Heritage Golf Group has a new financial partner and plans to buy more courses. Tower Three Partners, a private equity firm, invested into the management company in early April.

“I’ve been looking for the last three years for a new partner since I thought the industry was in a good place and we finally found Tower Three,” Husband said. “They’ve been great because they came in and purchased our loans and we basically don’t have any debt and can start some acquisitions.”

GTCR Golder Rauner LLC had previously been the primary financial backer for Heritage. It’s investment had helped Husband’s company get up and running in 1999.

“GTCR Golder Rauner LLC have been tremendous partners in letting us bring in a new equity partner for the next stage of the company,” Husband said.

Heritage had as many as 26 courses that it either owned or managed as soon as 2011. When the recession hit, Husband placed new acquisitions on hold, and took on third-party management contracts that were short-term in nature — most were bank-owned properties.

But it no longer manages courses that it does not own. It operates seven facilities with 10.5 18-hole equivalent golf courses — all high-end properties.

“We want to do it differently this time, it’s a new phase of the company,” Husband said. “We’re going to try to stay on the higher side of the market. We want to find properties in the top five percent of those markets. Having properties in the right market is key and even markets that aren’t that good, there are micro-markets that can do very well.”

In light of the recapitalization, Heritage plans to use its stronger financial position to upgrade its courses and improve member services.

“Yes, we are going to buy properties and be disciplined about buying them but we’re not trying to compete for every property,” Husband said. “We’re going to be much more selective and try to find the properties that fit our niche resort and private.”

Tower Three Partners Founder Bill Forrest looks forward to their new relationship with the San Diego based golf group.

"Bob Husband and the entire Heritage team are relentless in their pursuit of the highest service standards and, working together, we will drive Heritage to even greater heights," Forrest said in a press release. "Tower Three stands ready to support Heritage's mission of enhancing the member experience and developing its portfolio of best-in-class golf properties across the United States."

Billy Casper Golf has assumed control of the golf operations at Seven Oaks Golf Course, an 18-hole layout located on the campus of Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.

Golfweek currently ranks Seven Oaks at #22 on its list of the nation’s best campus courses. The parkland-style track, designed by Robert Trent Jones in the mid 1930s, opened in two phases, in 1956 and 1965.

BCG, which markets itself as “the largest domestic owner-operator of golf courses, country clubs and resorts,” has three other golf properties in New York: Pine Ridge Golf Club in Coram, Beekman Golf Course in Hopewell Junction and Hudson Hills Golf Course in Ossining.

It appears that the university will continue to maintain the grounds at Seven Oaks.

Just weeks after it established a presence in Texas, Mosaic Clubs & Resorts has picked up a contract on a facility much closer to home.

Mosaic, the high-end off-shoot of Affiniti Golf Partners, has begun managing Golf Club of Georgia, a 23-year-old property located practically right around the corner from its headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia. The club features a pair of 18-hole, Arthur Hills-designed courses, one of which (the Lakeside track) was named by Golf Digest as the nation’s best new private course for 1991.

“This club has a very special culture and brand, one known for a stable of excellent players, notable golf tournaments and the high caliber of its members,” Mosaic’s chairman, Whitney Crouse, said in a press release.

Mosaic operates two other golf properties in Georgia, Waterfall Club in Clayton and the Manor Golf & Country Club in Alpharetta, and another in South Carolina.

Arnold Palmer Golf Management has laid a claim on its third property in metropolitan Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Dallas, Texas-based firm has been tapped to manage Reflection Bay Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus “signature” layout in Lake Las Vegas, a ritzy desert community that was flattened by the Great Recession. Reflection Bay, which opened in 1998, has been closed since 2009, but Golf Digest ranked it among the nation’s top 100 public courses for five years in the mid 2000s.

Raintree Investment Corporation bought the track late last year and expects to reopen it before the end of 2014. Raintree also owns the Falls, a Tom Weiskopf-designed track in Lake Las Vegas, but the course will likely be converted to houses.

The Palmer-branded management firm, an entity owned by Century Golf Partners, operates nearly 50 golf properties in 16 states. It has two other properties in greater Las Vegas, Rhodes Ranch Golf Club and Tuscany Golf Club.

After three years of self-operation, a course once described as “a Pinehurst of the Prairie” has turned to professional management.

Kent Freudenberg has hired Irwin Management Group, a “boutique” firm led by Hale Irwin, to run Awarii Dunes, his Jim Engh-designed layout in Axtell, Nebraska. Irwin’s primary goals, according to the Kearney Hub, are to “raise the national awareness of the course” and to generate more play, particularly among local golfers. As Irwin put it, “We want to create a buzz.”

IGM manages Terradyne Country Club in Andover, Kansas, and late last year it offered to buy Dalton Ranch Golf Club, an 18-hole track outside Durango, Colorado.

After three years of self-operation, a course once described as “a Pinehurst of the Prairie” has turned to professional management.

Kent Freudenberg has hired Irwin Golf Management, a “boutique” firm led by Hale Irwin, to run Awarii Dunes, his Jim Engh-designed layout in Axtell, Nebraska. Irwin’s primary goals, according to the Kearney Hub, are to “raise the national awareness of the course” and to generate more play, particularly among local golfers. As Irwin put it, “We want to create a buzz.”

IGM manages Terradyne Country Club in Andover, Kansas, and late last year it offered to buy Dalton Ranch Golf Club, an 18-hole track outside Durango, Colorado.

Thanks in part to a sales pitch that works wonders on financially strapped municipal officials – “If you’re an owner of a golf course, private club or resort, Billy Casper Golf will make you money” – Billy Casper Golf has landed a five-year contract to manage the unprofitable city-owned golf complex in Prescott, Arizona.

BCG will assume control of most golf-related activities at the 36-hole Antelope Hills Golf Course next month. The facility has reportedly lost between $234,500 and $323,450 in each of the past four fiscal years, but BCG, which will receive $84,000 a year for its services, has guaranteed the city annual payments of $1.3 million.

Prescott reviewed bids from seven other management companies, among them OB Sports and Landscapes Golf Group.

Integrity Golf Company has been directed to restore confidence among the members of a Japanese-owned golf property in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Forest Oaks Country Club closed briefly earlier this month, after its Raleigh-based management company, ES2 Sports & Leisure, declared for bankruptcy protection. ES2, which operated the property as Proehlific Club at Forest Oaks, had been in place for just a year before it got caught in a financial squeeze.

Tadashi Hattori, one of Forest Oaks’ co-owners, is familiar with Integrity’s abilities, for it manages a golf property he owns in Orlando, Florida, Hunter’s Creek Golf Club.

“The future of Forest Oaks Country Club could not be brighter,” Hattori wrote in a letter to the club’s members, “and we are excited to be able to restore the club to the level of service all our members deserve as soon as the court allows.”

Integrity’s portfolio includes 20 golf properties in Florida (among them Golden Bear Golf Club in Windermere) and a handful of others in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Integrity Golf Company has been directed to restore confidence among the members of a Japanese-owned golf property in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Forest Oaks Country Club closed briefly earlier this month, after its Raleigh-based management company, ES2 Sports & Leisure, declared for bankruptcy protection. ES2, which operated the property as Proehlific Club at Forest Oaks, had been in place for just a year before it got caught in a financial squeeze.

Tadashi Hattori, one of Forest Oaks’ co-owners, is familiar with Integrity’s abilities, for it manages a golf property he owns in Orlando, Florida, Hunter’s Creek Golf Club.

“The future of Forest Oaks Country Club could not be brighter,” Hattori wrote in a letter to the club’s members, “and we are excited to be able to restore the club to the level of service all our members deserve as soon as the court allows.”

Integrity’s portfolio includes 20 golf properties in Florida (among them Golden Bear Golf Club in Windermere) and a handful of others in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Golfweek’s list of the nation’s best classic courses. The conference center describes the facility’s Woodlands track, a Rocky Roquemore design, as “a modern target course” and “an unforgiving ogre.”

Brown Golf Management LLC is growing — fast. Since January 2014, the South Carolina-based firm has acquired three new management contracts at Cherokee Valley Golf Club, Badin Inn Golf Club and Wiltwyck Golf Club located in South Carolina, North Carolina and New York respectively.

John Brown started Brown Golf Management in 2011 — which is about the time some of the buyers we’ve been profiling became more active.

“I waited until the economy was so bad that the prices were lower,” said Brown, the company’s president. “And I jumped in.”

That’s because the former Troon Golf turnaround specialist knew he could operate them more efficiently, given his vast experience in doing so.

“That’s all I ever done,” he said. “That’s the key to our success. We’re operators.”

He’s since purchased 10 courses. Like other buyers, Brown tries to purchase a number of golf courses in the same geographical area. For instance, in South Carolina he owns four courses within five miles of eachother. This clustering helps control costs and gives members more golfing options.

“Instead of having four general managers, I have one,” he said. “Instead of four superintendents, I have two.”

He can buy in bulk, as well, and that further reduces costs.  He also is very cautious and deliberate in his purchasing decisions. He looks at dozens upon dozens of courses.

However, his firm — which has offices in Harrisburg, Pa., and Bluffton, S.C. — also offers management and consulting services, which he expects to grow. In early 2014, Brown Golf Management signed consulting agreements with Emerald Lake Golf Club, Tanglewood Park Golf and Wiltwyck Golf Club.

“We own courses,” he said. “We’re running courses. We’re doing it, too. So we can show them how it’s done and how it’s done successfully.”

Brown Golf Management has an additional two courses in the Pinehurst and Winston-Salem, NC markets due to come on board by mid-year 2014.  These acquisitions will bring the portfolio totals to 20 courses, 11 owned and nine managed in three and a half years’ time.

Courses

South Carolina
Crescent Pointe Golf Club – Hilton Head/Bluffton, SC (Semi-Private 18)                     

Eagle’s Pointe Golf Club – Hilton Head/Bluffton, SC  (Semi-Private 18)        

Island West Golf Club – Hilton Head/Bluffton, SC (Semi-Private 18)                      

Pinecrest Golf Club – Hilton Head/Bluffton, SC (Semi-Private 18)                                 

Cherokee Valley Golf Club – Travelers Rest, SC (Semi-Private 18)                       

Florida

Eagle Ridge Golf Club – Summerfield, FL (Semi-Private 36)
Stonecrest Golf Club — Summerfield, FL (Semi-Private 27)                                                                            

Georgia
River Pointe Golf Club – Albany, GA (Semi-private 18)                                  

North Carolina                          
Country Club of Whispering Pines – Pinehurst, NC (Semi-private 36)                                  

Badin Inn Golf Club, Badin, SC (Semi-Private 18)
Foxfire Resort & Golf – Pinehurst, NC (Semi-Private 36)                                 

Seven Lakes Country Club – Pinehurst, NC (Private 18)                              
Tanglewood Park Golf Clemmons, NC

New York
Wiltwyck Golf Club – Kingston, NY (Private 18)                                              

Pennsylvania
Blue Ridge Country Club – Harrisburg, PA (Semi-Private 18)                                              

Colonial Golf & Tennis Club – Harrisburg, PA (Semi-Private 18)                      

Greensburg Country Club – Pittsburgh, PA (Private 18)                                  
Mahoning Valley Country Club – Lehighton, PA (Semi-Private 18)                                  

Park Hills Country Club – Altoona, PA (Semi-Private 18)

Brown Golf Management LLC is growing — fast. Since January 2014, the South Carolina-based firm has acquired three new management contracts at Cherokee Valley Golf Club, Badin Inn Golf Club and Wiltwyck Golf Club located in South Carolina, North Carolina and New York respectively.

John Brown started Brown Golf Management in 2011 — which is about the time some of the buyers we’ve been profiling became more active.

“I waited until the economy was so bad that the prices were lower,” said Brown, the company’s president. “And I jumped in.”

That’s because the former Troon Golf turnaround specialist knew he could operate them more efficiently, given his vast experience in doing so.

“That’s all I ever done,” he said. “That’s the key to our success. We’re operators.”

He’s since purchased 10 courses. Like other buyers, Brown tries to purchase a number of golf courses in the same geographical area. For instance, in South Carolina he owns four courses within five miles of eachother. This clustering helps control costs and gives members more golfing options.

“Instead of having four general managers, I have one,” he said. “Instead of four superintendents, I have two.”

He can buy in bulk, as well, and that further reduces costs.  He also is very cautious and deliberate in his purchasing decisions. He looks at dozens upon dozens of courses.

However, his firm — which has offices in Harrisburg, Pa., and Bluffton, S.C. — also offers management and consulting services, which he expects to grow. In early 2014, Brown Golf Management signed consulting agreements with Emerald Lake Golf Club, Tanglewood Park Golf and Wiltwyck Golf Club.

“We own courses,” he said. “We’re running courses. We’re doing it, too. So we can show them how it’s done and how it’s done successfully.”

Brown Golf Management has an additional two courses in the Pinehurst and Winston-Salem, NC markets due to come on board by mid-year 2014.  These acquisitions will bring the portfolio totals to 20 courses, 11 owned and nine managed in three and a half years’ time.

Green Golf Partners will now maintain and operate Eagle Creek Golf Course in Findlay, Ill., after signing a contract with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Located on the shore of Lake Shelbyville, Eagle Creek Golf Course will now be open to the public for play. This is the first time the course has been operated by golf course management firm.

“All of us at Green Golf Partners are excited for the opportunity to get to work quickly and give the public a great golf experience at Eagle Creek," said Matt McIntee, president of Green Golf Partners, who was formerly with Crown Golf Properties. "The course is in good shape and we look forward to welcoming golfers."

IDNR Director Marc Miller approved the contract after Eagle Creek Golf Course’s previous leaseholder stepped down after discrepancies over the payment of $1 million worth of sewer damages, according to Christina Isaacs, director of marketing at Green Golf Partners.

“It finally reached a point where previous lessees literally packed up everything and left,” Isaacs said. “GGP staff that has visited has said that it is an absolutely beautiful piece of land. Our immediate plan is to get it back in operation, improve the course conditions and provide an exceptional golf experience.”

Green Golf Partners has been operating courses for 20 years in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and its home state of Indiana, with 13.5 18-hole equivalent golf courses. Subscribers can click here for complete list. 

“There is a resort on site that was condemned several years ago because of mold. We hope to be able to get it back in operation at some point but we really don’t know what the extent of the damage,” Isaacs said.

Green Golf Partners recently lost the management contract for Laurel Island Links in Kingsland, Ga. Davis Love Golf Management took over that facility.

Troon, the biggest name in golf management, keeps getting bigger. The company recently expanded it’s Troon Privé division and formed a strategic alliance with John Weiland Homes and Neighborhoods — a real estate investment company focused on building neighborhoods (including golf-centered ones) in the South.

Since forming the alliance, Troon has announced plans to provide management services for three properties owned by the real estate investment company. Troon’s professional services such as marketing and management will now be utilized at Dunes West Golf and River Club in South Carolina, Reunion Country Club in Georgia and Woodmont Golf and Country Club in Georgia.

Dunes West Golf and River Club is a Arthur Hills-designed par 72 course, opened in 1991 and has been owned and operated by John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods since 2005. John Wieland Homes and Neighborhood opened Reunion Country Club in 2001 as the centerpiece of its second signature golf club neighborhood. The par 72 course was originally designed by Michael Riley. Woodmont Golf and Country Club was opened in 1999 as the developer’s first signature golf club.

For clubs that wish to avoid transferring lease or ownership agreements, Troon Privé – one of the company’s fastest growing divisions — exclusively provides third party management services for private clubs. Troon’s number of member-owned private clubs has grown rapidly. The addition of Salina Country Club in Kansas marked the 25th member-owned private club to seek Troon’s services. Likewise, 86 percent of the company’s growth over the past year has involved management contracts with private clubs, positioning Troon as the largest third-party private club operator with a total of 56 private clubs under management.

“We are thrilled about the growth we’ve experienced in the Troon Privé portfolio and believe our third-party management approach is the ideal model to best serve the interests of private clubs,” Troon chairman and CEO Dana Garmany said in a statement. “Compared to management companies that might reserve their best resources for the private clubs that they lease or own, Troon’s third-party management model eliminates these concerns.”

Other recent Troon Privé additions include Audubon Country Club in Florida and Terravita Golf Club located in Troon’s base city of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Through the Troon Privé Privilege program, members at Troon Privé-managed clubs enjoy reciprocal play at more than 45 private clubs around the world. Members also receive preferred rates at more than 100 Troon Golf-managed daily fee and resort facilities through the Troon Privé Advantage program.

In March 2014, Troon also announced it’s expansion to France after signing a management agreement with Chateau d’Augerville, located an hour south of Paris. Earlier this year, Troon announced another strategic alliance with St. Joe Club & Resorts leading to the management of five Florida properties.

In May 2014, Troon anounced that they will manage Skybrook Golf Club — a par 72 course known as the best game of golf in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Stephen Lewis stepped down as CEO of Crown Golf at the end of April, after six years leading the United Kingdom’s largest management company.

“I have had a wonderful time working with some great people and seen Crown Golf progress considerably during this period,” he said. “The business has some exciting initiatives in place for 2014 and beyond and I wish the team every success in delivering them”.

The change is part of a succession plan that was agreed at the beginning of 2013 and will result in a change in the structure and responsibilities of the senior management team. Stephen Towers, formerly the Resort Director at St. Mellion, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer, together with Gwyn Hicks, the Group Finance Director, and Matthew Lynwood, the Property Director, will form the senior executive team of the business reporting directly to the Board and Bennelong Group Chief Executive Officer, Chris Cunningham, who is based in Melbourne, Australia.

“Stephen joined Crown Golf six years ago in April and during his tenure has delivered many significant and exciting initiatives for the Company such as the recently launched Freedom Play membership,” Cunningham said. “Importantly, he has nurtured the talent within the business and I am pleased that as a result of Stephen’s departure, Stephen Towers has been promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer who will continue to build on the success of recent years."

Crown Golf manages 35 courses in the U.K. 

Heritage Golf Group is serious about acquisitions again, and Bob Husband's company recently hired Jeff Burkle as vice president of acquisitions to help the company acquire premier golf properties. This is the first major move after the San Diego operator and owner announced it had a new financial backer in Tower Three Partners. 

Burkle brings with him more than 20 years of experinece in the golf industry, including 16 at Textron Financial. From 1993 through 2009, Burkle was a member of Textron Financial Corporation's Golf and Marina Finance Division. While at Textron Financial Corporation he held numerous positions of increasing responsibility and became the Senior Credit Officer for the division in 2004, a position he held until 2007 before becoming the Regional Manager with mortgage origination responsibility for fifteen Mid-Western states. He has been involved in the underwriting, approval or origination of over $2 billion in golf course, golf resort and marina loans. 

"Our success as a company depends on the dedicated and talented people within our organization," said Husband, President of Heritage Golf Group. ''We are extremely pleased Jeff has joined our executive team and confident he will be an integral part of our future success."

Burkle will help Heritage to expand its collection of private clubs and resort properties.

Prior to joining Heritage, Burkle most recently served as Co-Founder and Managing Director of Golf & Marina Capital Corporation, a financial intermediary and advisory firm focused on securing mortgage loans for owners of golf courses and marina facilities. 

A court appointed receiver has hired CSC Golf Management to manage both the Golf Club at Glen Ivy in Corona, Calif., and Links at Summerly in Lake Elsinore. The Temecula, Calif.-based operator now manages four courses.

Both courses were part of an alleged Ponzi scheme by a Chinese-owned golf-course owner. The Securities & Exchange Commission filed a complaint against World Capital Market, Inc. and other entities controlled by Ming Xu, alleging that they defrauded tens of thousands of investors in a bogus venture that involved cloud computing services.

“This matter involves an ongoing pyramid scheme, Ponzi scheme and misappropriation of investor funds through an unregistered securities offering that targets members of the Asian-American and Hispanic-American communities, as well as foreign investors,” the complaint states.

The SEC alleges that World Capital Market used some of the $65 million that it raised to acquire the two golf courses in 2013. It paid $6.5 million for the Golf Club at Glen Ivy, and a month later acquired Links at Summerly, an 18-hole, Cal Olson-designed track in Lake Elsinore. The latter is part of a 1,481-acre community that’s being developed by McMillin Companies, the seller.

CSC was previously an affiliate company of McMillin, a real estate community developer based in San Diego. Mark Stevens, CEO of CSC, worked for McMillin Companies for 15 years, but recently acquired full control of  the company.

CSC also manages Redhawk Golf Club in Temecula and Sail Ho Golf Course in San Diego, both owned by McMillin.

Stevens started in the golf industry in 1983 working at Singing Hills Country Club working for Tom Addis. He moved to Stardust Country Club and worked there until it was closed in 1995, when it was renovated and renamed Riverwalk Golf Club. He briefly worked for American Golf at Mission Trails Golf Course and Eastlake Country Club, both in the San Diego region, before being hired to work directly with the A.G. Spanos family and Dr. Barry Ruhl to develop the Reserve at Spanos Park Golf Club in Stockton.

McMillin hired him in 2001, when it purchased Temeku Hills Golf and Country Club in Temecula.

CSC also has a new contract with Sail Ho, a 9-hole course in the center of San Diego. It plans to upgrade the dining facilities and change the name of the course. Stevens has partnered with the owner of a local restaurant, nightlife and entertainment company to remake renovate the bar and restaurant.

Escalante Golf — a boutique owner and operator firm based in Fort Worth, Texas —acquired the historic Sonoma Golf Club from Crescent Real Estate on May 16, 2014. This is the second California course for Escalante Golf, with properties located in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas.

“Sonoma Golf Club fits perfectly in our portfolio,” said David McDonald, President of Escalante Golf. “We have a wonderful collection of private clubs in a diverse geographic area and Northern California is the perfect location to expand our footprint. We are excited to meet and work together with members to build upon the success of a club with a rich and storied tradition.”

Acclaimed golf architect Sam Whiting first built Sonoma Golf Club in the 1920s. Crescent, a real estate investment firm, had purchased the 177-acre course in 1998.

Jeff Woolson, Managing Director of CBRE’s Golf and Resort Group, represented Crescent Real Estate in the transaction. 


“We interviewed a number of interested buyers, including the members themselves,” said Woolson. "After a lengthy process, Escalante emerged as the best buyer for the property.  Sonoma Golf Club is the perfect complement to its luxury club portfolio.”

Sonoma Golf Club marks Escalante Golf’s 17th property.

The club has approximately 300 members, who paid a $150,000 refundable initiation fee, according to the Press Democrat. Monthly dues are around $875. 

The initiation fee is only refundable when new members buy in. Currently there are 100 members looking to leave the club. Escalante plans to offer a $50,000 non-refundable initiation fee in addition to the $150,000 refundable fee. 

Troon Golf, which operates nearly 100 golf properties in 33 U.S. states, has signed its first contract in Alabama.

The firm’s Troon Privé division has begun to manage Pine Tree Country Club, in Birmingham, a 46-year-old venue with an 18-hole, George Cobb-designed golf course. “Troon manages golf courses the right way and provides all club members and their guests with the ultimate lifestyle,” said the Pine Tree’s general manager, Don Shirey, a former player on the PGA Tour who’s worked for Troon for more than a decade. “I want to introduce our Troon concept and further elevate that perception.”

Pine Tree, which lists an initiation fee of $5,000, describes itself as “one of the best secrets in Birmingham.” Troon describes it as “one of the South’s premier golf properties” and promises that “its stature will certainly be enhanced.”

Billy Casper Golf has been tabbed to operate the longest golf course in Indiana, the course with the longest hole in America, and Colgate University’s Seven Oaks Golf Course in Hamilton, NY.

The Indiana course is the 7,754-yard behemoth at Purgatory Golf Club in Noblesville. The 18-hole, Ron Kern-designed course is also among the state’s most difficult, as it features 125 bunkers, fairways lined by thick, tall grasses, and, according to an online reviewer, “wickedly contoured greens.”

BCG operates two other golf properties in the Hoosier State, Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend and Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, neither of which pose comparable challenges.

Meadows Farms Golf Course, in Locust Grove, Virginia, also selected Billy Casper Golf. It features a 27-hole, championship layout with the longest hole in America.



Local businessman Ken Dotson, owner of a longstanding construction and real estate company, recently purchased Meadows Farms from Bill “Farmer” Meadows, owner of Meadows Farms Nurseries.

“Meadows Farms is an important component of the recreation and economic stature of the Locust Grove community, so we felt it important ownership be local,” Dotson said.

The Bill Ward Jr., design opened in 1993 and features some unique characteristics, including a baseball diamond-shaped par 3, and an 841-yard par 6 recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as “the longest hole in the United States.”

Colgate University selected Billy Casper Golf to manage the first design by legendary architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr.

Located less than one hour southeast of Syracuse, NY, the 6,915-yard, par 72 Seven Oaks is a semi-private course.

 BCG will expand an events calendar and other programming with special attention to residents, junior, women and senior golfers.

Century Golf Partners has taken over American Golf and its 92 golf courses under an unusual arrangement that leaves American Golf as a stand-alone company.

Jim Hinckley, CEO of Century Golf Partners, is now also CEO of American Golf, and Doug Howe, a partner with Century Golf, is COO of the Santa Monica-based company. Century Golf, the world’s 9th largest management company, will also provide consulting services to American Golf.

American Golf is the 8th largest management company in the world, but less than half its former size. It had 294.5 courses at its height in 2001. Goldman Sachs acquired it in 2002 and began paring down its portfolio under the direction of Paul Major. American Golf owns 27 golf courses, leases 54, and manages 11. 

Newcastle Investments, which is managed by Fortress Investments Group, made a $110 million investment into American Golf in 2006. In December, it restructured the company's debt, funding $54.5 million of its $109 million debt. It also acquired the equity of American Golf and a ground lease for $2.5 million. Major decided earlier in the year that be wanted to leave American Golf after he had completed the recapitalization of the company, and Newcastle recognized it had no experience running golf courses. As such, Newcastle approached Hinckley about running the company and creating a strategic vision and plan. 

American Golf ‘s stronghold is California. Century Golf only has only three facilities and five 18-hole equivalents in the Golden state. It has 83 courses overall. That seems to suggest that the same CEO, Hinckley, can run both companies without significant conflict.

Hinckley left ClubCorp in 2002, where he had served as president. His founded Century Golf in 2005 and it acquired the Arnold Palmer Golf Management brand.  It owns courses and operates as a third-party manager. 

After years of searching, the city of Augusta, Georgia appears to have identified an operator for its financially distressed 18-hole golf course.

The city is negotiating a five-year contract with Orlando, Florida-based Cypress Golf Management, which believes it can turn a profit at Augusta Municipal Golf Course – known locally as “the Patch” – by late 2016 or early 2017. Doing so may be a challenge, as Cypress has promised that greens fees will remain in the mid $20s, cart included.

“The mission is to provide affordable golf,” a councilmember told the Augusta Chronicle.

Cypress is led by Bill Stine, one of the founders of International Golf Maintenance Company and Meadowbrook Golf. The company currently manages one property in Georgia (Durham Lakes Country Club in Fairburn) and six in Florida, among them Hernando Oaks Golf Club in Brooksville, Remington Golf Club in Kissimmee and Twisted Oaks Country Club in Beverly Hills.