Island Green Golf Club to reopen this month

Island Green Golf Club is expected to reopen on or before Jan. 15.

Four people in the Georgetown County golf industry have partnered to lease the course from its European owners for three years, with an option to renew or buy in the fourth year.

The opening date depends on the arrival of a new fleet of 70 golf carts.

Scott Marlowe, a partner and the marketing director of Wedgefield Country Club in Georgetown, has partnered with Wedgefield and former Heritage Club superintendent Hans Sapochak, former Heritage head pro Gary Johnson, and Heritage food and beverage director Jodi Cotten to lease and operate the course.

“Hans and I got to talking about we always wanted to try something on our own because we’ve worked for other companies,” Johnson said. “We just think the golf business on the [Grand] Strand is really receptive to a good local golf course. … There are 30,000 local golfers on the beach.

“The single golf course is a dying breed. I think there’s a niche there that we’re going to buck that trend from the corporate perspective as four locals trying to make it as a locals-friendly golf course.”

The 32-year-old Bill Mooney design off S.C. 707 in Myrtle Beach has been closed since Aug. 19, the apparent victim of a tough economy and competitive market. It was managed by the now defunct Signature Golf Group.

Wedgefield and Island Green will be sister courses with reciprocal memberships. The four partners will have dual duties at both courses, as Johnson will be the head pro at both, Sapochak the superintendent, Cotten the food and beverage director, and Marlowe the marketing director.

Sapochak’s assistant superintendent, Jordan Strange, has been working at Island Green for more than a month in anticipation of a reopening. He has repaired the irrigation system and overseeded the course’s small Champion Bermudagrass greens with poa trivialis in late November. Sapochak said tees, fairway and rough will not be overseeded.

“It’s basically a big cleanup project; no renovations yet,” Sapochak said. “It’s basically urban renewal due to neglect. And I had the same problem at Wedgefield. We can make everything out here serviceable and playable, and improve on the fly.”

The course will become more player-friendly with the removal and pruning of trees, lessening of rough, and planned firm conditions.

Strange will remain full-time at Island Green, and Adam Fulford will be the day-to-day superintendent at Wedgefield.

There are two annual Island Green memberships that include Wedgefield, which ended a one-year marketing agreement in December with Century Golf Partners, the owners and operators of the five former Legends Group courses.

A regular membership is $950 for individuals and $1,200 for families, with an additional fee of $18 each round with a cart. A cart-included membership is $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for families, though rounds at Wedgefield still incur an $18 cart fee. Member walking rounds are generally allowed after 2 p.m.. There are also seasonal memberships primarily for snowbirds and a non-golf social membership for $30 per month.

There is a tournament Thursday at Wedgefield to commemorate the Island Green opening. A $28 entry fee includes food, door prizes and awards.

Island Green was a 27-hole course until nine holes closed in 2005 for redevelopment, and lots and homes are still being sold on that property. The 6,382-yard par-72 layout has perennially been on the lower end of green fees in the area.

Island Green will have an introductory $20 rate through January, and the cost is expected to increase to a $35 walk-in rate and $29 local rate.

The group is hoping to open the clubhouse restaurant to the public for lunch and selective dinners by the end of January.

The course’s reopening should have a positive impact on housing and rental sales around the course, as well as other benefits for residents.

“It’s good for property values here, we don’t have to travel much to play golf, and it keeps friendships active,” said Andy Gomez, a past member and one of numerous people who walked into the clubhouse Wednesday seeking new membership information. “I haven’t seen the guys [in the men’s club]. We used to meet in the clubhouse. One of the board members told me the other day if Island Green doesn’t open the men’s league might dissipate.”