The Richmond Pines Country Club on U.S. Highway 1 in Rockingham will soon no longer be a golf course.
Craig McNeill, of McNeill & Associates Realty Company of Rockingham, purchased the property in January, after a drop off in funding and clientele forced it into foreclosure.
In January, McNeill said his goal for the property was to restore the facilities — the country club, the pro-shop and the pool and pool facilities — in order to make them available for the public; for weddings, birthdays, reunions, retreats and meetings. Years of neglect have left the floors rotting, the landscaping overgrown, the tennis courts cracked and sinking and the pool and pool house in disrepair.
“My focus right now is the club house,” McNeill said this week. “Not the golf course.”
McNeill said he bought the property for its real estate value. He said, after due diligence, he found that the golf course would take more money to restore and maintain than it would create in revenue. He said the clientele draw is not what it used to be. In an attempt to adapt to the situation, McNeill is exploring other options for the land.
“Golf courses everywhere are in trouble. Several have closed in Moore County as well,” he said.
McNeill’s plan is to keep the acreage closest to the club house, and divide the property on the outskirts into 5-acre lots to be sold for residential development.
“It will be restricted like Pine Lakes,” he said. “That will increase the property taxes coming into the county.”
McNeill said he has asked neighboring property owners if they would like to have the first option to purchase the lots once they are subdivided.
David Wells said he lives on Fairway Drive in Pine Lakes, and his lot backs up to the golf course. McNeill informed Wells of his decision for the property. Wells is not happy with the idea of the golf course being carved up for residential lots.
“I think it ought to be a golf course and a country club,” said Wells. “It’s a jewel. It’s a crying shame. I don’t understand why local politicians don’t get behind the golf course.”
Wells said physicians who look to relocate to Richmond County not only ask about schools and crime rates, but also where they will play golf. Wells said he and his friends who play golf together have been going to other golf courses in surrounding counties. He believes that, if the golf course was maintained, it would draw the amount of clientele needed to fund the upkeep.
“The golf course maintains the country club,” said Wells. “(Other golfers) would drive here. They love diversity. It would be a multi-county draw.”
Wells said it was a lack of membership and poor management that ultimately drove the golf course into the ground.
Former country club board member William Reynolds agreed.
“It makes me sick to my stomach,” said Reynolds. “I was a member of the country club from 1960 until four years ago. We have a group of about 26 golfers and we take our $525 plus food and beverages to Scotts Meadows in Laurinburg, they have a nice facility out there. It’s a shame that we can’t keep our money at home. I have been on the board and the swimming pool has never been profitable. And the small amount of people who will rent the club house for parties won’t be enough (to maintain the property).”
Reynolds said he believes that without golf, the country club won’t be able to maintain itself.
McNeill said he looks forward to selling lots for spacious country upscale living, while Wells and Reynolds said they are sad to see a golf course designed in part by Donald Ross disappear, and wonder how McNeill will sell lots in a fragile economy.
“Once it’s done, it can never be undone,” said Reynolds.
“It’s a shame for all of us — it’s a shame for the county,” said Wells.
— Staff Writer Dawn M. Kurry can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 15, or by email at dkurry@heartlandpublications.com.
Now you see what the younger people of this county have to put up with.
There's nothing to do for entertainment in this county or surrounding citys/towns.
I guess you'll have to do what they do, go to Moore County or Fayettville and spend Lots of money.
Truth be known....... most of us are doing just that because of LACK of ENTERTAINMENT.
The real shame is this whole issue is much deeper than just a golf course shutting down. It is a once promising county continue to shut down little by little as well. The only way to remedy this problem is to be more active in attracting new business/industry to the county. Without that, there will be more than a golf course in jeopardy. There are lots of towns/counties that would foam at the mouth to have a golf course by the same architect as Pinehurst 1,2 & 3. The course should be used more actively as a marketing tool to assist in drawing new industry and business to the county. The "Donald Ross" name to golf is like "The Rock" is to racing. Sorry but you won't get that with Loch Haven no matter what you do to make it better.
The above is one reason why many young people (the future) leave Richmond county and never to return. People want to be able to make a living, have a decent level of entertainment and enjoy what they have worked hard for. Shucks! .. you even have to go out of town to catch a movie when Rockingham use to have 2 twin theaters! Other than the local community college, churches and very few business, there is nothing there to attract young people or keep them. It's a hard pill to swallow but it's fact as I am one of the many. I grew up in Richmond county, went to First Baptist Church, went to RCC and yet, had to leave to seek employment and further education. My friends with their businesses there have to go outside the county to get work to stay afloat. I frequent Rockingham and Hamlet almost every other month and each time I see things change and not necessarily for the good. Richmond county has so much potential the it's not harnessing and utilizing to make it great once more.
Food for thought.
Lets get to the real truth, the people to blame are the people that had ANYTHING to do with finances of the RPCC for the last 15 plus years. Board of Directors and GM's of the course KILLED it. You have no idea how they constantly did business of the golf course outside of Richmond County. I have played alot of rounds at RPCC in my time and am going to miss it, but the folks to blame are the cronies that ran it into the ground from the mid 90s forward. Do not be mislead, Mr. McNeill would love to re-open the golf course. What I suggest is if you have a problem with what he may do with it, then pony up your own savings your own butt on the line and beg him to let you invest in bringing RPCC back. Not, going to do that? I didn't think so. I will miss RPCC, but I dont excect Mr. McNeill and his family to take a financial bloodbath to do it.
I agree with all those who say that a golf course is a town attraction in many positive ways but it does take time, money, and commitment to make it successful. Take a look at NASCAR and what a blow it was to Rockingham when it left but guess what? It is making a comeback I hear. Look what happened when the textile plants closed (my dad worked at J.P. Stevens until his death). It has been a hard recovery for the city and a piece of the heart of the town disappeared when the textile companies left.
Golf is in a slump right now due to the economy but so are a lot of other things. Our nation will recover and things will improve, it will just take time. Don't make a hasty decision of destroying Richmond Pines. When times improve, so will golf. When things do get better, be there with a wonderful restored golf club, pool, tennis courts, and golf course because once the town's only golf course is gone, no one will build another one. Take what you have there, even in it's terrible condition, and get it ready for the return of good economic times. Take pride in it again and make it the talk of the county instead of being the nail in the coffin of another golf course. Instead of bulldozing a golf course for the quick buck, make the course a longtime investment and start bringing it back piece by piece as the new owner said was his first intention? Yes it is a risk. Think of that line from that movie, "Build it and they will come." Richmond Pines could be restored to its glory days and under the right management, as opposed to the wrong management it apparently had, it could thrive once more.
The mindset of this generation is what is how fast can it be done and how quick can I get money. Why not slow down and put in the time and effort (yes, and money) for the true good of the community. It is almost like the commitment one puts into a marriage, if the marriage is to work, time, effort, and commitment has to be put into it. The relationship between Richmond Pines Golf Course and Rockingham has been a long one and I feel it deserves the chance to be saved. Good gracious, houses can be built anywhere but once this course is gone, it's gone forever and so goes another piece of the heart of the town.
Please consider all angles to restoring this property, look at this property as a long term project, and build those houses somewhere else instead of on this wonderful and sentimental ground.
Think out of the box on this one, believe in Richmond Pine's comeback, and be the owner that saves an important piece of Rockingham instead of being the one that destroys it.
Bonnie King
Now, who was on the Board? Former country club board member William Reynolds . Look like the Board of Directors didn't know what they where doing. So don't blame someone else for your mistakes. There's afew in this County that don't it to grow, it's all ways been that way and it'll never change. Mr McNell is not one of them, but We know who they are.You don't have to go far to see.