BMX, go-kart racing, ATV trails proposed for closed Horry County golf course property

A massive 200-acre sports and recreation park and housing development for BMX and go-kart racing with ATV trails is being proposed for the former Black Bear Golf Club on Highway 9 and Camp Swamp Road in Longs.

The development would include 200 lots for single homes, a campground facility for RVs and host regional racing events on two tracks with spectator stands beneath a 10-foot berm.

“It won’t be like your normal dirt track go-karts around here, it’s more like the large go pro facilities in North Carolina,” said David Schwerd, deputy director of Horry County Planning and Zoning.

“We don’t have anything like this in the county, so this is definitely innovative for Horry County,” Schwerd said.

The 28-year-old golf course closed in August 2016 because it was losing money, according to owner Kang Zou, who said Thursday that he plans to sell the property if the zoning change is approved.

“If we can rezone there I believe we have a chance to sell it,” Zou said in a text message. “Developing there is much better than nothing.”

The proposed outdoor recreation district would keep the golf cart trails in place for bike and ATV use, and would also turn the clubhouse into a bar and restaurant.

The project would include a water feature – a giant slide launch into a man-made pond.

The development is being designed by Venture Engineering, Inc., which presented the plans during a planning and zoning workshop on Thursday.

They envision it will hold weekend races and draw participants from across the region.

To make the project happen, the golf course needs to be rezoned from forest agriculture and residential to a planned development district.

The Planning Commission will consider that request at their Nov. 2 meeting at 5:30 p.m.

Schwerd says the plan meets the county’s qualifications, and that few residents live next to the closed course. They have only received about three phone calls from concerned residents, he said.

“The biggest thing they had concerns about was making sure there was enough buffer around it to reduce the noise. Once they found it was a 10-foot berm (they had) no major issues,” Schwerd said.

The berm will run the length of the facility and will be landscaped across the top, Schwerd said.

The stands for an audience to watch the races will be on the development-side of the berm.

Zou and his mother, Chun Lan Li, purchased the course in June 2014 for $1.5 million. They were among the first Chinese owners of golf courses on the Grand Strand, joining the owners of Crown Park Golf Club and Sea Trail Golf Resort. Investors from China now own 27 Strand courses, including Black Bear and the 22 owned by Founders Group International.

The course and its owners are involved in a couple ongoing lawsuits.

Businessman Dong ‘Raymond’ Ou, who has represented himself as a businessman from Singapore, sued the course owners late last year in an attempt to recoup a $100,000 deposit he supplied as part of a sales contract. The purchase was never finalized, and Ou later purchased a course in the Pinehurst, N.C., area.

“Ou didn't have enough funds to buy Black Bear so he lost that deposit,” Zou said in April.

Former Black Bear head professional and general manager Patrick Wilkinson is also suing the owners in the court of common pleas, claiming he is owed more than $14,000 for three days of past wages, pro shop merchandise and unpaid revenue from pro shop sales.

This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 12:02 PM with the headline "BMX, go-kart racing, ATV trails proposed for closed Horry County golf course property."