The country club will become private and course and clubhouse improvements are on the horizon.
The owner of Green Valley Country Club, Greenville, S.C., is moving ahead with plans to convert it to a private club on Jan. 1, with a goal of about 300 golf members and several improvements to the course and clubhouse areas, reports The Greenville News.
EA Operations LLC of Greenville in July purchased Green Valley from the Bank of Travelers Rest for an undisclosed price. The limited liability company is owned by the Kaplan family who has been part of the Greenville-area business community for many years as owners and operators of Cornell Dubilier, an electronics company located in Liberty.
Michael Kaplan, who has been a member of Green Valley for more than 12 years, will be the club’s Managing Director.
Green Valley, long the home of professional golfers, business leaders and Augusta National Golf Club members, was private for many years. However, it lost nearly two-thirds of its approximately 300 private members within two years as the slumping economy spurred them to pull out of an arrangement that included annual assessments to cover shortfalls, club officials told GreenvilleOnline.com.
The hard times opened the club to public play.
Because of the Kaplan family’s investment, however, members no longer will be responsible for capital improvements and there will be no more assessments, Green Valley officials said. Kaplan added that junior golf will be a big push for the club, which will contour fairways to shorten the course for younger golfers.
Green Valley will also become a First Tee of Greenville affiliate, providing access to the course for instruction, play days and competition for the Greenville area First Tee participants.
A Green Valley golf membership, meanwhile, will have a $5,000 initiation fee, monthly dues of $350 and a monthly dining minimum of $50, according to club information.
The initiation fee for a corporate golf membership, for up to three designees, will be $10,000. For each designee, there will be monthly dues of $350 and a monthly dining minimum of $50, according to club officials.
A social membership will have an initiation fee of $1,000, monthly dues of $100 and a monthly dining minimum of $50, officials said adding that initiation fees are partially refundable and financing of golf memberships will be available. Initiation fees will be waived for members who join before the end of the year.
In addition to the golf course, the club has a clubhouse, swimming complex and five tennis courts with a tennis clubhouse. There are dining facilities, including a grill, formal bar and ballroom with multiple breakout rooms for small meetings and gatherings.
Kaplan said the club has hired golf architect Jan Bel Jan to develop a long-term improvement program for the Green Valley course. Other changes at Green Valley will include a new driving range, separate learning facility, clubhouse and landscaping improvements. There also are new plans for food and beverage operations and adding a fitness area.
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.