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So how's this economic recovery working for you?  Yeah.  Me, too.  And it's working just about that well for golf courses all around the country.  Witness the bankruptcy of well-known and highly respected golf resorts like Sea Island and Reynolds Plantation.  So why should anyone be surprised when little known golf courses in out-of-the-way places suffer, too?

I built Hidden Fairways to feature exceptional golf courses in out-of-the-way places, so I suppose that by definition I have chosen at least some at-risk courses.  I mean, if a course has no major population center close at hand, it could well be left out of the party when its clientele begins to consider travel of any distance at all a luxury.  It's important that Hidden Fairways courses provide something very special to continue to draw a survivable amount of play.

And then one gets to the old "chicken or egg" question.  Do course conditions begin to go downhill when fewer golfers show up?  Or do fewer golfers show up when they find course conditions going downhill?  I suspect a case could be made for either.

This Spring has seen some distressing action within the Hidden Fairways family.  Ironwood, as I've written before, is undergoing a change for the better with new owner, Steve McIntosh seeming to get things back on track.  Hopefully, his deal with the previous owner will proceed smoothly and he'll move ahead with his plans.  One of the newest Hidden Fairways courses… RiverWatch, outside Sparta, Tennessee… hasn't fared quite as well.  They shut down for a winter break and haven't reopened as the current owner searches for a buyer.  I sincerely hope one is found.  RiverWatch is a beauty and it would make me very sad to see it vanish.

The toughest blow, though, came this week when I visited one of my favorite courses on the planet.  I was returning from a photo shoot at The Ledges, a wonderful private club outside Huntsville, Alabama and decided to drive thru Rising Fawn, Georgia and stop by Canyon Ridge (pictured above) to visit Doug Amor and take some new pics of the course.  When I called, Doug warned me that the course was not in good shape.  That was a bit of an understatement.  The greens are still excellent, but the tee boxes and fairways are baked out and weedy.  As beautiful as the property is, and as much as I love Rick Robbins' design work, I wouldn't add the course to Hidden Fairways if this were my first impression of it.  As it is, I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping an angel will drop out of the sky and save the day.  The course's financial problems have been going on for a while, but it really does seem as if the owner has simply decided to let it go now.  The course superintendent was let go at the end of last year and given that radical move, the resulting decline is to be expected.  It's my sincere hope that this amazing course becomes the Rocky Balboa of the golf course world, and returns to its championship condition.  We'll see.  I hope to have some better news to report next time I visit Rising Fawn.  In the meantime, I guess I'll just enjoy this wonderful economic recovery.

I had my first opportunity in quite a while to visit Ironwood Golf Club, in Cordele, Georgia on April 17th and 18th.  If you'll recall, I met with the Steve McIntosh, the new owner of the club a few weeks ago, shortly after he'd taken possession of the property.  I was impressed with Steve and felt like he had a good plan to get the course back on track after a couple of years of neglect.

So, following a photo shoot at Idle Hour Country Club, in Macon, I continued south to Cordele to see for myself how things are going.  The visit confirmed my earlier impressions of Steve.  He's an energetic fellow... I don't think I could keep up with his schedule for very long... and he's working very hard in his restoration project.  The course, itself, is in good condition.  Not great... but good.  I didn't have time to play while I was there, but the course looked very playable.  The greens were in good condition and the fairways were overall in good shape.  One of the big problems that had plagued the course was out-of-control roughs.  Apparently, the rough had at times grown to an unplayable length.  I'm very happy to report that they're now well under control.  A little weed control may be in order, but length is no longer a problem.

They've also just re-opened the restaurant and I can report from personal experience that the food is very good!  The menu is interesting, prices are reasonable and the service is enthusiastic!  Steve was kind enough to treat me to an excellent dinner on Wednesday night, and I definitely look forward to trying their food again in the future. 

Ironwood is emblematic of the overall shift in the golf economy these days.  Every golf course in the country is shifting priorities, adjusting budgets, and asking for more from existing personnel as they work to survive.  Ironwood, a course that I like quite a lot, was very close to going under until Steve worked out a deal with the previous owner.  But now I'd say the future looks very good as course conditions continue to improve and Steve implements more of his plans to bring back former members and attract new players to this wonderful South Georgia track.  So do yourself... and Steve McIntosh... a favor.  Take a drive to Cordele and see what rebirth looks like.  I'm certain you'll enjoy the course, and if you have a chance to try the food, you'll drive away with a big smile on your face!

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!  I just had coffee with Stephen McIntosh, the new owner of Ironwood Golf Course, and I think everyone who's been saddened by the deterioration of this lovely South Georgia course is in for a treat.  As a business analyst, Stephen has a history of turning businesses around... at least one golf course among his successes... and as he begins the transformation process in Cordele, he is a bundle of energy.  His enthusiasm is infectious.  I felt it this morning.  And the remaining members at Ironwood apparently have the fever, too, as evidenced by the volunteer efforts that are currently underway to restore the course to its former glory. 

In 2009, Ironwood Golf Course, in Cordele, Georgia was where I first began wrapping my feeble brain around the idea of a Hidden Fairways web site.  It struck me that of the hundreds of golf courses I had visited over the previous few months, there were a select few that I would go out of my way to visit again.  In that group, of course, some were in major markets and had all the exposure they needed in order to thrive.  But it seemed to me that the ones like Ironwood, in small towns and rural areas, could use some additional exposure.  So in many respects, without Ironwood, there might not be a Hidden Fairways.  Whether that matters is subject to argument... but to me, Hidden Fairways matters.  And so does Ironwood Golf Course, so when I got some negative emails about deteriorating conditions at Ironwood it broke my heart.  Actually, I only received two, but since I've gotten no negative reports on any other Hidden Fairways courses, it bothered me.

So when I received an email from Stephen this morning, asking me to join him for coffee, I was very interested in hearing his plans.  I'd like to give Mr. McIntosh an opportunity to move ahead at a realistic pace without the burden of unrealistic expectations, so I don't want to spill too many of the beans right now.  Let me simply say that, if you are a golfer who's played Ironwood over the past year or so, only to be disappointed, that's about to change.  Keep your eyes on Ironwood's Hidden Fairways page.  As things develop, I'll keep you updated.  In the meantime, I'm making Ironwood's FREE GOLF coupon available to any visitor to this web site so everyone can have a chance to visit Cordele - without risk - to see what's happening.  They're working hard to get the course back in playable shape, and I suspect it'll be better every week as the Spring progresses.

At a time when major golf courses all over the country are being put up for sale, it's great to see this unique South Georgia track in the enthusiastic hands of its new owner.  Not that long ago, Ironwood was worth the 2 hour drive from Atlanta for a round of golf.  Soon, it will be that once again... and more.