This time of year, when the fall colors are at their richest, nature offers few places more spectacular than golf courses, especially here in the Northeast.

That’s why when photographer Dan Husted and I were kicking around ideas for MyPhillyGolf’s first photo essay a few weeks ago, we decided he should take advantage of the season’s changing colors.

We considered several courses, each abundant with deciduous trees, before Dan ultimately settled on Jeffersonville GC, the Donald Ross-designed municipal course operated by West Norriton Township.

Dan had his reasons.  First, there is his fondness for Jeffersonville as a course he plays regularly (14.4 handicap).  Second, he knew it had plenty of precisely the kind of trees he needed to make the best photographs.

Fact is, Dan already had begun building a photo archive of Jeffersonville.  It also didn’t hurt that he had come to know and like the staff at Jeffersonville, and he thought they would be enthusiastic about his project.   He was right.

By way of introduction, Dan spent 15 years as a professional photographer in New York City, before moving to Philadelphia seven years ago.  In New York, he shot for prominent advertising agencies and design firms, on assignments that took him around the world.

Since moving to Philadelphia, Dan has begun concentrating on golf photography, for books and magazines.  His clients have included the U.S. Golf Association, the U.S. Open program, Golf magazine, Senior Golf Magazine, Links magazine and Perry Golf.

For more on Dan, his work and his complete list of clients, check out DanHusted.com.

"I’ve always referred to myself as a picture taker, not a picture maker," says Dan. "I let the situation at hand guide me.  I think it creates a more spontaneous final image."

It’s official: Delaware National CC is a goner.

The Wilmington News-Journal confirms the suspicions I reported here yesterday.  The 73-year-old club, which began life as a club for the executives of the former chemical company Hercules Inc., will close its doors for good at the end of the year.

For all practical purposes, the club is already closed.  As noted here yesterday, when a group of golfers showed up to play the course on Friday after Thanksgiving, they found the driveway barricaded, the doors locked and the utilities seemingly shut off.  The phone has also been disconnected.

In the News-Journal story, Ron Holliday, owner of Delaware National, said he could no longer afford to pay the $20,000 a monthly electric bill. 

Even before the power was shut off, Holliday had decided to close the club.

 "The decision was made a while ago that it was no longer feasible to continue to operate," Holliday told the News-Journal.

Delaware National is the second club to close in Delaware this year.  In August, Pike Creek GC, formerly Three Little Bakers, shut down.

The news could be grim for Delaware National Country Club. 

Yesterday, I got an email from a golfer who played the course on Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  When he and several golf buddies returned on Friday for their annual post-Thanksgiving round, they say the driveway was barricaded, the doors were locked and the utilities appeared to be shut off.

I’ve called Delaware National several times and the phone also appears to be shut off.

Late this afternoon, an official from the Philadelphia PGA Section confirmed that he, too, is hearing that Delaware National has closed. 

Updates and details as I get them...

Three weeks ago, I was delighted to announce that Golfnow.com, our partner in the discount tee time business, had upgraded MyPhillyGolf.com to from an "area specific," or local, booking engine to a "national" booking engine.

In other words, if you take golf trips or vacations, you can use the Golfnow.com portal on MyPhillyGolf to book discounted tee times in places like Scottsdale, Pinehurst and plenty of other golf destinations.

Unfortunately, what was missing at the time was any participation by courses in one of the most popular golf destinations on the East Coast: Myrtle Beach.

That changed today, when we got word that many Myrtle Beach courses have now signed on with Golfnow.com.  More courses, more choices.

While the members of LuLu Country Club voted to give their board the go-ahead to finalize the sale of the club to Hansen Properties, Inc. last Thursday, the deal is not yet done. 

In fact, as a couple of readers have pointed out in emails, Upper Dublin Township has the "right of first refusal."  What that means, in layman’s terms, is that Upper Dublin Township has the right to match the offer to LuLu CC.

That is true, confirmed to me by LuLu CC president Paul Muller and Upper Dublin Township manager Paul Leonard.  What I can’t figure out is what motivation the township might have to nix the deal and buy LuLu.

Although the LuLu clubhouse and golf course, a classic Donald Ross design, sit on a 115 acres of desirable and bucolic property, the chance of it being turned over to developers is zero.  It was the desire to keep the property as undeveloped "open space" that prompted Upper Dublin Township to pay LuLu $2.25 million in 2009 for the future development rights.

Here is are pertinent excerpts from an Upper Dublin Township public document entitled "Land Use Recommendations":

1.      MAXIMIZE THE IMPACT OF OPEN SPACE BOND FUND

The Open Space Plan identified 51 open space parcels as vulnerable to development and prioritized protections for each, placing them in one of four categories (in declining order of importance) "conservation/protection easements," "action," "interest" and "watch" depending on their significance in meeting the open space needs and objectives. While this is a somewhat fluid list, care should be taken to focus on primary conservation and recreation needs when purchasing properties or easements. The Township should continue to pursue purchase of land, and when possible conservation easements, for properties identified on the priority lists. Where appropriate, it should seek to partner with other government entities and conservation groups to leverage bond funds in such purchases. The locations of parcels included in the Open Space Plan priority lists are shown in figure 4.4.

2.      CONTINUE TO WORK PROACTIVELY TO CONSERVE THE PRIVATELY-OWNED GOLF COURSES AS RECREATIONAL USES

In September 2009, the Township acquired the development rights for the 115-acre Lulu Country Club for $2.25 million. The agreement between Upper Dublin and Lulu permits the club to continue to operate as a private golf course and prohibits future development, including subdivision. by selling only the development rights – not the property, Lulu is able to continue using it, while enabling the Township to protect 115 acres at a considerably lower cost than outright purchase of the land.

With development "off the table," as township manager Leonard told me, I can’t think of any other motivation Upper Dublin Township might have to exercise its right of first refusal.  Unless, of course, Upper Dublin Township fancies taking over LuLu CC for the purpose of running it as a municipal course.

From my emails and phone conversations with people in the know, I am not getting any sense whatsoever that Upper Dublin Township has any desire to get deeper into the golf course-owning and –running business than it already is.   (Upper Dublin Township owns Twining Valley GC, which is leased and operated by the Riley family.)

Bottom line: I’m not saying the LuLu CC sale to Hansen Properties is a sure thing.  But if it falls through, I’d very surprised if it is because of anything Upper Dublin Township does.

If you’re a fan of the PGA Radio Network on XM/Sirius (Channel 146 on XM, 209 on Sirius), the news is not good.

In his weekly Up & Down column at CBSSports.com, Steve Elling reports that the network will likely be a goner in 2011.  A source tells Elling that the PGA Tour has been getting $4 million a year for the radio rights, and that "the folks running XM/Sirius aren’t much interested in continuing beyond this year."

Besides the rights fees, XM/Sirius is also on the hook for the salaries of their hosts and the folks do the live broadcasts from tournaments each week, not to mention the expense of keeping them on the road.

Alas, if Elling is correct, we too will miss the morning chat shows on the network, especially Making the Turn with Peter Kessler, where I am a semi-regular guest.

Let’s hope both sides find wiggle room.

The best I can do for an update on the reported closing of Island Green CC is that I am still waiting for a an official conformation, denial or explanation from one of the owners.

One of the owners did call while I was out, but he offered no details and didn’t leave a contact number.  So far, I still haven’t reached him, despite two more requests via Island Green general manager Scott Burek.

Island Green, which opened in 2001 on site of the old Budd Co. railcar plant, was reported to be closing in a recent item in the business section of the Inquirer.  The newspaper said golf course would close to make way for a new distribution facility for Teva Pharmaceuticals USA.  Inquirer course review.

Soon after the item appeared, Burek told MyPhillyGolf that the closure was news to him and said he was still booking outings for next year.  Burek said the owners – contractor John Parsons and four other contractors – had assured him Island Green had not been sold.

Still, others in the local golf community also report having heard rumors in recent months that the course was going to be sold, although those rumors remain sketchy and unconfirmed.

When I called Burek again a day ago, he reiterated what he said he is being told by the owners: "We are not sold."

Burek said that he has been at Island Green for three years, since Nov. 2007, and that each year he has heard rumors that the course has been sold or is going to be sold.  So far, he pointed out, none have turned out to be true.

As for this time around, Burek is once again shrugging off the rumors as he continues to book outings for next year.

"There are no conversations (about selling or closing) that I am aware of," said Burek.  "But they (owners) don’t need to involve me in that stuff, anyway.  I don’t know what is going on or even if it is for sale.  All I know is what they tell me, which is that we are not sold."

Details if and when I get them.