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Originally Posted by Choro&Swing
I noticed this morning that the Hacienda Hills Country Club restaurant and pool are now closed and that demolition may begin today. Links led me to the information that the Tierra del Sol restaurant and pool were due to be demolished in 2013, but I hear that it was rebuilt instead. Also Chula Vista, Silver Lake, and other clubs, I hear, were changed. (Excuse me if any of this info is wrong.) Will this continue? The reason seems to be that they aren’t getting enough business and/or that they need expensive repairs. Buildings are being town down when they are fifteen years old, and we are told that they are at the end of their life expectancy.
I understand how economics work and that there are costs that have to be covered. I’m sure the Developer’s staff has run the numbers and knows that these restaurants are (were) costing more to run than they are (were) bringing in. That doesn’t make good business sense. I suppose the availability of many restaurants on the outskirts of The Villages have hurt business at the country clubs. Many people want to spend less on meals or like eating at chain restaurants, and those restaurants also bring in more business from outside The Villages, which is crucial to making a profit.
What do you think? Will ALL of the country club restaurants and pools eventually close? Will “Country Club” just mean golf courses and various other sports? Will the southern country clubs be built without restaurants and pools? Will it no longer be possible to go from the golf or tennis court to the bar or restaurant for a drink or lunch? Will players have to get into their cars or carts and drive twenty minutes or more to some restaurant where they and their pals will hope they can sit together? That certainly changes the usual idea and ideal of a country club. Perhaps the ones with the least business will be closed until the busiest get even busier and eventually make a decent profit.
Also, what is with this idea that a building is ready to be torn down in fifteen years? My home is stick-built, like the country clubs, and it is twenty-two years old. I think it is in great condition. What makes the difference? Will my house need to be torn down soon? Were the country clubs built from the beginning with a lower quality of construction than the houses?
Would it work for the country club restaurants to be leased to popular chain restaurants, or would that bring in too many outsiders and again change the idea of the more exclusive country club?
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A LOT of thought provoking questions posed here !
Maybe (?) one factor at the heart of it is the illusion of exclusivity that has always been a part of the marketing ? It allows all of us to enjoy a community that emulates all the advantages most of us can't afford. It has really made wonderful surroundings for sure, but, only those running the number know for sure. Profit is the only thing that counts in (most) businesses and since T V's is not like a "normal" community (mayor, city council, elections, open meetings not POA or other highbred type meetings), it is after all a trade off as I see it. Personally I don't like the steady march toward fewer amenities and more acres of revenue producing projects, don't like the "trend" at all. But, I choose the community, choose the lot, and choose the house plan to build knowing there were some "un-natural/unusual" (LOL) elements at play here too; like "gates" that keep out..... nothing and no one. But, it was my choice of course. But what is ahead ? Wish I knew ! Probably what I have found most offensive is the kind of "on the fence" lack of ethics and moral clarity that allows things to happen "in the middle of the night" like sudden gate closure on "historic" side, sink hole down playing, etc. Too much is done very suddenly; but again it is a choice to live in the kind of community in which these things can happen completely legally. Perhaps serious consideration of a kind of highbred rec centers could be designed ? An informal dining room with MORE than brats and hotdogs, but with very casual furniture, and large, expansive patios with comfortable outdoor seating ? NOT a refreshment stand and not an expensive dining room to maintain like the beautiful facilities at A. Palmer club, Nancy L., etc. Would that work ? Lower over head, no wagyu beef on the menu, but interesting sandwiches and dinner salads ? Nice surroundings for drinks and food after golf at noon or evening.... and yet an option to "jump in the cart" for a reasonably priced informal meal ? More in the spirit of going to a Gator's, or national chain ? Keep overhead lower, lots of fresco dining, but as an extension of the rec centers.... keeping with the present décor of each ? Race track, lake cottage, Victorian garden, yachting..... and just make this a normal part of the rec centers rather than build more elaborate "country clubs" that require additional membership and some ( maybe ?) don't realize they are public restaurants when they first move here ? I have always thought that a rec center, with and informal dining option would be a HUGE money maker from golfers and swimmers alike ! Just my opinion to get the conversation started with the great questions you posed
