With about 700 bidders in attendance, every item at Weatherwax Golf Course in Middletown, Ohio sold at auction on November 20. Contents of the University Club of Jacksonville will be up for auction on December 3, in advance of the ClubCorp facility’s planned December 20 closure.
The auction at Weatherwax Golf Course in Middletown, Ohio attracted about 700 bidders from five states and went “very well,” according to the Hamilton auctioneer, My Dayton (Ohio) Daily News reported.
Myron Bowling, owner of Myron Bowling Auctioneers Inc., said about 1,500 people braved the cold temperatures Saturday to bid on items from the golf course that closed this month, the Daily News reported.
“Bad weather is good for a sale,” Bowling said. “People think nobody will show up and everybody shows up. It was a very successful sale. It’s been that way for 40 years.”
Every item sold, Bowling said, though he refused to say how much money was generated. Most of the 125 golf carts were removed Sunday, sold to central Ohio golf courses and individuals, the Daily News reported.
Bowling said some of the items that attracted the “most interest” from bidders were souvenirs from the course: hole flags, tables and chairs and picnic tables, anything associated with the golf course, the Daily News reported.
Myron Bowling Auctioneers purchased the golf course two years ago from the City of Middletown for $1.6 million. Bowling leased the course for two years to Jim Kraft. The course closed November 6, the Daily News reported.
The 450-acre, 36-hole golf course has been sold to MetroParks of Butler County for $2 million. MetroParks is purchasing the parcel of land from Trust for Public Land, a national non-profit whose mission is to create parks and protect land. TPL is buying the property from Bowling Auctioneers Inc. for an undisclosed price, the Daily News reported.
With the exception of $10,000 from MetroParks’ general fund, grants were secured to purchase the property to preserve the land for public access and use, said Kelly Barkley, MetroParks’ senior manager for community relations.
The parcel of land will be the Meadow Ridge Area of Elk Creek MetroPark, which also includes 352 acres at the Sebald Park Area, she said. With this addition, Elk Creek MetroPark will become the largest MetroPark in the county with more than 800 acres, the Daily News reported.
The parks organization will seek input from residents on how to best use Elk Creek MetroPark. The grant funding MetroParks will use to purchase the land is only for passive recreational purposes, and operating a golf course does not fit in that criteria, the Daily News reported.
The University Club of Jacksonville’s (Fla.) contents are for sale in advance of the club’s December 20 closing, the Jacksonville, Fla., Daily Record reported.
Items for sale includes two large stone lions, artwork, antique furniture, two flat screen TVs and exercise equipment, along with a long list of other items. The auction is scheduled at December 3 at the club. Bidders can preview the items at 10 a.m. that day, the Daily Record reported.
In addition to live bidding, online bidding also is available at LiveAuctioneers.com.
A flier lists the items for sale, many of them highly recognizable by club members. There’s a bronze by A. Carrier with a breastplate and weaponry; a unicorn; a lion with a concrete base; and two architectural carvings “allegedly hung in Rotterdam Govt Bldg.” Along with artwork there is antique furniture, such as an ornately carved English cabinet, a European oak pulpit and sideboard, an antique pool table, monogrammed University Club chairs and sofas, chairs, tables, lamps, wine vaults and chandeliers. Equipment includes speakers, a video conference unit, projector and screen, commercial dryers and commercial washer, the Daily Record reported.
A board member said there were about 925 dues-paying members and about 50 employees. Operated by Dallas-based ClubCorp Group, the club occupies the top two floors of the 28-story Riverplace Tower. Dining and club functions are on the 27th floor, with athletic facilities on the 28th floor and a fitness center on the ground-floor concourse level, the Daily Record reported.
Three local ClubCorp clubs—Deercreek Country Club, Marsh Creek Country Club and Queens Harbour Yacht & Country Club—are offering preferred memberships, the Daily Record reported.
Building owner Lingerfelt CommonWealth Partners said it would convert the top two floors into about 22,500 sq. ft. of premier office space. The landlord said the ground-floor concourse fitness center will continue operating, the Daily Record reported.
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.