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JC: In terms of governance, the bottom line is that the community needs to deal with any issues promptly and directly.
It has been said that everyone gets the government they deserve (do we really deserve ours!), and in many cases they would apply to golf club committees and estate boards. Would you agree, with something that I have noticed, in that the greatest ally to factions bent on ‘taking over’, to pursue what are most often very narrow and self-serving agendas, is apathy within the majority?
LM: Isn’t that comment still so true – until a request is made to increase the monthly levies, or introduce a special levy!
Most residents move into a community, because of the security, infrastructure, and lifestyle features.
If you relate a residential community to a residential suburb, how many residents go to the town council meetings, or join the community associations?
Most of us are too busy with our lives’ daily demands, so it seems that if the community is being maintained, the security is working and the golf course is up to scratch, we are all essentially apathetic.
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Sadly, it is most often conflict that will spark drama, and generate a reaction to jerk us out of our apathy!
Ongoing conflict, hijacking boards, expensive and lengthy court cases, misrepresentation in the media social media, slander and WhatsApp group battles can damage the community as a brand, which directly affects individual property prices.
There will always be someone stirring the pot, there will always be a dog barking, teenagers making a noise, someone speeding, a cat killing the local birdlife and someone taking a picture of dog poop, and then posting it to the WhatsApp group.
The question is not if it will happen, but rather how you, as an HOA / community will manage it when it does happen.
Good governance, fair rules, with effective conflict resolution, and professional management are key to dealing with issues.
JC: Eddie Bullock often makes the point about golfers being a ‘family’, into which he ‘plugs-in’, wherever his travels might take him in the World.
This sense of connectivity is essential at a golf estate, where there should be a strong community ethos – if the estate wants any kind of sustainable harmony!
And yet, despite the fact that golfers will often not represent more than 35% of the total ‘population’ (I believe that 20% to 25% is still the international average for this breakdown between golfers and non-golfers), I will often see golfers regarding the country club as their ‘private preserve’.
David Christie commented that at Eagle Canyon, they have managed to create a very congenial atmosphere, wherein golfers and non-golfers, ‘co-habit’ in what is, by some golf estate’ standards, relative harmony.
This has been due to a number of factors, including the size of Eagle Canyon’s country club.
To help avoid the spectre of the ‘us and them’ scenario, what should we be looking for to enhance better cross community relations?
LM: I would agree with that statement, and where there is a golf course on a golf estate, golfers do tend rule the roost, even if they are a minority.
However, I do believe that many in the community understand the value that the golf course offers to all homeowners.
When selling your property there is never a ‘them and us’ scenario.
In my travels across estates, I do see golf directors and their teams driving initiatives to increase the number of residents who play golf, through various activities, from family days to 9-hole games, youth clubs and ladies golf promotions.
However, what is definitely changing is how golf estates are having to increase their lifestyle offerings, in order to appeal to new buyers.
Property investors are looking for a variety of facilities, and while they might appreciate the value the golf course offers to overall property values, on a personal level, they would rather be playing padel ball or cycling.
With the competition in the market, between new developments and existing estates, coupled with an ever-shrinking pool of investors, the question to be addressed, is should an estate be creating its ‘sense of community’ around the golf course, or the entire brand?
