qualifying round here. 

Had to look up what Q-School was. The PGA Tour's qualifying school is officially known as the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament, but the organization also frequently refers to it as "Q-School"

There are many, many other ideas that could bring more interest and business into the Ravines golf course, not just home construction and course destruction.  Any new home building on 218 would bring in customers.  Customers could already have been brought in with a little diversity in offerings and marketing.  This course must market itself since it is talked about so much.  

(And get rid of those stupid speed humps in the Ravines [Humps are For Chumps]. 

Speeders are worse than speed humps.  The speed limit is posted, that was not working.  The speed humps only add seconds to a trip down any road if you are driving at 25mph in the first place. 

Bigger vision; 

I agree. 

bigger expansion. 

I disagree.  I think the Lake Asbury Plan has plenty of expansion coming.  Expanding by building homes on the golf course is not the only option to save the Ravines golf course.  It is unfair and wrong to lure people into thinking that that is the only way to save this golf course.   It will take money and time but it cannot be impossible if the County Commissioners work with the residents as well as they do with the developer/builders. 

Include family owned businesses that you can access by walking a mile or so - no auto needed to get to the store. Return us to the smaller feel neighborhood where you really do kinda know your neighbor.

This sounds like Disney’s Celebration and Nocatee.  The vision of a developer.  I visited Celebration in its first couple of years.  The homes are too close together.  Why can’t a developer let home just be home and not a business opportunity?  I should be able to go into my driveway and escape the hustle and bustle of retail merchants grabbing at me.  A park would be nice enough but then you have to have rules and consider liability.  Huge swim parks, not interested in the least.  I wouldn’t go there so why would I want to pay association fees for their maintenance?  The Ravines is a community set in a natural setting, protective of its trees and nature.  Developers, there is plenty of land outside the Ravines for you to build on; there is no land shortage here yet.  This isn’t New York or even Dade County. There are a variety of options  to bring in new customers for the golf course, I dare say the residents of Clay County would be happy to let you know what might be lacking and what their choices would be out of a list of possibilities.  Developers and builders can’t keep telling you that there is only one option, build homes, until you believe it and accept their version of the facts.  Any home construction outside the Ravines would not be covered under their governing documents.  They are not considered a part of the Property set forth in the governing documents.  As it stands right now, the current governing document that is on file with Clay County says that   The Golf Course shall be used and operated only as a golf course, tennis and country club and for no other purpose. 

Governing documents are supposed to be legal documents, right?  I am sure this document insertion would have been used to sell the golf course lots during the initial lot sales. 

Governing documents can be amended you say?  Right, but they should be amended by those that live under their jurisdiction, not by a developer with short term interest.