Three ambitious golf course projects, all linked to the golden name of the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus, sit tenuously on the outskirts of Northern Virginia, symbols of a bottomed-out golf industry and a struggling economy:
» The Presidential in Dulles, conceived as a lavish playground for corporate high rollers, went out of business a year ago, then reopened in May as a downsized public course called the 1757 Club.
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» Harbor Station in Woodbridge, a residential, hotel, and conference center, sits idle, with roads barricaded, its Web site extinguished, none of its planned 4,000 units built, and Nicklaus’s 18-hole, championship course going to seed.
» Creighton Farms in Aldie, a private residential community so exclusive it carried the name Ritz-Carlton, has been abandoned by the luxury hotel and resort chain, and is trying to make a go of it with a new developer and a slightly-altered mission.
The failure of the projects to live up to their original design can be attributed to the sagging golf industry and the national real estate crisis. While the Presidential went under after contractors filed liens for more than $3.4 million in unpaid work, the same scenario put Harbor Station in limbo as the project’s primary financial backer, L.M. Sandler & Sons of Virginia Beach, defaulted on a $100 million bank loan.
That leaves Creighton Farms as the most intact of Nicklaus’ highly-anticipated local trio. Upon opening last year, the spectacular course at Creighton Farms received universal acclaim. But this field of dreams has not lived up to the movie promise: “Build it and they will come.”
Under Ritz-Carlton, which had no experience in golf course residential development, Creighton Farms was slow to attract buyers. After two years, the first homeowner will move in this month and only 31 of the 182 lots have been sold. But new owner Southworth Development brings upscale development expertise and hopes to energize the process.
“The vision is still the same,” said Jason Paul, Director of Operations at Creighton Farms.
But there are some tweaks. Under Southworth, Creighton Farms has shifted from its emphasis on custom estates, built on sprawling lots of up to six acres, and is offering smaller, more practical units built on hamlet lots.
“It’s still the residential component that sets this property apart,” said General Manager Tim Cole. “But we’re hearing from a lot of people who are interested in going smaller.”
The strength of Creighton Farms is its stunning golf course (see review). Attracting members in the current economic climate, however, has been a challenge. At an initiation fee of $80,000, some 60 members have signed on, far short of the target of 300-plus.
To observe the attention to detail, the immaculate condition of the course, and the extraordinary service at Creighton Farms, it’s difficult to imagine it not succeeding, especially to those who have spent their careers in the golf business.
“I came out of retirement because I wanted to be part of something special,” said Membership Director Rick Bechtold. “Everything has been done the right way. It’s truly a unique and special place.”
But only time will tell if the timing is right.
