Maple Ridge Golf Club teed up for possible sale

Maple Ridge Golf Course, built by the W.C. Bradley Co., more than two decades ago as the centerpiece of an upscale residential development in north Columbus, is for sale and there is an obstacle to finding a potential buyer.

The two city-owned courses, primarily nearby Bull Creek, have proved a sticking point with many of those interested, said the Adel, Ga., broker who is working with the W.C. Bradley Co. to market the facility.

“We have had 20 or 30 people go through there,” said Hilda W. Allen, president and owner of the company that has had the course listed for a couple of months. “… The municipal courses there are out of control when it comes to their budgets and they don’t have to comply to the normal budget ranges for golf courses. Those who are looking don’t know how to compete in that market. That is the elephant in the room.”

The potential sale of Maple Ridge Golf Club is at a critical stage. Hilda W. Allen, Inc., which has brokered the sale of more than 800 golf courses and clubs in the last 25 years, will be accepting sealed bids for the 18-hole course, clubhouse and parking lot through Wednesday. At that point, W.C. Bradley will have the option to reject, accept or counter offer any of the bids. Allen will not say how many bids have been received, but did say “it is more than one.”

“The biggest obstacle we are facing is how to get around subsidized golf,” Allen said.

The city of Columbus owns and operates Bull Creek near the northern panhandle and Oxbow Meadows off South Lumpkin Road near Fort Benning. Bull Creek, off Lynch Road, has 36 holes and has been recognized as one of the top municipal courses in Georgia and the Southeast United States. The city not only owns the course, but also operates it.

Columbus Councilor Skip Henderson, an avid golfer who was chairman of the Bull Creek Golf Authority before being elected to council, said that Bull Creek does have an advantage because it can use prison labor to maintain the course. And he defends that.

“I look at it as a recreational facility provided to the citizens just like the swimming pools, ice rink and natatorium,” Henderson said. “The golf courses and the Cooper Creek tennis courts are enterprise funds and in theory should break even.”

Last year, it cost the city about $425,000 over the revenue the courses generated to keep Bull Creek and Oxbow Meadows operational. The bulk of that — $250,000 — was spent at Oxbow.

Maple Ridge Golf Club, a semi-private golf course that opened in 1993 is less than 10 minutes away and sits on about 180 acres. It was designed by Mike Young and Columbus resident and Masters champion Larry Mize, now a player on the PGA senior tour.

Maple Ridge’s 18-hole, non-member greens fees range from $33 to $49, depending on the time of day and day of the week. The average fee is $40. The greens fees at Bull Creek are $38.

Mat Swift, president of the Real Estate Division of W.C. Bradley Co., said the time has come to sell the golf club, which is managed by Mosaic Clubs and Resorts, a large Alpharetta, Ga., management company that contracts with many top-flight facilities.

“We have worked with the management company to try and improve the financials and make it more viable,” Swift said. “We have reached a point where it is no longer a part of our strategy.”

W.C. Bradley developed more than 800 acres on the Maple Ridge site since 1987. There are about 700 homes, condos and high-end apartments surrounding the golf course. Most of the W.C. Bradley residential development concluded in the last five years. The Columbus real estate company has since turned its attention and focus to downtown development. If the golf course does not sell, W.C. Bradley will weigh its options, Swift said. That could include residential development on land that is currently part of the course.

“Let me just say, our preference is to sell the golf course,” Swift said. “If it doesn’t sell, the Bradley Company will not develop it, but we will consider selling it to someone who has that as an option.”

Allen said there is not an asking price on the course and that offers will be presented to W.C. Bradley. Swift did not discuss the price the company is seeking.

“After we get all the offers, we will take a week to 10 days to look at them and talk to those who are interested,” Swift said.

This story was originally published October 5, 2015 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Maple Ridge Golf Club teed up for possible sale."