December 2011

All across the nation, golf courses are shutting down due to lack of demand.  During the late 90s and early 2000s, developers across the country raced to construct as many golf course communities as they could even as the number of golfers leveled out. With a larger supply of courses but a stagnating demand, many golf operations found themselves without a customer base.  As a result, for the first time in over 60 years, more golf courses shut down than were opened during the five-year period between 2005 and 2010.  In 2010 alone, 46 courses opened compared to 107 that closed. 

One of the more interesting trends developing in the world of ranch ownership is the relationship between agricultural land use and recreational sporting opportunities. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when agricultural practices and outdoor activities, flyfishing in particular, were at odds. Ranches with fishing opportunities were viewed strictly as a sportsman’s ranch, while a ranch with good operating features was pigeonholed as a working ranch...