For some, April showers bring May flowers. For others, April showers bring May Morels (more to follow). For me, April showers are an unfortunate, but necessary, obstacle that I must overcome, or endure, in order to arrive on the doorstep of my 34th Lake Geneva summer. This April, there are many desires competing for my attention, but in April most of those things are simply preparations for what is yet to come. As I wade through the activities and interest that will vie for my time- fishing, tennis, boating- the essentials of summer, I have come upon an activity that might demand more attention and preparation than all of the others combined: my golf game.
If I didn’t practice or prepare a lick, I could still pick up a fishing pole during a late May afternoon and successfully cast my line into the water. I could do this without any thought or practice, and I would achieve my goal. Golf, however, demands more preparation. Golf makes you work. If I were to appear on Hank Haney’s show, I probably wouldn’t progress in skill, as I’d spend most of my time fixated on that top button on his polo shirt that he insists on buttoning. The first two buttons on my polo shirt know better than to be buttoned, but Hank never ventures out of the house without those two buttons firmly looped. The top buttoned button is something I can’t get over, and only worse than the top button being buttoned is the second button being buttoned. Phil Mickelson, you know exactly what I’m talking about. To paraphrase Mr. Reagan, “Messrs. Mickelson and Haney, unbutton those buttons.”
Golf only forced its way onto my densely crowded radar yesterday, and it had nothing to do with the Masters. I was driving into the Grand Geneva, and noticed, for the first time this year, that the grass on the greens was, in fact, green. Same for the grass on the fairways. The familiar cross-hatch pattern of freshly mowed fairways was present, and the flags were in. The golf course was open for business, and it, or one like it, was calling my name. It was more like a taunt really, perhaps because the golf course knows I lost my 7 iron last year and must now choose to choke up on a 6 or bear down on an 8. Should I decide to make time for golf during the summer of 2011, there is only one place where my golf game with flourish and flop, and that one place is Geneva National.
A day spent, at least partially, on the lake is a very good day. But a day spent at Geneva National places a very respectable second, or third, on my list of ideal summer days. That day should begin at the range, progress to the course, and finish with a lunch or dinner on the clubhouse patio. I have golfed at many golf courses and find none to be as thoroughly complete as Geneva National. Geneva National, simply put, is an ideal place to hack away an otherwise sublime summer day.
As with previous market updates, Geneva National the golf remains an elite proposition, but Geneva National the housing development finds little solace in the manicured fairways. The MLS this morning shows 121 available condominiums and homes in Geneva National, an inventory number that I find to be both acceptable and on par with inventory totals over the past three years. Just two of those listings are listed as pending sale, and a mere eight properties have sold all year in GN. Interesting to note, only three of the eight sales were of traditional condominiums, with the other five being single family homes. This lack of condominium movement is similar to that of the lakefront condominium on Geneva, and shows what might be a general progression away from the traditional condominium- at least for now.
The lack of sales in GN is bothersome to me primarily because property values and accompanying list prices have indeed dropped in an attempt to catch the attention of a small, but present, group of buyers. Entry level condominiums in GN are at pre-2003 levels, and look to be among the most economical vacation home options in our entire market right now. If I were a buyer looking to spend sub-$200k on my own Lake Geneva vacation home, I would almost certainly consider GN as my first and possibly best option. The 54 holes of outstanding golf aside, there are swimming pools, restaurants, tennis courts, walking trails, and a genuine country club atmosphere waiting behind those guarded gates.
2010 was an abysmal year for Geneva National. One quarter into 2011 things are looking similarly bleak. Will buyers who might have otherwise overlooked GN have their housing fears assuaged by the reduced prices that the 2011 iteration of GN has to offer? I sure do hope so. For me, this summer will feature quite a bit of GN. I’ll make time to hack my way through dozens of rounds, and hopefully I’ll find some of the groove that my game briefly captured during 2007. If I’m playing golf, it’ll be at Geneva National. If you’re looking for an economical vacation home at Lake Geneva, perhaps we should visit GN together. Seriously, Hank, unbutton that top button.
Photograph by Matt Mason Photography.