A date is set for the closing of Indian Wells Golf Club. Golfers are running out of time
Indian Wells Golf Club will host golfers for the final time on Dec. 21.
The closing is in advance of an anticipated sale by course owner Founders Group International and eventual building of a housing development on the 150-acre property.
The layout will be the first of the 22 courses purchased in the past five years by the China-based FGI to close and be redeveloped. Company president Steve Mays confirmed the closing date Tuesday.
Indian Wells is zoned for housing, and a vote on a request to rezone for a specific housing project has been deferred by Horry County Council.
A statement from FGI to The Sun News in October stated: “Indian Wells was zoned for residential development many years prior to FGI taking ownership, making this decision the next step for a property that has long been earmarked for a different purpose.”
The 6,624-yard, par-72 Gene Hamm design opened in 1984, and it was part of FGI’s first golf-related purchase on the Grand Strand as one of three courses bought for about $11 million in Sept. 2014 from Classic Golf Group.
The golf course is currently zoned SF6, which allows for single-family homes with minimum lot sizes of 6,000 square feet – the equivalent of about seven homes per acre. Potential developers are seeking a rezoning to MRD2, a zoning code that allows for single-family and multifamily houses, with additional commercial zoning.
Under MRD2, fewer homes could be built compared to SF6. Previously, Horry County Planning Director David Schwerd said the benefit of MRD zoning was it locks in the plans, which must include sidewalks and other internal enhancements.
The MRD2 proposal that was deferred allows for 520 total units – 253 single family and 267 townhouse.
The closing of the course and possible redevelopment has encountered opposition from area homeowners.
Residents of developments around the course, which include the Woodlake Village 55-and-older adult community that consists of 448 mostly single-family homes with a few duplexes, Sweetwater at Indian Wells, and The Villas, have organized protests on the Garden City Connector and at county planning commission and council meetings.
Their concerns include potential flooding, traffic, stress on emergency personnel and loss of green space and wildlife habitat.
“We are not against development, but we are for responsible development, which is why we started the coalition we have . . . and putting more than 500 houses out there is not responsible development,” said Woodlake Village resident Kathy Jellison in October.
Jellison is president of the recently formed Coalition for Responsible Development in Horry County.
Golf courses have become prized pieces of property in the midst of a burgeoning housing market.
Possum Trot Golf Club closed on Oct. 31 for possible redevelopment.
The Pearl Golf Links in Calabash, N.C., will drop nine holes to become a 27-hole facility on Jan. 1, though there are no imminent plans to redevelop according to ownership, and Brick Landing Golf Club in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., is scheduled to close on Jan. 1 unless a buyer is found that wants to operate the course. That property is zoned for housing.
The owner of The Wizard Golf Links in Carolina Forest will sell to a developer if zoning is passed that allows housing on the property. Heather Glen Golf Links in Little River closed late in 2017 for redevelopment.
‘Tis the season
Mystical Golf and its three courses are in the giving mood this holiday season.
Man O’War, The Witch and The Wizard are holding a food drive from Dec. 16-24, allowing golfers to play any course for $24 with three cans of nonperishable food.
The company is also holding the annual Christmas Child Golf Tournament on Dec. 14 on both The Wizard and Man O’War courses to raise money for children in need in South Carolina and Georgia through the Pardue Children in Need Fund.
The entry fee for the captain’s choice event is $65 per player, which includes lunch, prizes to 16 teams and a raffle. Registration is requested by Dec. 11 by contacting Randy Broughton at 843-236-8000 or Randy.Broughton@mysticalgolf.com. Sponsorships, donations and prizes are also being accepted.
The Pardue fund has a mission statement of “Providing Joy to Children with No Joy in their Lives.” It assists children placed at Lighthouse Care Center in Conway, Seacoast Youth Academy in Myrtle Beach and several other care facilities in S.C. and Georgia, providing things including Christmas gifts and outings such as theater shows, sporting events, amusement parks, movie theaters and bowling.
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 6:23 PM.
