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Downtown Golf Course


NYTransplant

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It's too bad we can't merge city and county governments, similar to what Jacksonville did years ago. Then we could increase our city population to 400,000+, and hopefully make Greenville county more progressive.

I suppose the flip side of that is that a merger could cause slower development in the city limits, which would obviously not be good. It's probably a moot point anyway, since the two governments seem so far apart as to never be able to coexist under one umbrella.

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This will be a great asset to Greenville and DT. If it weren't, the city would not be supporting it. I think the city officials and staff have proven that they know how to re-develop in an urban environment. If only other cities would follow their example.

Agreed! :thumbsup:

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I consider a downtown golf course to be in the same category as a big parking lot or cemetery in the CBD (the one I'm referring to is the one next to the Landmark building - I know it's probably historic, but I still wish it weren't there). Anyway, there's nothing wrong with parking lots, golf courses, etc. in the suburbs - I just don't think they go downtown where land is precious.

Exactly! Unless you can voluntarily put a 200 year old cemetary there, this land will be useless. I can see no good side to having a golf course downtown. The City of Greenville is not infallible.

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Exactly! Unless you can voluntarily put a 200 year old cemetary there, this land will be useless. I can see no good side to having a golf course downtown. The City of Greenville is not infallible.

Useless! How many homes are built on golf courses? Are they expensive houses or trailers?

You can't build permanant structures on this site. What you you rather it be used for? What's wrong with some recreation. This isn't exactly in the heart of the CBD either.

More business deals are made on a golf course than any board room. I can easily see an out-of-town business executive staying at the Westin, leaving his hotel and playing a few holes at this course. Enroute he walks through Falls Park and the Kroc Center area. While he is putting with the Gville skyline in the distance, he might get this thought in his head, "Greenville seems like a great place to live and do business".

I heard a study was done that showed the chief determinate of where a business or industry locates is how far it is from the CEO's favorite golf course. Think about it. When deciding on a corporate relocation, do they poll all the workers, or do a group of big shots make the call?

Besides, isn't Spartanburg putting in a 9-hole course at the new Marriott Downtown?

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Spartanburg's deal fell through as of today, but one may still come into existance as the land currently lies empty.

It is also important to note that this new course in Greenville will be a part of a major community center. It has been included in the plans from day one. As vicupstate said, it will go on land that would otherwise have been near impossible to develop.

I'm really not too sure how much this golf course will be used for important business transactions simply because serious golfers may find it annoying to play around a bunch of divots left by kids (maybe?). I think it will be very useful for the casual business user though. :)

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Useless! How many homes are built on golf courses? Are they expensive houses or trailers?

You can't build permanant structures on this site. What you you rather it be used for? What's wrong with some recreation. This isn't exactly in the heart of the CBD either.

More business deals are made on a golf course than any board room. I can easily see an out-of-town business executive staying at the Westin, leaving his hotel and playing a few holes at this course. Enroute he walks through Falls Park and the Kroc Center area. While he is putting with the Gville skyline in the distance, he might get this thought in his head, "Greenville seems like a great place to live and do business".

I heard a study was done that showed the chief determinate of where a business or industry locates is how far it is from the CEO's favorite golf course. Think about it. When deciding on a corporate relocation, do they poll all the workers, or do a group of big shots make the call?

Besides, isn't Spartanburg putting in a 9-hole course at the new Marriott Downtown?

But what kind of homes are built on golf courses? Not any kind that are suitable for downtown. You're talking about suburban houses- 'McMansions' if you will. They are large houses on large 1.5 or 2 acre lots. How many of those are you going to cram into downtown (which is supposedly trying to increase its density). Golf courses have their place, but I don't like the idea of them downtown.

Spartanburg did have one planned at Renaissance Park, but fortunately that fell through. I was initially in favor of it, but the more I thought about it the less I liked it. I have been opposed to it for some time, and in the event it returns, I truely hope that our city leaders can see that such a thing downtown would not be a good thing.

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But what kind of homes are built on golf courses? Not any kind that are suitable for downtown. You're talking about suburban houses- 'McMansions' if you will. They are large houses on large 1.5 or 2 acre lots. How many of those are you going to cram into downtown (which is supposedly trying to increase its density). Golf courses have their place, but I don't like the idea of them downtown.

Spartanburg did have one planned at Renaissance Park, but fortunately that fell through. I was initially in favor of it, but the more I thought about it the less I liked it. I have been opposed to it for some time, and in the event it returns, I truely hope that our city leaders can see that such a thing downtown would not be a good thing.

This golf course will already be different from the norm because it will 1) be in an urban area 2) be "junior' size. There are attached condos and townhouses that front golf courses in other cities. I would envision something akin to "The Edge on North Main". No one has said anything about "McMansions", you can't assume that that will happen there. If 'McMansions" were proposed, I would oppose that myself. Why not reserve judgement until all the details come out?

Many cities have public municipal courses, Charleston and Aiken to name just two.

It's too bad, the Golf course in Sburg was cancelled. When I saw the rendering, I thought it was a great idea and unique.

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I don't know what else could possibly be put on this site, but I don't like the idea. I think it's going to be cheap and tacky. Seriously, like others have said, Who's going to play here? Business execs? I think not. The Greenville Country Club... yes, not a par three. I just don't see how it's going to draw people to Greenville, much less just downtown. The concept is a good one... if it were 9 real holes or a par 72 course. :whistling:

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If you're into the game of Golf and have ever played the Crosswinds course on Villa Road, you will most likely be in favor of another par 3 course in town. That is one of the most enjoyable courses to play and you can play all 18 holes after leaving work in the evening. Keep in mind that this course is not smack in the middle of downtown, nor even anywhere in the CBD. It is actually not currently in downtown at all, but will be on the edge when the Kroc Center is complete, along with The Camperdown and RiverPlace. :)

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I don't know what else could possibly be put on this site, but I don't like the idea. I think it's going to be cheap and tacky. Seriously, like others have said, Who's going to play here? Business execs? I think not. The Greenville Country Club... yes, not a par three. I just don't see how it's going to draw people to Greenville, much less just downtown. The concept is a good one... if it were 9 real holes or a par 72 course. :whistling:

If the Crosswinds course draws people, why wouldn't this. Besides, there isn't a waterfall, hotels, offices, and a river next to Crosswinds.

Even if it only attracted one person a day, that would be one person more than goes there now. This is low-lying overgrown, unbuildable acreage adacent to a distressed neighborhood. It ain't got nowhere to go but up.

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It ain't got nowhere to go but up.

I like this quote!! :D

I'm very much for this golf course. It's in an area that would never be built up with dense buildings because of flooding. Where alot of cities would just leave as unusable wasteland, Greenville is any another layer, more depth....something additional to do downtown. Bravo Greenville! Great use of unusable land!

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If the Crosswinds course draws people, why wouldn't this. Besides, there isn't a waterfall, hotels, offices, and a river next to Crosswinds.

Even if it only attracted one person a day, that would be one person more than goes there now. This is low-lying overgrown, unbuildable acreage adacent to a distressed neighborhood. It ain't got nowhere to go but up.

Well said vicupstate :D

If the land can't be built on, why not put in a par 3. True, it won't attract the corporate execs. I agree that very few business deals will be made on this course. But what about the guy whose wife wants to come from a good distance to shop downtown all day. Hey no problem, he brought his sticks! He can spend a few hours on the links getting a great view of the skyline. Maybe later he'll catch up with her and go explore this fine city he saw from the course. Maybe there is a picture of a cool pedestrian bridge looking over a waterfall on the front of the scorecard. He's going to have to find that and check it out!

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I too was in originally in favor of the par 3 course at the Marriott. With Cleveland having trouble, the city has taken 5 acres to designate for the arts center. This along with space for future office buildings, made the golf course impractical. Looking back, I think the city made a wise choice. There will still be a chipping area and a huge putting green in the shape of SC. Decent compromise.

I say this to say that officials might want to look at their use of land carefully at the Kroc center. If it is a "first tee" type of program, then it could be great. If not I would worry, because the maintanance of a course is not cheap, so to keep a first class course would require some pretty decent fees not allowing for everybody to benifit.

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I think we need to be careful what we call "bad land" or "land that isn't usable for anything else" when discussing the golf course. Ten years ago (or even five), the land the baseball stadium will be built on would've been considered "bad land." Heck, a case could be made that it is still not the greatest location, especially to someone who doesn't know about Greenville's master plan to extend the West End area to the stadium.

Sure, the Kroc Center and future golf course downtown may seem like a great use of otherwise "bad" land, but what happens in 5 years when/if that land is prime real estate? It's hard to see into the future, and for that reason I am hesitant to put a golf course on this site.

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I think we need to be careful what we call "bad land" or "land that isn't usable for anything else" when discussing the golf course. Ten years ago (or even five), the land the baseball stadium will be built on would've been considered "bad land." Heck, a case could be made that it is still not the greatest location, especially to someone who doesn't know about Greenville's master plan to extend the West End area to the stadium.

Sure, the Kroc Center and future golf course downtown may seem like a great use of otherwise "bad" land, but what happens in 5 years when/if that land is prime real estate? It's hard to see into the future, and for that reason I am hesitant to put a golf course on this site.

A golf course can always be redeveloped in to something else if there is ever a time when that land's highest and best use is something other than a golf course.

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I think we need to be careful what we call "bad land" or "land that isn't usable for anything else" when discussing the golf course. Ten years ago (or even five), the land the baseball stadium will be built on would've been considered "bad land." Heck, a case could be made that it is still not the greatest location, especially to someone who doesn't know about Greenville's master plan to extend the West End area to the stadium.

Sure, the Kroc Center and future golf course downtown may seem like a great use of otherwise "bad" land, but what happens in 5 years when/if that land is prime real estate? It's hard to see into the future, and for that reason I am hesitant to put a golf course on this site.

Also keep in mind that this course will be next to a planned 160-acre park, where development will mainly consist of trails, park benches, and possibly an occasional shelter (among other small things). There is high expectation that the land surrounding this park area will be built into mixed-use units. All of these things are well thought out ahead of time. The fact that they have been made public is good indication that the ball is ready to roll. If someone asks why build a ballpark in the West End, I'd recommend they look at the work already done to the rest of downtown and see how much it has changed. There is a steady history of ballpark projects being catalysts for revitalization in dead neighborhoods.

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The Golf Course land is in the Flood plain, the city cannot issue a building permit in a flood plain. The Baseball stadium is high and dry. There is nothing wrong with the stadium land itself, it merely is in a economically distressed area (for the moment). Frankly, the West End's bad reputation is greatly exaggerated IMO.

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