[Proposal #20] US Mid West Course

Proposal Name: US Mid West Course

Authors: Bez, cbruce, Cooper, Jim

Author’s Note: These courses have been purposefully anonymized at the sellers’ request. At such time in the process that we are able to name the courses in members-only channels or privately, we will! In the meantime, please do not attempt to uncover the names or share guesses about the potential course identities privately or publicly, as it may hinder the course purchase process and upset the seller(s).

TL;DR: As we’ve continued searching for a US course, we are having advanced conversations with two different US sites that we believe line up well with the course attribute preferences of the community. The setups for each transaction are quite different, so we wanted to share as much as we can regarding them with members to get your feedback and determine how excited members are about each opportunity.

This is PART TWO of a THREE PART Vote. There will be a vote specific to each course, where we will determine if members are sufficiently excited about the opportunity that we should continue pursuing it. Then, to gather more information about the community’s relative preferences, we will ask everyone to choose their preference between the two if they were forced to only choose one. We also aim to garner a lot of qualitative feedback from the community throughout the process.

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MW Course

TL;DR: A Midwest course designed by a top level Golden Age architect, that will be renovated with the intention of being a top 100 level course and a potential Tour site, though it would close for renovation and not reopen until (est) 2026. We would co-own the course with the current owner, who would help fund the investment to get to that quality level. It would be a fully private course, and a number of celebrities and athletes have expressed interest in being a member. Of course, in a new development there are risks, and there is no guarantee of a top 100 rating, Tour event or celebrity members.

Location: City in the Midwestern United States, close to an international airport with direct flights from all major US hubs and many other US cities.

High-level Description: Designed by a Golden Age architect, it has been run as a public course and under-invested in. The course is being purchased by a new owner who has plans to fully renovate the course and clubhouse and relaunch it as a private club, with an anticipated timeline of being completed in 2026 - and we have the opportunity to join forces as a co-owner. The ambitions of the current owner are to make it a Top 100-level site and potential Tour stop.

Transaction Setup: Links would be a co-owner of the course along with the current owner. Links would have the exclusive on offering national memberships to this club to our NFT holders, and NFT holders would also have the ability to join locally. While we wouldn’t be the sole owners, we would likely make up the majority of the membership and would have a corresponding say in steering the club and making sure that it is a good fit for our membership. We have already had some of these discussions with the owner, and after these initial conversations, feel like there’s alignment. For example, we have spoken to him about having all of his local members hold our NFT as a requirement for membership, which he was interested in. Additionally, while he was already in touch with a couple of architects to work on the renovation, we offered to introduce him to others and he was amenable to that. We have since reached out to two architects to see if they are interested and both are, with subsequent introductions completed.

Membership Policy: The course will likely be fully private. It may look like Tree Farm or Old Barnwell in the sense that it is private but there are select opportunities for the public to get on.

Membership Fees: We are still working through the final structure here, as well, but cost to join would likely be in the $5,000-6,000 range with ongoing annual dues in the $1000-2,000 range.

Other perks / benefits: There will likely be a number of celebrity and athlete members joining this club who are affiliated with / from the area.

Attribute summary (our high level assessment, ordered according to rank in our most recent course attribute vote):

Attribute

Rating (1-4)

Course Quality

🟢🟢(🟢🟢)

Solid today ($45-70 greens fee), but being renovated with ambitions are to be a top 100 course and potentially host a Tour event

Near Major Airport

🟢🟢🟢

Close to international airport, accessible from both coasts

Playable Year Round

🟢🟢

Likely comfortably playable April thru November

Uniqueness of Course

🟢🟢🟢

Opportunity to create as part of renovation

Great Clubhouse/Bar

🟢🟢🟢🟢

Plan is to build an amazing clubhouse experience

Practice Facility

🟢🟢🟢🟢

Plan is for a great range and short game area

All Skill Level Friendly

🟢🟢🟢

TBD but likely should have a variety of tees and won’t be overly penal given the existing site

Close to Other Golf Options

🟢🟢

Few publicly accessible, high quality nearby options

Lodging Nearby

🟢🟢🟢

Lots of lodging options, including potentially onsite (not currently)

Ready to Play Soon

🟢

Plan is to open in 2026

Famous Architect

🟢🟢🟢🟢

Well-known Golden Age architect

Walkable Course

🟢🟢🟢🟢

Would expect the course to be primarily walking with caddies but also have carts

More than 18 Holes

🟢

18 holes

Other Amenities Onsite

🟢

No pool, tennis, etc

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Proposal Details: Please note that a vote for either course does not guarantee an eventual transaction taking place. Once we get to the final stages with either one and once we have permission to share more details on each course, including the names, we will have another vote to move forward with an offer / agreement just as we did with Spey Bay. This proposal is to confirm that the membership is interested in, and that the team should continue to pursue, each opportunity.

Effort: Medium

Voting:

VOTE 2: MW Course - Links members will be asked to vote for or against continued pursuit of "MW Course" in a vacuum.

“Extreme yes”: I definitely want the team to pursue MW Course, and I would definitely plan to become a member at the course

“Yes”: I want the team to pursue MW Course, though I am not sure that I would join as a member

“No”: I do not want the team to pursue this course and would prefer they pursue other options

“Abstain”: Not in favor of either, but recording this vote counts toward reaching Quorum.

What Happens After the Vote:

If yes, the team will continue to pursue the acquisition of the course. If no, the team will drop this opportunity and pursue other options.