Wolfpoint (TX0), Port Lavaca, TX — Nuzzo Course Design
A Message to Cypress Forest PUD Homeowners
Cypress Forest Links & Park Trustee Foundation
Burn: Scottish for a small river or stream
A once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the former Raveneaux Country Club site into a world-class links golf course, public amenities, and enhanced flood protection — all funded by private capital through founders and membership at zero additional cost to the district.
Pillar One
18-hole links course + putting course + driving range, designed by acclaimed architect Mike Nuzzo
Pillar Two
Organized as a nonprofit — the Cypress Forest Links & Park Trustee Foundation — a nonprofit organization that will apply for a 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS, with community benefit built into its mission
Pillar Three
85+ acre-feet of new stormwater detention, addressing one of the community's most urgent infrastructure needs
Pillar Four
A community hub for events, weddings, markets, and park days. A short course pool for swim teams, kiddie pool, splash pad, pickleball, & tennis.
The Burn Club is operated by the Cypress Forest Links & Park Trustee Foundation, a nonprofit organization that will apply for a 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS, formed with a single purpose: to develop and steward this land for the long-term benefit of the community.
The Trust becoming the lessor of the land for 99 years allows district homeowners to retain ultimate control of the land through seats on the nonprofit board.
Much like St. Andrews, the nonprofit will hold park days that open the entire property up to area families for recreation, events, gatherings, markets, and fundraisers.
Wolfpoint (TX0), Port Lavaca, TX — Nuzzo Course Design
Memorial Park Golf Course No. 2, Houston, TX — Renaissance Golf Design — Mike Nuzzo was lead on-site associate
This property sits within the Cypress Creek watershed — one of the most flood-prone corridors in the Houston area. Our plan includes an extensive burn (dry creekbed) and water feature system that dramatically increases the site's detention and stormwater drainage capacity.
of new stormwater detention capacity, funded entirely through private membership — not district tax dollars.
* Additional detention is currently estimated and may be slightly more or less depending on engineering requirements.
Cabot Citrus Farms — The Squeeze No. 5, Brooksville, FL — Nuzzo Course Design
Featuring sloped fairways, revetted bunkers, & Houston's most interesting greens
Immersive dedicated putting green
With 4 greens & multiple tees
Designed By
Nuzzo Course Design
Built By
Headquartered right here in Houston with over 700 golf courses built worldwide.
The Course Routing
18 holes · Driving Range · ½-Acre Putting Course · Detention Basins
A Phased Approach
Hospitality Partner · MaieB Hospitality · Michelin Starred
Year 1
Food Truck
Michael Fojtasek's own brand. Immediate, casual F&B from day one. Serves golfers, families, and the community.
Year 2
Transitional F&B
Rustic, refined outdoor dining. Live fire cooking, craft beverages, covered seating. The soul of the club takes shape.
Year 3+
Fojtasek Signature
Permanent clubhouse restaurant by a Michelin-starred chef. Southern-Texas live fire cuisine open to the community.
Michael Fojtasek — MaieB Hospitality, Austin, TX
Founder & Developer
Indie Chefs, LLC · Houston hospitality entrepreneur and Champion Forest homeowner. Grew up in Northwest Houston.
Course Architect
Nuzzo Course Design. Highly respected and acclaimed architect. Bringing world-class links design to the Houston suburbs.
F&B Director
MaieB Hospitality · Michelin-starred chef. Olamaie, Austin. Designing the full food & dining program.
Ambassador & Advisor
10 time PGA Tour winner, 1995 PGA Champion, 2 time Players Championship Winner. Champions area resident and global golf icon lending his name, vision, & support.
Building Designer
Designing the permanent clubhouse, restaurant, pool house, and amenity structures.
Accessible to PUD homeowners — whether you're a member, a social member, or paying a daily fee.
Daily fee access for all PUD homeowners. No membership required to play.
4 hole short course, ½ acre putting course, & driving range.
Michelin helmed dining open to the public but advanced reservations and access for members. Designed by Michael Fojtasek.
Swim team and family friendly pool including a children's area. Social member access for residents.
8 total courts. Programs, clinics, and leagues available to residents.
Full gym, cardio, and personal training. Resident access available.
PUD homeowners receive meaningful discounts on every level of membership and access — because your community is part of this plan from the ground up.
| Membership / Access Type | PUD Homeowner Rate | Non-Resident Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Golf Membership Initiation | $10,000 | $40,000 |
| Annual Membership Dues | $7,200 | $9,600 |
| PUD Homeowner Daily Fee Golf With day and time restrictions · No guest play |
$40 | Not Available |
| Social Membership Initiation Pool · Tennis · Gym · Restaurant |
$500 | $3,000 |
* Exact pricing to be announced in the coming days. Percentages reflect planned homeowner benefit structure.
Founders aren't members — they're benefactors. Foundership contributions underwrite the stormwater detention system and golf development — charitable gifts that will be tax-deductible upon the Trust receiving its 501(c)(3) determination.* Cypress Forest Homeowners can be Founders.
The club operates as a for-profit entity that pays a usage fee back to the foundation — strengthening its long-term financial health and charitable mission.
Founders are not technically club members, but each Foundership holder receives a robust set of membership-like benefits for as long as the club operates.
* Contributions to Cypress Forest Links & Park Trustee Foundation, a nonprofit organization that will apply for a 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS. A 501(c)(3) determination will allow donations to be tax-deductible.
Foundership Tiers
Tax-deductible* · Naming rights available · Premier recognition throughout the property
Tax-deductible* · Prominent recognition in club communications and signage
Tax-deductible* · Full foundership-class benefits
Tax-deductible* · Available to members residing more than 110 miles from the club
Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston, TX — Renaissance Golf Design
Properties adjacent to golf courses consistently command higher sale prices and faster sales compared to comparable homes without course access.
The PUD homeowner benefit structure directly links homeownership in this district to exclusive access — making homes here uniquely valuable.
Improved stormwater detention reduces flood risk for the surrounding area, a factor that increasingly affects insurability and property values.
A restaurant helmed by a Michelin-starred chef, championship golf, and resort-adjacent amenities elevate the entire community's profile.
Homes adjacent to a golf course command a 25.8% premium over comparable properties — but only when residents have access. PUD homeowners get reduced initiation, reduced dues, and non-member daily play. No one else does. (Nicholls & Crompton, 2007)
This isn't Raveneaux renovated. It's a ground-up reimagining — new name, new architecture, new identity. Replacing stigma with a destination is how you lock in that premium.
The nonprofit trust structure keeps the land and mission in the district's hands permanently. If the operator ever underperforms, the community retains control — protecting your home value in a way no private competitor can match.
When a neighboring course shuts down, adjacent homes lose an average of $63,851 — a 17–30% value drop. That's what happened here before. (JOSRE, 2019)
This unique structure virtually eliminates that risk. Foundership capital funds the construction and hands the community a world-class asset — one built to endure, not to flip.
Cabot Citrus Farms — The Squeeze No. 5, Brooksville, FL — Nuzzo Course Design
Wolf Point (TX0) No. 2 Green, Port Lavaca, TX
The PUD Board is voting on the 99-year ground lease that makes The Burn Club possible. Your voice matters. Let them know this community deserves this project.
Join our mailing list to receive updates on The Burn Club, board meetings, and how you can help.
Cabot Citrus Farms — The Wedge No. 10 at night, Brooksville, FL — Nuzzo Course Design
Local Leadership: This proposal was created by a neighbor who lives in our community, pays taxes to our PUD, and has a personal stake in its success. This is not an outside investor seeking profit—it’s a community member committed to building something extraordinary for his neighbors and their families. This will be a destination golf club with national notoriety, not a revival of a failed Raveneaux with a premium initiation fee.
Nonprofit Structure: As a nonprofit charitable trust, our mission is stewardship of the land for public benefit—not shareholder returns. This structure ensures the property serves the community’s long-term interests while providing flood detention, open space preservation, and recreational access for generations to come.
World-Class Partners: We’ve assembled a team of nationally recognized experts:
Home Values: PUD homeowners receive a 75% discount on initiation fees—just $10,000 with discounted dues. Social memberships start at $500 initiation for PUD homeowners with discounted dues. Limited daily fee play at $40 is available only for PUD homeowners; no outside daily fee play will be allowed. This is our exclusive benefit as appreciation for paying for the bond measure.
Flood Protection: Our plan adds 85+ additional acre-feet of detention by building a dry creek bed (Burn) system and additional detention features to further protect homes.
Community Access: We’ll add a managed park with playground and other activities. We’ll also hold community events like food festivals, farmers markets, kite festivals, and park days where the entire property is open to the public—just like St. Andrews in Scotland. We will maintain walking, biking, and hiking trails where possible to make sure that all types of recreation are afforded to us.
Our current plan includes a driving range, oversized putting course, short game practice facility, tennis and pickleball facility, short course swimming pool with splash pad and kiddie pool, gym, private member lounges and locker rooms, and a publicly accessible restaurant and casual eatery—we’re confident it will be one of Houston’s best.
Market rents for a ground lease of this type typically range between 3% and 7% of gross revenues. Butler Pitch & Putt in Austin pays the City of Austin 7% of gross plus additional fees that reach closer to 11% of gross per year. We offered a 3% of gross revenue lease. We asked for rent abatement only until we can grass the property post construction and during the grow in period. We specifically request no assignment rights in the terms of the lease because we believe any operator taking over the property must be required to stay the course with the development and should be limited in their ability to assign the lease to another operator.
We expect to apply for 501(c)(3) status in mid-April and would expect a determination in May or June. We have hired an attorney in DC who ran the nonprofit entities division of the IRS for over 10 years and his primary associate also spent time in the same division. We have provided the PUD Board with a written opinion from his office in support of our plan.
We are willing to sign a short-term lease with the PUD with a renewal option only afforded to us if we receive the 501(c)(3) determination. This lease would also allow us time to raise the founders’ capital and prove our ability to fund the project. In exchange for the term, we are willing to make a substantial rent payment for the opportunity that would offset this year’s maintenance and security cost for the property that we as residents pay for using our tax dollars.
We want to work collaboratively with the Board and community to create the best possible project for CFPUD taxpayers and their families. This is your land. This is your community. We believe you deserve a partner who shares your values and your stake in its future.
The Board has a choice between two proposals that couldn’t be anymore different. One aims to charge a premium for a largely unchanged golf course value engineered for profit extraction. The other aims to reimagine it and build a destination golf course, recreational facility, and additional detention that is nationally notable driven by our community. We passed the bond and pay the taxes and should have a voice in this decision. The future and long-term viability of our neighborhoods are at stake. It’s been a long road to get here, let’s take the time to get it right.