Tax records show the club was acquired by Frank Ruocco, who was also part of a group that bought Greate Bay Country Club in Somers Point, N.J. in 2021. Mays Landing CC had previously been acquired by Delaware-based WSFS Bank for $2.5 million.

Mays Landing (N.J.) Country Club was acquired by Frank Ruocco, according to a notice of sale filed with the Atlantic County Clerk’s Office on March 28, the Press of Atlantic City reported. The property had previously been forfeited to a Delaware-based bank, tax records show.

Ruocco is Executive Vice President of Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., the Press of Atlantic City reported. He and his partners were part of a group that reopened the former Revel-Casino Hotel, now known as Ocean Casino Resort.

The country club closed recently, with little advance notice, the Press of Atlantic City reported. The 18-hole course first opened in 1962. The property includes a facility offering reception rooms for events and wedding receptions.

Attempts by the Press of Atlantic City to reach Ruocco directly on April 10 were unsuccessful.

The latest purchase isn’t Ruocco’s first golfing endeavor, the Press of Atlantic City reported. Ruocco was also part of a group that bought Greate Bay Country Club in Somers Point, N.J. in 2021. That course is known to have previously hosted the Shoprite LPGA Classic before the tournament crossed towns, landing in Galloway Township at Seaview Hotel and Golf Club.

Greate Bay Marketing Director Tim Stover did not immediately return a request for comment, the Press of Atlantic City reported.

The parking lot of the Mays Landing golf course sat empty at a time when it might otherwise be packed with cars of morning golfers, the Press of Atlantic City reported. A “no trespassing” sign steers curious people away.

Those signs and caution tape also stop walkers from going into the first and second holes, the Press of Atlantic City reported.

The country club was well-known for being owned by the Fraser family until 2015, when it was sold to Green Valley Destinations and Resorts, which committed itself to keeping the course open for local and visiting golfers, the Press of Atlantic City reported.

Recently, the course was acquired by WSFS Bank, based in Wilmington, Del., for about $2.5 million, according to Atlantic County tax records filed on March 16, the Press of Atlantic City reported. The Delaware-based bank was represented in the matter by Christine Barba, according to tax records.

Barba did not immediately return a request for comment on April 10, the Press of Atlantic City reported.

That property transfer may have been the result of previous financial issues, the Press of Atlantic City reported. In 2021, the country club’s owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which allowed the former owners to reorganize the course’s finances in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Golf operations continued there despite the financial challenges, the Press of Atlantic City reported.