Randy Frankel, who is also partner/owner of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, has acquired The Plantation Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla., in partnership with MG Orender and Hampton Golf. Kenneth Bradley, the owner of a local dump truck business, bought Waynesboro (Va.) Country Club for $891,000 at a foreclosure auction, saying it is “a good possibility” that the club would stay open for golfing and other activities.

Randy Frankel, in partnership with MG Orender and Hampton Golf, acquired The Plantation Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla., on December 31, 2016.

Frankel is a partner/owner of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team, owner of Carlo’s Bakery and numerous other ventures. Frankel and Hampton Golf also own Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, Fla., and The Palencia Club in St. Augustine, Fla.

Following the acquisition, Hampton Golf will continue to oversee all aspects of The Plantation’s club amenities including golf and food and beverage. The club features a Hurdzan-Frye championship golf course, more than 20,000 sq. ft. of club facilities, including a grand dining room with private dining, a PGA Professional-managed golf shop, and locker room services.

Kenneth Bradley, the veteran owner of a local dump truck business, purchased Waynesboro (Va.) Country Club for $891,000 at a late morning auction of the foreclosed property, the Waynesboro-based News Virginian reported.

“I thought it was a good deal,” said Bradley, who did not disclose his plans for the property, assessed at nearly $3.5 million by the city assessor’s office, the News Virginian reported.

Bradley has never played golf in his life, and is now preparing to own an 18-hole golf course, a swimming pool and tennis courts. The main club facility and adjoining 64 acres are assessed at more than $2.7 million, the News Virginian reported.

Bradley said it is “a good possibility” that the club would stay open for golfing and other activities. But he further said “I don’t know what I will do.”

Under terms of the foreclosure sale, the club will stay open for at least 30 days until the sale is finalized, said Lynn Lawson, the trustee and Waynesboro attorney who conducted the auction. Bradley had to pay at least 10% of his $891,000 bid on Wednesday, the News Virginian reported.

The foreclosure sale was prompted by the club’s default on a $750,000 loan, plus interest. The deed of trust on that loan was held by WCC Mortgage LLC, the News Virginian reported.

Peggy King, who has served as president of the country club board, said that the club had depended more heavily on volunteers to manage it in recent years as money became tight. The club had fallen victim to the same plight as other golfing facilities, King said, and was in need of additional members, the News Virginian reported.  

Six people signed up to bid on the property. Bids started at $860,000, and closed with Bradley’s final bid of $891,000, the News Virginian reported.

“I hope they will keep it open,” said King.