FCCC Investments LLC bought the West Frankfort, Ill., property earlier this year, and investor Steve Rhoads noted that some of the 11 investors are not golfers at all, but believe the semi-private club has served an integral part in the region’s identity since opening in 1921. The group has remodeled the banquet room and plans to refurbish the clubhouse.

A group of 11 investors is working to preserve Franklin County Country Club, the Carbondale, Ill.-based Southern Illinoisan reported.

According to Steve Rhoads, one of the investors, the West Frankfort, Ill., club has served as an integral part of the region’s identity since it opened in 1921, the Illinoisan reported.

Rhoads would not say that the club was nearing its end—he did not want to speculate what prior management would have done—but the decline in membership has been obvious. The new investors, operating under FCCC Investments LLC that purchased the property earlier this year, wanted a chance to reverse the trend, the Illinoisan reported.

“These people were as much interested in the welfare of the community and the interest in preserving this beautiful, historic golf course and country club as they were in the golf aspect,” Rhoads said. “In fact, some of the investors are not golfers at all.”

The club was founded by a group of coal mining companies, among them the Old Ben Coal Co. As golf’s popularity rose, so did interest in the club, which at one time featured a lake and beach, trap shooting, tennis courts and a pool on 225 acres, the Illinoisan reported.

But the overbuilding of golf courses coupled with waning interest in the sport and the recession saw membership at the club drop, from roughly 360 in its “heyday” to about 130 last year, Rhoads said.

“It still is the center of an awful lot of events, golf events, fundraisers. We hope to continue that even more,” Rhoads said. “As we speak we are actively promoting membership in the club.”

Rhoads would not disclose the purchase amount of the club, but the investment has since grown to include remodeling of its banquet room and plans to refurbish clubhouse including dining and bar amenities as well as the golf course, he said. The group also plans to reopen the swimming pool with some improvements. It was closed last year, the Illinoisan reported.

The club is semi-private, with the golf course and dining amenities open to the public. Non-members who are guests of members can use the pool. The banquet room is also available to groups for meetings or events, the Illinoisan reported.

“The beautiful new banquet room has been extremely well received by the community,” Rhoads said. “We got a lot of positive feedback. It was one of our first efforts to demonstrate to everyone that we are serious about improving the facilities.”

To further drive membership, work is also underway to promote community-wide youth golf programs and social events, the Illinoisan reported.

“It’s a social center the community can use that provides a wonderful setting and a place you can enjoy being,” Rhoads said.