Apologies for the headline. I just couldn't bring myself to call this post "weekly foreclosure roundup," which I suppose is what it really is.

The continuing saga of Hasentree is probably the biggest story in golf foreclosures this week. On Thursday the high-end North Carolina club (with a Tom Fazio-designed course) had its foreclosure sale postponed for the third time. The new date is March 13. Perhaps, the Charlotte News Observer opines, this will give potential bidders time to consider the property. Where these bidders are coming from is not clear.

* Down on the southern edge of North Carolina, near the Georgia line, The Ridges at Mountain Harbor golf community and the bank holding its mortgage now have another 30 days to negotiate. Otherwise the $25 million-plus property could end up in foreclosure, reports the Clayton County Progress.

* West Virginia's Beaver Creek Golf Course, described as "once-thriving" by the Beckley Register Herald, has defaulted on its property payments and is carrying some federal tax liens as well. It's going to be sold on the Raleigh County Courthouse steps. "It's tough to turn a profit as a stand-alone golf course," Beaver Creek owner Bill Ward told the Register Herald. "Most today are in gated communities or have restaurants and other amenities with them."

And as we know, even those clubs aren't finding it so easy these days...

-- P.F.

As in virtually every other state in the country, the golf economy in Virginia is feeling the effects of the sluggish economy. Two of the state's 341 golf facilities declared bankruptcy in the fourth quarter of 2008, and two more closed, and according to Virginia State GA executive director Jamie Conkling, "[2009] is going to be a very tough year."

And yet, not all the news is bad. This story on the Virginia golf market in the current issue of Virginia Business identifies three golf facilities in the commonwealth -- a private club, a public course and a resort -- that say they have actually experienced financial growth since this time last year.

How have they done it? Nothing extraordinary: by marketing golf more aggressively to families and new members; by continuing to invest in capital and course improvements; and by adopting a more flexible approach to pricing.

At Willow Oaks CC, a private club in Richmond, the membership has swelled to more than 1,000 families, a 12 percent increase over two years ago -- exactly the opposite of what you might expect. "We haven't been as hard hit yet as other businesses, including golf courses," Chris Welles, the club's general manager, told Virginia Business. "We're cautiously optimistic."

--G.R.

Aberdeenshire, site of the big Donald Trump development in Scotland, was to have another new golf resort as well -- this one with a Jack Nicklaus-designed course and more than 200 homes. But it appears the developer behind the project, Edinburgh-based FM Developments, has run into unsurprising economic trouble. Now it's all on hold.

A report in the Scotsman may be found here. Pictured is the 19th century home, Ury House, that was to be used as a clubhouse and hotel.

-- P.F.

Here is something we haven't seen much of lately: a positive story about the golf housing sector.

Builder Magazine has just published a ranking of the "The Healthiest Housing Markets of 2009." It led with the top 15, and coming in at No. 15 was one of golf's longtime bastions, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Even better, the magazine credited Myrtle Beach's "success," at least in part, to its golf economy: "A steady influx of people ... are drawn by [Myrtle Beach's] close proximity to the ocean and 117 golf courses at last count."

(I put quotes around success because -- as Builder's editors point out -- "virtually every" housing market in the country was down in 2008. But Myrtle Beach did relatively well compared to, say, Las Vegas.)

Specifically, the magazine lauded Myrtle Beach for its high number of building permits (3,211, or about 1 for every 82 residents), and the state of its average housing prices, which is both affordable ($174,800) and relatively steady (having fallen about 10 percent in the last 12 months, much better than the norm).

The magazine's criteria: "We ranked them based on population trends and job growth, perennial drivers of housing demand. We also examined what’s happened with home prices; many of the healthiest markets have managed to hold the line on home values. And finally, we considered the rate building permits, which may be the single best ongoing indicator of builder confidence in a market."

The top 15 is dominated by cities in North Carolina and Texas, which happen to be places where golf -- while not the driving force it is in a city like Myrtle Beach -- is still a year-round pursuit. The full list can be viewed here.

-- G.R.

Bluffton, S.C.'s Rose Hill Golf Club ceased operations a couple of years ago when its parent company filed for bankruptcy protection. Rumors swirled that condos would be built on the site. It became a true eyesore as you drove along Highway 278 outside Hilton Head.

But then...a rescue. Property owners in the community surrounding the course, Rose Hill Plantation, rallied together and bought the club last year. They hired a management company, yanked out all the weeds, and reopened a few months ago with 18 holes (down from 27). In the words of local real estate Kevin King, it's "looking pretty good."

The semi-private club, about 20 minutes from Hilton Head and half an hour from downtown Savannah, Ga., is the site of our Golf Home of the Week, a regular Deeds & Weeds feature. Thanks to our friends at the real estate site Zillow.com for helping us identify the home.

The address is 17 Fairway Drive in Bluffton, S.C. 29910. This three-bedroom, two-and-half bath home was built in 1994 and has roughly 2,500 square feet. Sitting on about half an acre with very mature landscaping, it overlooks the eighth hole of the West nine. The asking price: $359,000.

That, as listing agent King points out, is a pretty good price point in the Hilton Head area. Sure, you can find less expensive golf course homes in the region -- there are some tract-style homes in the mid $200,000s -- but most are far more expensive. Yes, even in this market...

Joining the club requires a one-time fee of $2,850, or you can pay $500 a year for seven years. The Rose Hill Plantation community dues are $1,500 a year.

Here are some additional Bluffton homes for sale on Zillow.com.

-- P.F.

The bankruptcy filing last week of Donald Trump's casino company, Trump Entertainment Resorts, will not affect his golf course project in Aberdeen, Scotland. That according to this report in Monday's Financial Times.

Trump Organization, the business tycoon's company which oversees his golf empire, is privately held -- unlike Trump Entertainment Resorts, which is a public entity, and which Trump has said he has "less than a 1 percent stake" ownership.

Meanwhile, the Aberdeen project is moving ahead on schedule, according to Neil Hobday, its project manager. Hobday said Trump hopes to have final approval for the development -- which will eventually comprise two 18-hole courses, a 450-room hotel and nearly 1,500 homes -- by the end of 2009.

"If we are lucky enough to start digging dirt by this time next year, I would hope we would be playing golf by about the summer of 2012," Hobday told the Financial Times.

-- G.R.

A few weeks ago I posted an item about the outlook for home prices in Las Vegas. (Executive summary: They won't stabilize until 2010, it said.) Over the weekend, I caught up with another interesting look at prices there in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Why am I so interested in Vegas prices? I don't think they're necessarily reflective of the rest of the U.S. I suppose it's because its growth was such a big part of the housing boom; its struggles may turn out to be every bit as epic.

This report reviews prices in the area by zip code. Of the 58 zip codes within Las Vegas, only one (the fighting 89146) showed a price gain last year. Its average home price rose by 3 percent to $232,500, according to this report. The biggest decline came in the zip code 89030, falling 64 percent. That neighborhood is in North Las Vegas, right around the corner from Shadow Creek Golf Club, as it happens.

Not that living in the area helps you get onto the course. You still have to stay at one of the MGM Mirage resorts and shell out $500 per player, a cheerful reservationist just told me.

-- P.F.

At at time when many if not most clubs are tightening the reigns on spending, South Carolina's Seabrook Island is moving ahead with a $30 million makeover. Here is a report on the project in today's Charleston Post and Courier.

The club already has two highly regarded golf courses: Crooked Oaks, a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design, and Ocean Winds, a William Byrd layout (pictured). Neither is open to the public. You have to be a club member or resort guest to play them.

As part of its "Horizon Plan" Seabrook Island is adding a 36,000-square-foot clubhouse, a 15,000-square-foot beach club and a 24,000-square-foot community center with a gym, among other things.

The old adage goes "you have to spend money to make money." Does that still apply in 2009? We'll see.

-- P.F.

The proposed Caifornia golf tax has been defeated.

After 45 hours of debate, the California state legislature finally passed its $143 billion budget Thursday, and the proposed golf tax -- which we wrote about Jan. 26 -- was not part of the final plan. The proposed measure would have added an 8-10 percent tax on all purchases golf related.

-- G.R.

When I was a kid, my family used to visit Carson Valley, Nev., every summer. It's about 30 minutes east of Lake Tahoe, and at the time it was notable for one thing: Its Basque restaurants, which I remember for their big, family style tables and odd menus (cow's tongue, etc.).

There's an article in today's New York Times about real estate in the Carson Valley area -- towns such as Minden, Gardnerville and Genoa, where a lot of people now have second homes and retirement homes. It appears property values have taken a hit, as expected. But then, they had never gotten too crazy to begin with. Down about 35 percent from their peak in 2006, according to the article, a small home now can be had for the low-$200,000s. Compare that with the $600,000s and up closer to Tahoe.

Naturally there's a lot of skiing in the area, and in the warm months there's some very good daily-fee golf nearby as well. Among the better courses: Genoa Lakes (with two 18s, both with Peter Jacobsen's design involvement) and Dayton Valley Golf & Country Club (an Arnold Palmer course).

-- P.F.