Would you play here?

[skizzle34]

http://io9.com/5525873/michigans-abandoned-dinosaur-amusement-park-is-way-creepy

If you are too lazy to go to the link basically its a creepy run down "dinosaur park" in Michigan and it is for sale. I have first hand experience driving past here and it is quite bizarre and could be interesting to play. Imagine throwing a mando around a Teerex!

 

[Stardoggy]

Pretty steep price tag for 8 acres.

 

[skizzle34]

Side note this article is from 2010

 

[fritothedog]

Sure I would play there. Could be fun.

 

[The Happy Gilmore]

This has potential to be a very cool course! Imagine having a glow tourney there with some glow paint on the dinosaurs and their teeth!

 

[Rocaholic74]

^^^I like the way you think Happy Gilmore. That would be one crazy night of glow golf...But to the OPS question, hell yeah I would play there.

 

[ejvogie]

Put a basket on top of the Brontosaurus' head

 

[ohtobediscing]

I could see having a pin under the brachiosaurus, or on the mastodon's trunkend, or on the carcass being eaten by the velociraptor. And....is that a giant pile of dino poo in the parking lot!? Pin on that! ["I shot pretty ****ty today".]

Sure, I'd play here--probably take the kids for shock value. Make a nice, unusual family course.

 

[bobmcnelly]

Yea I would play there!

 

[sugarnot]

I'd absolutely play there....but being only 8 acres it would be difficult to do more than essentially a pitch and putt 9 hole course. Given the theme though it would make a great family friendly 9 hole starter course.

 

[RUSSELL]

absolutely. same with the abandoned six flags in La.:

 

[stubby]

Hell yea! its has alot of potential for a great setup!

 

[ODRB]

Oh hell yes. To both.
The Six Flags outside NOLA is super creppy as well. I lived in NOLA during Katrina and for years after. We snuck in there a couple times. It eventually got even more spooky spooky, crawling with junkies...

 

[Puckstopper]

I'd absolutely play there....but being only 8 acres it would be difficult to do more than essentially a pitch and putt 9 hole course. Given the theme though it would make a great family friendly 9 hole starter course.

Let's start with the assumption that I have the disposable income to buy this park:

So for half a mill I get 8 acres...

Or I could buy 40 acres for $130k in the Manistee National Forest, with a house already built. I'm not that far from one of the best courses in the country (Flip City), surrounded by other good courses (Mason Co. complex, Leviathan, etc) and have $370k left over to build a course. Hmmmm, gee, which will I do? Probably build up North and try to make it a destination. And yes, I do actually have located a property that matches the above description, and have seen several others that are almost as good a deal. Not that I'm trying to move back to Michigan or anything...

On the other hand, the 8 acres I get for $500k does have buildable land around it, and back up to a small 9 hole golf course, creating the possibility of some sort of tie-in/partnership. Not only that, the property is in the much more populated Irish Hills, and near several small lakes. As someone who has spent the last 30+ summers going to a cottage on a small inland lake in Michigan I can tell you that parents would love the idea of an inexpensive way to keep their kids busy. Putting in a decent 9 hole course and pricing it well could be a great way to "grow the game".

It would never be a course that people bragged about playing like Selah, Idlewild, Flip or Highbridge. But it could be a course that actually made money. I'm thinking of selling 18 holes, complete with your choice of a Z plastic Discraft disc with a customized stamp (Michigan course, Michigan company, and I'd offer very limited number of molds) for $20. Bring the disc back, and each 9 hole replay is $2, or $5 with a hot dog, chips, and soda. No outside food or drink would be allowed, and I'd keep concession prices low. The more I think about it the less I think it would be a huge money maker, but I do think people would play it.

 

[Halcón]

^ Git 'er done!

 

[Timeetyo]

I'd absolutely play there....but being only 8 acres it would be difficult to do more than essentially a pitch and putt 9 hole course. Given the theme though it would make a great family friendly 9 hole starter course.

Exactly this. Keep it all short par 3s. Use the unique features and it could be an excellent intro / family course.

....if it wasn't almost 500k.

 

[skizzle34]

There would also be the option of going tiki course and really going all out on the bizarre factor.

 

[Timeetyo]

absolutely. same with the abandoned six flags in La.:

How do you properly mark the mando through the loop in the roller coaster?

But yeah - so many cool options there.

 

[Puckstopper]

^ Git 'er done!

The problem is with the assumption that I have that kind of disposable income. I'm far more likely to buy the property in Manistee than I am the one in the Irish Hills, and work on it over time. Maybe 5 years from now I'll be sending out invites to the opening of my course.

 

[sugarnot]

I love how everyone is quoting my post....with the assumption that I was talking about buying it. The OP asked "would you play here?". To which I gave my answer from the perspective of him buying it and wanting to build a course on it. I was just simply informing him that on that small of a parcel of land 18 holes is not only infeasible but practically impossible. Hence the necessity to do a 9 hole pitch and putt. Expanding further to say that with the items already in place give it a theme that could be leveraged in creating a family friendly environment. Believe me when I say there are much better things I could do with $500K IF I were in such a position.