Golf may return to a once-popular course in Flagler Beach. The city of Flagler Beach bought the eyesore of a golf course, but it remains mostly untouched.
During a walk with resident Leland Kennedy we saw plenty of birdies, but they weren't the golfing kind. They were more of the great blue heron or snowy egret.
Kennedy misses the golfers who passed by his condo every day. “I used to sit out there when I wasn't playing and watch the other people and get to meet them and greet them.”
Michael Flank headed a committee tasked to find a use for the land, which cannot be zoned for residential development.
The city bought the defunct course for close to a half-million dollars back in 2013.
That committee had one major demand: the course's redevelopment could not cost city taxpayers any additional money.
“There aren't a lot of things you can pick that are going to fall into that gamut of free or self-sufficient,” Flank said.
The city manager has about a week left to strike a deal with the owner of nearly 3 acres jutting into the city-owned land.
Those who want to bring golf back said it's vital to have that land for a driving range.
If that can be negotiated, city manager Bruce Campbell said that will be the last money the city will pay on the potential course.
But in an era where golf courses are struggling across the country, is it a wise move to return this property to golf course use?
Flank and those on the committee heard all those arguments.
But no one is proposing a full, 18-hold course here. “Nine-hole executive courses seem to have the interest, seem to have the demand for the public,” said Flank.
Kennedy just knows what he saw when he first moved into town more than a decade ago. He's also a realist. “There was always lots of people out here. You have to have the right type of person to run it. If not, the end results are going to be the same.”
Kennedy paid a premium for a golf course view.
He hopes the next person to buy his condo has that same "opportunity."