For fifth time in 10 years, Valley Gardens Golf Course is in escrow to sell the prime Scotts Valley property, as its business prospects dim.
The 9-hole public course, very much a part of Scotts Valley history since it opened in 1971, appears to be the latest casualty of an industry in distress.
“I’ve been watching this decline for 10 years,” said owner Sandy Woodruff. “How many people would continue to operate a business that shows a loss every year?
Last fall, Woodruff entered into a 44-month “contract of sale” with San Jose-based Robson Homes.
During that time, the developer will explore development options for the 29-acre site.
Mark Robson, president of Robson Homes, said he may submit plans to the city “really soon” for a mixed-use retail and residential development in the heart of downtown.
“This is an opportunity to build really nice homes and interesting retail,” he said. “There will be a lot
of questions, we’ll see what happens during the process.”
The land was rezoned open space in 1989 to bring it in line with its current use. Woodruff said when her father, Steve Barath, purchased the land in 1969 he envisioned more than a golf course.
“It was always purchased as a development,” said an emotional Woodruff, adding that her father planted sod and put in holes for golf while waiting to sell the land.
The first attempt to develop the course took place in the 1970s, when Barath proposed to sell the property to a parochial junior high and high school, much to the dismay of local golfers.
Another deal fell through in 2006 when Ponderosa Homes expressed interest in developing on the land but backed out.
Woodruff attempted to sell the land to the City of Scotts Valley when Chuck Comstock was city manager in the 1990s, but he declined to take on the upkeep.
The golf course would still have to be rezoned to allow buildings. Such an effort could be a lengthy process, beginning with a permit application with city planning and ending with request for City council to approve a general plan amendment.
The purchase price was not disclosed. Golf courses are going for bargain prices around the country, and in California.
For example, the 9-hole Oak Creek Golf Course in Red Bluff, near Redding, is asking $550,000. There are currently 274 golf courses for sale in the United States, according to loopnet.com.
The over-arching difficulty at Valley Gardens is that is caught up in the downward spiral of golf in the United States. Woodruff said during weekday afternoons, there is often only one car in the parking lot, located next to McDonald’s and the Spring Lakes community, behind Scotts Village Shopping Center on Mt. Hermon Road.
The number of young people, aged 18-30, playing the game has sagged nearly 35 percent over the past decade, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.
More than 800 golf courses have closed nationwide in the last decade. Many of those shuttered courses were built on land on which redevelopment is proscribed by local zoning codes seeking to preserve open space, according to Bloomberg.com
“The supply of golf courses exceeds the demand,” said Steve Woodruff, who struggles keeping the greens pristine while conserving water.
Woodruff said the only thing that might revive the nascent industry is another golf luminary such as Tiger Woods, who spurred interest much the same way Mohamad Ali did for boxing.
Barring a miracle, Woodruff finds herself running a business in the red, and waiting for someone to take if off her hands.
“I know the community feels like this is a part of the city,” Woodruff said. “But everything has to come to an end.”
