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Let's Stop Crying In Our Beer

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 19, 2008

For the late migrating snowbirds, last week we wrote about WCI holding the line on golf dues and trail fees for next year. WCI increased the dues structure by about 2.3 percent and in a year of inflation. I call that holding the line. We also have the North Lakes Course back as part of our dues - at least for the time being.

Here's the deal on the North Lakes Course: As I noted last week, the golfing members have it back and can make reservations two days in advance for November and December. Starting in January, it will be available to golfing members on a month-to-month basis.

Why a month-to-month basis? Because WCI, at this juncture in time, doesn't know who is going to own that course. Maybe it will be forced to sell the course (at which time the Community Association would have the right of first refusal.) Maybe the Bankruptcy Court will change the rules when WCI brings its recovery plan to it and force WCI into Chapter 7 - liquidation. It's not impossible that WCI could actually offer to give the CA or the SCC Golf & Social Club, Inc. the course.

Some sort of deal is being worked on so that members can make quarterly payments. It hasn't been formalized yet, but I've already heard some golfers say they wouldn't sign up again because WCI might take their money and run away. My feeling is that's pretty much balderdash, as the Brits say.

Neil Rothfeld, Community Association treasurer, points out that when WCI comes out of Chapter 11 it will be a new corporation and dues-paying golfers would be high-ranked creditors and I seriously doubt that WCI in any incarnation wants that.

The bottom line is that if enough people walk away, no golf course here will be viable. With the 1984 agreement (saying only CA residents and their guests can play the North course) in effect, every dropout will reduce the financial stability of the golf courses. Such a shortsighted downhill spiral could imperil the attractiveness of our community and reduce the value of our homes.

I may have been angry with WCI on occasion - particularly three years ago when they gave us that huge boost in dues, but when the company (except Jerry Starkey and thankfully he's gone) has told us it would do something, it has done it. We may not always like what they say they're doing, but with the one exception, they have not reneged-and in good faith, we do have the North Lakes Course back.

Additionally, some golfers are now saying, why don't we have our restaurant back at the Golf and Tennis Club? Why can't we go to the Amici's restaurant at Renaissance?

Well, folks, that costs extra. WCI "gave" us free membership at the Golf & Racquet after they kicked us off the North Lakes Course. When it closed the restaurant at G&R because no one was eating there, they extended the privilege to Amici's. Renaissance members pay for the privilege of dining at Amici's, the rest of us were afforded the pleasure in lieu of the North Lakes Course.

Now we have the North Lakes Course back. We're back where we started before Starkey The Arrogant closed the North Lakes. We should not be asking for more than we're entitled to. There will, however, be some social memberships available, I'm told. Probably in the $500 to $600 range.

Whether this was a sound business decision on WCI's part is another question. Amici's is never crowded and if it doesn't do more business, it too may close. However, there was complaining from some of the members of Renaissance that the peasantry from Sandpiper was getting something for nothing (that they were forced to pay for.) Heard some of that with my own ears. My guess (and it's only a guess) is that WCI would have continued to permit use of Amici's just to up the income of the restaurant.

Of course the fewer people using Amici's (and in this economy, fewer people are dining out) then the more it will cost the current members to keep it open.

But we should not be crying in our beer about the fear of big, bad WCI running off with our money. I'm pretty damn sure it won't. Nor should we be weeping for something (Amici privileges) that never was ours to begin with. Finally, one would think the Renaissance members would welcome We of The Great Unwashed to their eatery because we can help carry the joint.

Thus endeth the lesson. Bartender, draw me another, please.

Bob Black is a member of the board of directors for the Sun City Center Community Association. He has been published in numerous publications, including The New York Herald Tribune and the New York Times.

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