Liberty National: What must the owners think?

Dan and Paul Fireman and Fireman Capital Partners were said to have spent nearly $250 million in getting Liberty National Golf Club built, as well as another $60 million on the clubhouse, then invited the PGA Tour over for a party and anxiously awaited a verdict they were certain would be favorable. For $300 million or so, they had a right to expect a few kind words.

Well, the verdict is in and what they got for their money were a few choice words instead, though most of them delivered anonymously. Golf World's John Hawkins reports that the PGA Tour "has asked those in the field not to make any negative public statements about the design."

Geoff Shackelford has a roundup of reaction, virtually all of it negative (except for the views), here.

One can only imagine what the Firemans (Firemen?) must think, sitting on a $300 million investment being viewed by the best players in the world as the toxic waste dump it once was.

Moreover, the club has 90 members (Phil Mickelson, Eli Manning and Rudy Giuliani among them), but still needs 160 more, at $500,000 per, to reach capacity. At that price, it's a tough sell that perhaps has just gotten tougher.

-- John Strege