Va. Golf Club Built to Cater to Affluent Opens to All
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After Failing to Attract Enough Members, Exclusive Presidential Bought and Remade Into Public Course
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Fred Kent had always wanted to take a few swings at the members-only golf course in Ashburn named the Presidential. Like other Northern Virginia golfers, he admired its rolling hills, bunkers and myriad water hazards amid the skyscrapers and office parks of the Route 28 corridor.
Yesterday, Kent finally got to swat a bucket of balls on the course's driving range. That's because an exclusive club built for deep-pocketed executives has been thrown open to the public.
"I always drove by here and was a little disappointed that I couldn't play," said Kent, a medical specialist, as he practiced during a midafternoon work break. "Now that I'm here, it's exciting."
The Presidential has reopened under a new name -- the 1757 Golf Club (named for the year Loudoun County was founded) -- and new management. Billy Casper Golf, based in Vienna, which manages more than 100 courses in 25 states, announced last week that it had signed a long-term lease to manage the course. So far, almost 500 golfers have tried out the driving range. About a dozen tee times for the club's nine-hole course are scheduled for a tentative opening Friday.
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Gone is the promise of an exclusive golfing getaway for executives from the Dulles area. In its place is a public-access course with competitive prices.
The Presidential had opened in May 2008 to fanfare, with membership limited to 150 companies that agreed to pay $60,000 a year for access to the course and 16,000-square-foot clubhouse.
Big names signed up, including Ted Leonsis, the former AOL executive who now owns a majority of the Washington Capitals hockey team, and former Washington Redskins football cornerback Darrell Green.
But by September, the Presidential had shuttered, a victim of a worsening economy. More than a dozen contractors filed liens, saying they were owed for work on the $40 million first phase of the project.
For months, the club went unused. Now it is open again, with notable changes. A small bucket of balls for the driving range costs $7; a large bucket is $12. Nine holes, with a cart, will cost $39. The full 18-hole course is slated to be finished by spring 2010.
"The old owners had a business model that was risky. It was a niche," said Joel Gohlmann, Virginia regional manager for Billy Casper Golf. "This is an excellent course with some great amenities, so for us, it's a no-brainer."
The Presidential was not the first private course in Loudoun to undergo a makeover. Creighton Farms, an 18-hole course near Aldie, is under new management after the luxury hotel chain Ritz-Carlton attracted only about a fifth of the desired membership. In addition, developer Donald Trump last month scooped up the 800-acre Lowes Island Golf Club in Sterling and renamed it Trump National. To boost its appeal, Trump has promised better food, a new fitness center, improved caddie service and extended hours for child care.
As a private course, the Presidential was modeled after the Fiddler's Elbow Country Club in New Jersey, a prime spot for Manhattan financiers. A golf academy and meeting rooms equipped with WiFi and video conferencing were built. DullesWest Properties purchased land on the course's eastern border, a part of the old WorldCom campus, to build an adjacent office park and high-end hotel.
But in the year the club opened, the economy tanked.
Joe Rice, chief marketing officer of the National Golf Course Owners Association in Charleston, S.C., said golfers across the country are flocking to lower-priced courses, leaving private clubs in a scramble to hold their own. Destination courses in tourist hot spots, such as Arizona, Florida and the Carolinas, have been hit the hardest, according to data collected last month, Rice said.
The newly public course along Waxpool Road is a welcome sight for the cost-conscious golfer, enthusiasts say. "It's definitely worth it now," Kent said. "Not that it wasn't before. But we can afford it now."
Tagged: Ashburn, Economy, golf, The Presidential Golf Club
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Since when did 10 story office parks qualify as skyscrapers !?!
Posted by tempo341 (anonymous) on May 19, 2009 at 7:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Comrades: Everything so very wrong with Northern VA is included in this article. Hubris, Office Parks, Executives, Ted Leonsis, DullestWest, OldeWorld, on and on, ad nauseum. Well, now the little people can enjoy the course. So sad for the Movers and Shakers. . . . But wait . . . . Terry is on the horizon. . . . salvation is at hand!!!!
Posted by rep15 (anonymous) on May 20, 2009 at 8:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
rep15: Why is Ted Leonsis part of what is wrong with Northern VA? By all accounts he is a good guy. He's certainly a better sports team owner than Dan Snyder or Peter Angelos.
Posted by koolkat_1960 (anonymous) on May 20, 2009 at 12:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Part of the problem might have been trying to get people to pony up $60,000 for a 9-hole course. That's simply nuts. I understand that the full course isn't open yet, but there is no way you could convince me to put up $60,000 for half a course. What if I don't like the other half when it does finally open up.
If you're not going to open the full course, then you have to dramatically lower the initiation fee. No wonder nobody was buying.
Posted by ztexz1 (anonymous) on May 21, 2009 at 10:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
rep15: Remember, a poor person never provided you with a job. Back to Cuba with you.
Posted by dingus5 (anonymous) on May 21, 2009 at 11:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why does every article posted in Loudoun draw the republican wingnuts to comment about socialist and how we are all doomed? You realize that every attempt to label all the world's actions a liberal plot just makes you sound like an idiot. It's a bloody golf course article for Christ sake. Are you that paranoid that you see a communist conspiracy behind every tree or bush? Just go hide in your bunker and come out in 4 years ... you lost the election and that's your next chance to try again.
Posted by vanzal1 (anonymous) on May 21, 2009 at 11:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why does every article posted in Loudoun draw the democrat wingnuts to comment about capitalist and how we are all doomed? You realize that every attempt to label all the world's actions a conservative plot just makes you sound like an idiot. It's a bloody golf course article for Christ sake. Are you that paranoid that you see a right-wing conspiracy behind every tree or bush? Just go hide in your tree house and come out in 4 years ... you won the election how’s that working out for you.
Posted by baraol (anonymous) on May 22, 2009 at 6:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Regardless of your political viewpoint, it's nice to have a public course nearby. People are excited about being able to play a reasonably priced course close to home.
Posted by yaddayadda (anonymous) on May 22, 2009 at 9:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just fine with me...
Posted by vanzal1 (anonymous) on May 22, 2009 at 7:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
baraol: ... oh and it's so nice that you repeat talking points so well. It's obvious that you are well trained in parroting things rather that thinking for yourself. Good luck to you over the next four... or rather eight years ... of screaming into the wind. I'm sure you will win over lots of votes! Go Palin 2012!!!
Posted by vanzal1 (anonymous) on May 22, 2009 at 7:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
not just 60,000 grand one time, but every year! no wonder it failed.
Posted by phecky (anonymous) on May 22, 2009 at 7:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
$60,000 a year? You must be kidding me. How about they pay for my house, daycare, groceries, etc and become my 1-stop shopping for all aspects of my life. Then maybe $60,000/yr might sound reasonable. lol
That is the problem with Private Golf Clubs. They have membership fees that are out of this world (to keep everybody by 1% of the population out) and offer nothing of value in return except an experience. Well I can tell you, if I had $60,000/yr to burn, I'll just go buy 200/acres of land and build my own golf course.
Posted by AlbyVA (anonymous) on July 14, 2009 at 1:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ok...I'm on this site because I'm looking at history of the course for purposes of planning the clubhouse for public use. This looks like a good forum to solicit opinions.
Obviously catering makes sense...but what would you prefer happens with the Bar & Grill?
1)Keep it just as a simple amenity for golfers...limited service, limited menu (some sandwiches, canned beer)
2) develop it into a free standing sports bar, adding TV's and full food and drink menus. It too would serve as an amenity to golfers but functions the same year round where diners don't feel compelled to golf to have lunch there. Keep name tasteful but servers land in the ..ahem..."hot girl" category (think upscale Hooters...shorts and golf shirts probably)
3) expand the Bar and Grill area and turn it into an Upscale Casual Destination restaurant (think Season's 52 or Houston's or Founding Farmers or Paolo's).
As Loudon County residents, what would you like to see here?
Posted by yarollimac (anonymous) on August 27, 2009 at 4:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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